Author's Note: The recent response to this story has been overwhelming. We have new readers among us. Tried and true fans, welcome them warmly and do not hate them for getting it all at once and not having to wait for my sorry ass. Eventually, the next chapter button breaks for EVERYONE. ;) Thanks to all, old and new.
Amazingly, to me at least, this marks the end of Part II. Part III resumes on the normal schedule, ~2 weeks, so don't panic.
Kakashi watched Sakura, sitting apart from everyone else, shuffling tiles and muttering to herself. She'd done little else since leaving Otafuku Gai.
She was practicing the game favored by their target in Nenzo, but if she wasn't ready before she left, then no amount of solitary practicing by the flickering light of the fire would make her ready now. Kakashi tried to tell her to stop, that her obvious nervousness was doing little to instill confidence in the others, but she wouldn't listen to him, of course.
Just like every other attempted conversation between them lately, it had gone south quickly, so Kakashi left her to her own devices. Sakura associated almost exclusively with Shiori and Michio, though she was friendly to Ryoji.
That left Kakashi to associate with the rest of the group, which was hardly any better. They were rambunctious, the excitement of the free time and unexpected stealth operation in Otafuku Gai still running through their veins. So far, for them, at least, this mission had been nothing more than a vacation, filled with room service, fancy hotels, and espionage so simple it hardly qualified.
Shiori and Ryuu were particularly annoying. After having the good fortune to be able to room together at the casino, they'd gotten quite used to the idea. Ryuu was the type to stake his claim on a woman, and Shiori was the type who didn't mind, and it all added up to get under Kakashi's skin.
It didn't help that every time they kissed or slunk off into the woods, Sakura's mood grew darker. If Kakashi didn't know any better, he'd say she was jealous. Michio seemed to be particularly sensitive to Sakura's moods and would appear troubled and attempt to distract her whenever Ryuu was temporarily "missing."
Kakashi's attention drifted back to the conversation, but he wished it hadn't when he realized what they were talking about.
"It's ridiculous," Tarou said. "So she's good at gambling. So are you, Ryuu. You should be the leader of this mission."
"I'm not so sure," Tsubasa said. "You didn't see that man. He was not to be trifled with."
"So she knows him, so what. She could have dealt with him. Doesn't mean she needs to be the leader. It's like Hokage-sama said, that's not the same as skill. What kind of expertise has she got that Ryuu hasn't got?"
Ryuu smiled easily. "I don't think I'd be as ready to charm the pants off the targets, if you know what I mean. There's always that sort of expertise."
Ryoji frowned but said nothing.
Kakashi stood abruptly, trying to keep his face blank as he looked at Ryuu's smirking face. "A word, if you please."
Tarou guffawed, slapping his knee. "Aw, you've done it now, Ryuu."
Still smirking, Ryuu stood, taking his sweet time, and sauntered after Kakashi until they were out of earshot.
"What, have I offended your delicate sensibilities? After all I heard about you, I never expected you to be so squeamish."
Kakashi ignored him, attempting to keep his voice level. "You said you'd follow the chain of command on this mission. Do I have to remind you what it is? She was chosen because she is Tsunade-sama's apprentice and she knows things you can never hope to know."
"Calm down, Hatake," Ryuu said, taking a step back but broadening his grin. "I know that, but I'm not about to admit it to my subordinates, now am I? But it's not as if I'm wrong. You think that Ito guy would have spilled his guts to me so fast? She probably fucked him or Jino to grease the wheels. Hell, maybe both."
"It's none of your business who she sleeps with," Kakashi said, voice low.
His body was taut as Kakashi resisted smashing the cockiness off of Ryuu's face.
"And here I thought you came out here to defend her honor, but you don't even deny it. There's nothing wrong with it. She's using what she's got, right? And it gets the job done."
Kakashi clenched his fists tighter.
"You and I are a lot alike, you know," Ryuu said. "I wasn't sure, but I see now that you get it, like me. Honor is for old men. If they're willing to dish it out, why not take it?"
In a flash, Kakashi had Ryuu pinned to a tree. The smile finally fell from his face to be replaced with shock.
"We are nothing alike," Kakashi spat. "Nothing. Speak of it again and I'll tell Shiori the truth of the matter. Everyone will know you for what you are."
Ryuu's eyes widened. "You wouldn't. It would ruin Sakura's career."
Kakashi got a little closer to Ryuu's face and smiled his most winning smile. "Wouldn't I? Do you know me well enough to say what I would or wouldn't do?"
Kakashi's tone was light but Ryuu turned pale. Kakashi let him go and stalked back to camp to settle away from the others.
Sakura, of course, was eyeing him suspiciously, the game tiles forgotten for once. "Kakashi," she said and jerked her head towards the woods.
He sighed, following her away, already regretting letting his temper get the best of him.
"And what was that about?" she hissed.
"Captain's meeting," he said, knowing she would never buy it.
"And what did you discuss without me?"
"Someone needed a reminder about the chain of command."
"Don't bullshit me, Kakashi."
Her eyes were glittering and her voice was too strident.
"I wasn't," he said evenly, hoping she would calm down before they called too much attention to themselves.
It was too late. Michio and Shiori were approaching. They had been on watch.
"We heard a commotion," Michio said apologetically.
"We're just having a little conversation, aren't we?" Sakura said, her eyes still boring into Kakashi. "A personal one."
Sakura grabbed Kakashi's arm and yanked him further into the forest. Shiori and Michio exchanged uncomfortable glances but only Michio scurried away. Kakashi hoped this would deter Sakura, but he should have known better.
"You think it's not obvious the way you look at him?" She was trying and failing to keep her voice at a whisper.
"The same could be said for you," Kakashi murmured, glancing at Shiori out of the corner of his eye.
"But he already knows that I hate Ryuu and there's a plausible explanation! Are you such an idiot that you want him wondering why you care?"
Sakura darted her eyes at their observer as well. At least she hadn't completely forgotten herself.
"Don't you get it? This is my last chance. This is it. If I screw this up, it's all over."
Kakashi frowned. He wished she would make sense, at least every once in a while.
She challenged him with her eyes, face still etched into hard lines.
"You think it's an accident what squads were put on this assignment? He can count on you and me to squabble, that's for damn sure, but throw Ryuu into the mix and it's guaranteed to be a fucking disaster. He's trying to sink me, and if you were ever half the friend you profess to be, you would stop letting him."
Kakashi took a step towards her. "I'm letting him? You're the one who dragged me out here –"
She didn't back down, jutting her chin and standing on her tiptoes to come closer to looking him in the eye. "And you're the one who led Ryuu out there first."
"I had to do something. You refuse to take my advice about –"
Sakura rocked back on her heels, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please, spare me. I don't have time for your macho shit. Not today, not ever."
She pushed past him, pausing by Shiori, who was still standing there with her jaw hanging.
"I would apologize that you had to see that, but you really didn't, so I won't," Sakura said, voice sharp.
Shiori flushed. "I was just trying to -"
"Trying to what, snoop into something that isn't your business?"
"Sorry," Shiori whispered, and then fled.
After just a moment to steady herself and breath deeply, Sakura walked back towards camp. It was against protocol for Kakashi to stay out here alone, so he followed her dutifully.
"Is there trouble in paradise?" Ryuu said as they returned to camp, smiling with a hard edge he almost managed to hide.
Tarou's sniggers were interrupted by a kunai that would have pierced his skull if he didn't dodge. He had to yank with both hands to get it out of where it had embedded into the tree behind him. He grinned as he tossed it back to Sakura underhanded, who caught it by the handle deftly and replaced it in its pouch.
"Nice throw," Tarou said. "I always appreciate good aim."
Sakura smiled stiffly and nodded, then sat back down next to her pile of tiles. Kakashi sat near her, but not close enough to make her angrier. He was hoping she would take that as a sign of reconciliation, or try to talk to him, but her shoulders remained tense and she never turned around to face him.
Though, as usual, there was more going on than she would say, she was right about at least one thing. Kakashi should never have said anything to Ryuu. It made her already tenuous position more unsteady, not to mention his own.
He was just about to tell her he was sorry when she swept her tiles into a little bag and stood. She settled into her bedroll, still facing away from him.
Ryoji came and settled next to Kakashi.
"Is everything all right?"
Kakashi smiled. "Haven't you heard I live in paradise?"
"I also heard something about 'bullshit' paired with your name," Ryoji said with a smirk.
"Well I've always been told that bullshit is my middle name."
"Don't worry. We couldn't hear anything else."
Kakashi shrugged. "I wasn't."
Ryoji stood. "Well, I'd better go relieve Shiori. You might want to get some sleep. You and Tarou are on the next watch, remember?"
Ryoji and Tsubasa left, and when Shiori and Michio returned, Shiori sat down next to Kakashi.
"I'm sorry," she said, not looking at him. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Kakashi grunted, not sure what to say.
"Do you really hate Ryuu?"
Kakashi stood, trying to stop his misplaced anger from spilling over.
"Forget I asked," Shiori said as he walked away.
He ignored her, sliding into his own bedroll.
"Is there anything else I can get you, ma'am?" The waiter in coat tails smiled at Sakura.
"That will be all, thank you."
He bent down so she could take the bill off of a round tray he was holding. She took a look at it, and Kakashi could see over her shoulder. He was impressed; Sakura didn't even wince, even after she had spent almost as much to get the table without a reservation.
She reached into her tiny purse and lay a single large bill on the table. The waiter straightened. Sakura pushed her chair out and stood. Kakashi pushed it back in and followed her with Ryoji.
The maitre d' stopped them on the way out to return Sakura's white fur coat.
"Was everything to your liking, Miss Tanaka?"
"The fish was overcooked," Sakura said with a sniff, holding her arms out.
Kakashi took the coat and helped Sakura shrug into it.
"You must allow us to correct this error," the maitre d' said, frowning. "If you return tomorrow night, you may enjoy any bottle of wine –"
"Of course I may," Sakura snapped. "But I think not."
She swept out of the restaurant. Kakashi and Ryoji followed her back to the elegant hotel, where the concierge waylaid Sakura to make sure she was happy, ignoring her "servants." Only once inside the room, after Kakashi and Sakura split up to put seals of silence and alarm on each window and door, did anyone speak.
"I'm so sorry you had to watch me eat like that," Sakura said, taking off her coat and carefully placing it on a hanger.
Ryoji shrugged, flopping into a chair and stretching his legs. They'd been standing stock still through several courses.
"Better than carrying you into the city on a stick stretcher. The genjutsu may have made it look like a padded palanquin, but I can assure you that it was not."
Sakura flushed. "Sorry about that, too. But you know, if I had the budget I requested, we would have travelled the whole distance like that to bolster my back story, but you would have at least gotten a hotel room almost every night out of it."
Ryoji rolled his neck to get a crick out of it. "Then I'm glad you didn't get your way. Do you even realize how annoying it is to carry a litter with someone as tall as Kakashi-taichou and his clone?"
Kakashi smirked, sitting in another chair. "Shiori is taller than you too, isn't she?"
Ryoji shot Kakashi a dirty look and Sakura giggled.
A knock came at the door. "Miss Tanaka, may I come in?"
"Speaking of Shiori," said Sakura and crossed to open the door.
Shiori entered, finishing the last of some sort of meat on a stick and handing Kakashi and Ryoji one each.
Kakashi stared at his dubiously, reminded of the "rabbit" he'd last eaten at Youba's cabin.
"Oh, just eat it, you big baby," Sakura said, rolling her eyes with a wan smile.
"Easy for you to say, miss 'the fish is overcooked.'"
"Well, it was, but mostly I just wanted an excuse not to eat there again. It's so expensive."
"Yeah, no kidding," Ryoji said, pulling down his mask and eating his dinner with no apparent qualms. "I don't know how you wear this thing every day."
Kakashi shrugged. Ryoji was wearing one of Kakashi's undershirts so that they would match. For Kakashi's eye, he'd kept the decorative piece he'd bought in Otafuku Gai, simply because it wasn't traceable to the Copy Nin.
With a sigh, Kakashi began to eat his own dinner, hoping it was nothing unsavory.
Shiori crossed to the vanity Sakura was seated at. "What do you want to do with your hair?"
"You don't actually have to be my servant, you know."
"Don't spoil my fun," Shiori said, scrunching Sakura's red hair in her hands. "This dress is classier, so I think you should put it up and not just curl it."
"I was thinking about it, but how?"
Shiori grabbed two ivory hair combs from the vanity. "What about these?"
"They have my crest on them, just inverted, see? Red circles. They were a birthday present."
"No one will recognize that. These obviously cost a fortune and that's all that matters, right?"
"I guess so. All right."
Shiori went about pulling Sakura's hair into the combs. "So how'd you choose your code name? I always have the worst time with that."
"People I know. Ayame is – well, an acquaintance, but it's traditional in my family to name women after flowers. Tanaka is the surname of a medic at the hospital – two, actually – but I chose it because it's a common name and hard to trace."
"Hard to check into, right?"
"Right. Kakashi, that reminds me, I was supposed to tell you to apologize to Tanaka."
Kakashi jerked to attention, having let his mind drift. "Me? I don't even know who that is."
"Seriously?" The corners of her mouth turned down slightly. "Tanaka Kito. You broke his nose."
"When?" Kakashi tried to remember, if only because it was the first actual conversation she had initiated for the duration of the mission, but he was coming up blank.
"What about the bedpan? Remember that?"
"Oh. Him."
"Yes, him."
"Well his nose was crooked anyway, so I can't have made it any worse."
He aimed for levity and was rewarded with a slight relaxing of her shoulders as she played along.
"It's better, actually."
"Then why am I apologizing for doing him a favor?"
"Because his niece is very cross with you."
"She isn't one of the giggling girls, is she?"
"She is. Her name is Fumiko, by the way."
"Then I'm morally obligated not to do it. She accosted me in a sandwich shop, you know."
"She spoke to you, you mean?"
"What's your point?"
Sakura smiled into the mirror, but it didn't reach her eyes. Ever since their blow up the other night, he'd been trying to improve her mood, joking around with her even in front of the others. She didn't stop him, even joined in occasionally, but he could tell it was half-hearted. And yet she had apparently already forgiven Shiori, for they were thick as thieves again soon after.
His own mood suddenly soured, he tossed his empty skewer into the trash from across the room and re-covered his face. He pulled his book out and opened it so that no one else would try to speak to him.
Sakura stood, leaning closer into the mirror. "You know, you're right, Shiori. This dress is classier, but is it too classy?"
"What do you mean? I think it's pretty. That light purple really works with your red hair and green eyes. And it looks expensive."
"That's because it was," Sakura said, frowning as she cupped her breasts, squeezing them together so there was cleavage showing through the keyhole cutout in the front.
"Do you think I should make my boobs bigger, though? The other sort of dress attracted too much attention, but I'm worried this one won't attract enough."
Ryoji coughed awkwardly.
"Be mature," Sakura said, rolling her eyes at him.
"How would you do it?" Shiori said. "Let me see."
Sakura closed her eyes and her chest swelled underneath her hands until it strained against the confines of the dress fabric. "Do they look right? I haven't done this before."
"What kind of bra are you wearing? Or pretend wearing, or whatever?"
"I don't know... I wasn't even wearing one myself. But I guess that wouldn't make sense if I go bigger, would it?"
"My sister is around that size and she likes to wear those push up ones."
"What does that even look like? Ino tried to get me to buy one once and I thought it was a waste of money."
"I'll show you, if you don't mind?"
"Go ahead. It's not like they're real."
Shiori grabbed Sakura's breasts and pushed them up and together. "See what I mean?"
Ryoji was so red by this point it spread even above his mask. Shiori noticed and sniggered, but her laughter made Kakashi's jaw clench tighter.
"I don't like this," he said.
The smile dropped from Shiori's face and she withdrew her hands quickly from Sakura's chest, stowing them behind her back and backing away nervously.
Ryoji laughed. "Look who's brave now."
"Not that," Kakashi said, his eyes trained on Sakura. "You shouldn't be inviting things to turn sexual. That's not a good plan."
Sakura's face snapped into a scowl. "I'm just trying to look appealing, not –"
"That's the problem with the plan. I don't like it." He stood and moved to the adjoining door. "Let's go talk in the other room."
Sakura crossed her arms over her now deflated chest. "Didn't you tell me I should be more open with my plans?"
"Sakura."
She stomped over to him. "No. We can talk about the plan right here."
Kakashi ground his teeth. She was trying to taunt him into giving up, thinking he wouldn't speak candidly in front of Shiori and Ryoji.
"If that's how you want it. So Matsushita's interested in women gamblers. What kind of interest do you think that is?"
"I won't know until I meet him, will I?"
"And if it's sexual?"
Her brows knit in sudden unease that belied the confidence in her voice. "Then that's straightforward. I won't complain."
"And if he demands sex before you get the required information?"
"Then I'll have to sleep with him!" Sakura glared at him. "But it won't come to that."
"But if it does?"
"Then it does. This is still the best plan. Ibiki-sensei and I worked it out, and –"
Kakashi glanced sidelong at Shiori and Ryoji, but Sakura had elected to do this with them here, so he went on.
"Does he know you were raped? Because that makes this not the best plan. That makes this a bad plan."
Sakura staggered, aghast. "Raped? Don't you dare victimize me like that. Ibiki knows about that, yes, but he understands that I've made my choices and they're mine to live with, unlike you."
"That wasn't a choice, Sakura. You can't –"
Her eyes flashed, though they looked almost foreign lined heavily with black and purple makeup. "I chose to put Konoha above myself and I don't regret it!"
"You shouldn't be so cavalier," Kakashi insisted, chest burning with the need to make her understand. "Powerful men like to exert their power in every imaginable way."
She snarled. "I know that better than you, don't you think?"
Kakashi's arm snapped out and his hand closed around Sakura's throat. "And if Matsushita is into this? What will you do?"
Her eyes widened and she punched Kakashi in the chest, but he was ready for it and used chakra to brace himself so he didn't shatter the door when he slammed into it, the doorknob digging into his back.
Sakura held her throat, breathing heavily, eyes brimming with tears. "Y-you bastard."
She took a step back but he moved forward to meet her again.
"That's what I thought. If you kill him where he stands, then we might just fail the mission. If you fall apart, what then?"
"Then I'll give my life to serve my village, just like any other ninja of Konoha," Sakura said, her voice steady despite the tears streaking her face with makeup. "You know what we're after here and I'd die ten times over in pursuit of it. I don't need you to protect me. I just need you to do your fucking job and nothing else. This is the best plan."
She turned away from him and went back over to the vanity, trying to wipe the smeared makeup off with shaking hands but only turning her face red from the vigorous rubbing.
Shiori sat down on the bench next to her. "I'll do that," she said, gently prying the towel from Sakura's hands.
Kakashi opened the door to the other room and slammed it behind him. He threw himself on one of two beds, ignoring the pain in his back and clenching his hands against the urge to break all the furniture in the room.
Just as Kakashi was beginning to relax, the door creaked open. Kakashi sat up, expecting Sakura, but it was Ryoji.
"Sorry," he said, closing the door behind him. "It just seemed like they needed a bit of privacy."
Kakashi nodded stiffly and lay back down, hoping Ryoji would have the good sense to keep quiet. But of course, he spoke almost immediately, olive eyes keen.
"You guys have some heavy shit going on."
Kakashi only hummed in response.
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you stay together?"
"We don't."
Ryoji looked taken aback. "Oh."
"We never were, not that it's any of your business."
Ryoji finally got the hint and shut up. Grateful, Kakashi shut his eyes and concentrated on breathing.
It seemed like no time had passed at all when Shiori knocked on the door. "It's time to go."
Kakashi stood, grimacing at the throbbing in his back from where he had been thrown into the metal doorknob. It matched his pounding headache.
His chance to change things was gone. Sakura was going to court a mafia boss whether he liked it or not.
Despite all the tension leading up to it, the first night at the casino was uneventful. It was in what looked like a warehouse from the outside. Gaining entrance was easy enough, involving a side door, a password, and the passing of money.
The inside had none of the opulence of Jino's. By day, the space clearly served as the warehouse it only masqueraded as by night. At the moment it was a rough representation of a casino, which had no name that Kakashi was aware of. The men were dressed in various states, some rough looking and some slicker. Sakura seemed to be the only woman in the place that wasn't some sort of servant or arm ornament, which suited their purposes just fine.
Everyone looked at her as Sakura seated herself at her game of choice, but after she did nothing exciting, attention waned and the men at her table let her into the next game with only a few odd looks.
The whole night, she sat there winning and losing small sums, making mindless small talk. Kakashi and Ryoji stood behind her, not at all the only guards in the building. Shiori waited on Sakura hand and foot, acting as a lady's maid.
Eventually, Sakura played her last game and stood.
"We're losing our fourth," one of the men said, picking his fingernails with a pocket knife.
Sakura held her arms aloft and waited for Shiori to place her coat around her shoulders, nestling into the white fur once it was in place. "I grow bored. I'm used to higher stakes."
The man opposite from Sakura's place grinned, revealing a mouth full of broken teeth. "They don't just let anyone play with the big men, girly. And your guards won't save you if you ain't good for what all you lose."
"I think I've spent enough money here and in Otafuku Gai to show I'm good for it," Sakura said with a sniff. "Where I come from, money is money."
"And where is that?" another man asked, clinking his tiles together with feigned disinterest but eyeing her keenly.
Sakura smiled and turned to go, snapping her fingers. Kakashi and Ryoji fell into place at her flanks and as a unit, they left the casino.
Once inside the room with seals in place, Sakura sagged onto her bed. "That really couldn't have gone any better. I anticipated much more trouble. I guess Jino decided in the end to –"
As the rest of her sentence was eclipsed by a yawn, she propped her leg on the bedside table to begin unlacing her boot, the high slit of the dress Kakashi was sure she'd chosen for ease of movement falling open almost to her hip.
And she thought she needed to change herself to garner attention. The reminder made him clench his fists.
"You're first watch, right?" Ryoji said.
Kakashi nodded and Ryoji and Shiori went into the adjoining room to get some sleep. Sakura finished taking off her boots and disappeared into the bathroom. After a minute she stuck her arm out, holding the dress.
"Would you mind hanging this up?"
Kakashi gritted his teeth, but did as she asked. He wasn't sure when she started going out of her way to not change in front of him, or why it mattered, but he was willing to bet whatever it was also kept her smile from her eyes when she looked at him.
He heard the shower start and settled into one of the stuffed chairs to read. When she emerged he didn't look up out of courtesy, since that's what she seemed to prefer.
"They don't run out of hot water in places like this," she said, holding a towel around herself. "I'll keep watch for a bit, if you want."
"If you want privacy, just ask for it," he said, trying to keep the bite out of his voice.
She didn't respond, and he crossed to the shower. If she wanted to be rid of him, he'd let her.
After undressing, he turned on the water, which was indeed still warm. He stepped under the spray, scrubbing himself furiously. He got out and found a complimentary razor and took his time shaving his face and taking care of the rest of his business. If he could stay in the bathroom for the whole night, he would.
Eventually, though, he pulled his clothes back on, leaving off the overshirt and the uncomfortable eye piece, and left.
Sakura was already in bed, reading a book of her own. Relieved, Kakashi sat back in his chair and followed suit. After awhile, she switched off her lamp and drifted off to sleep.
Kakashi was caught up in one of his favorite scenes in the whole Icha Icha series when Sakura screamed. She sat up ramrod straight, clawing at her throat. He rushed over and knelt next to her bed, careful not to touch her.
"Sakura, look at me. It's okay."
The adjoining door flew open and Shiori and Ryoji piled in.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Kakashi ignored them, looking at Sakura.
"Sakura, listen to me. You're having a nightmare. It's not real. Not anymore."
She stopped clawing, still gasping for breath. Her eyes locked onto his, looking lost. He wasn't sure what to say, so he waited for her to speak instead – but when she finally did, her voice was so small he almost couldn't hear it.
"I couldn't breathe."
"I know. But you're not there. You're in Nenzo."
That was the wrong thing to say, as her chest started to heave again and panic welled in her eyes.
"Forget that. You're just here, with me. Right here."
She reached out, and he eyed her hand warily, but it didn't appear to be charged with chakra, so he let her tangle her fingers tightly in his hair. It hurt, but he didn't mind.
Seeing her like this brought the images to his mind he'd been trying not to think of for so long: Sakura huddled, naked and cowering, against a wall, screaming "Don't touch me!" with eyes that didn't recognize him. She had forgotten him, forgotten where she was, forgotten she was even a ninja, forgotten everything but a man Kakashi couldn't protect her from and a horror happening only in her mind.
She never said exactly what happened, but she didn't need to – and he had been deluding himself to think he could help her with such a thing. When it happened, she told Ibiki, not Kakashi, and when she remembered it, she had wanted Kakashi away so badly that she tore at him with her teeth and fingernails.
"I can keep watch from the other room. The walls are thin."
"No. Stay," she whispered, begging him with her eyes.
It was the same look she'd worn in her mother's kitchen that morning. "Don't run away," she had said, even though it was clear then, as now, that he didn't belong, that his presence only hindered her.
He relented. "All right."
Behind him, Kakashi heard the soft click of a door closing. He was alone with Sakura.
She pulled the covers back in a clear invitation, so he slid into the bed next to her, staying distant. "Don't touch me!" still rang in his ears even though he knew it was just in memory. She lay back down and rolled over to face him, really looking at him and not avoiding his gaze like she had been recently.
"I shouldn't have grabbed your neck," he said. "This is my fault."
Unexpectedly, she scooted closer to him, burying her head in his chest and slipping a leg between his.
"You were just trying to look out for me."
She clutched at his shirt and he winced when she brushed what must be a bruise from the doorknob. Frowning, she lifted the fabric to inspect the mark, passed a green glowing hand over the spot, and then carefully arranged her limbs to avoid touching it again.
"See, we're even." She tried for a smile but it failed almost immediately and he could read the guilt on her face as clearly as if it was written in scarlet ink.
With jerking hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and she shifted to accommodate him.
"That – that doesn't matter," he said, surprised by the raggedness of his own voice.
She reached up and grabbed his hair like an anchor again, nestling her face into the crook of his neck, but her body were still tense. Instinctively, he began to stroke her hair, and since he could feel her relaxing, he continued until her breathing became deep and even.
They lay there, Sakura sleeping and Kakashi letting the clock run down, until Kakashi's time on watch was done. He tried to free himself from her, moving her hand back to her side from where it had migrated from his hair and somehow managed to work under the band of his pants. It was too much to hope for that she wouldn't rouse as he pulled his arms away.
She reached for him again. "Where are you going?"
"My shift's up. I need to sleep."
She truly woke now, eyes all the way open. "Sleep here."
"It would be unprofessional."
"Oh." Her eyes lost their softness and she rolled over, facing away from him. "Okay. Sorry, I was only half awake."
Kakashi stood, not looking back at her as he went to the adjoining door and slipped into the other room. Ryoji was already awake, throwing a shirt back on.
"Oh," he said, pausing with his short only halfway down his torso. "I was going to watch from over here. You don't have to –"
Kakashi shook his head and slid into the free bed, rolling over. He only relaxed when he heard Ryoji go into the other room.
The next day was spent quietly, with room service and a shopping trip for Sakura to flash money around on. Kakashi, however, was spared this and stayed at the rooms to make sure they weren't disturbed.
When they returned, Sakura was wearing several expensive-looking rings and Ryoji was hauling a garment bag. Sakura double checked all the blinds and curtains before flopping on the bed.
She dragged her pack onto the bed and began pulling out small stacks of cash she had squirreled away in various places. Shiori disappeared into the other room and returned with more money, which she handed to Sakura.
Sakura took it without even looking at Shiori, muttering to herself as she counted the bills, separating them into piles.
"Damn it," Sakura said, frowning at the piles spread all over the large bed, though it seemed an almost impossible amount.
"If you were worried about it, you should have just window shopped," Kakashi said.
She glared at him. "They were following."
She picked up a pile that had been set to the side and flipped through it. "Electric bill... No, I paid it before I left."
As she separated a piece of the pile into her hand, Kakashi's stomach sank. He thought she was just spending her winnings from Otafuku Gai, but he should have known better. She was desperate that this mission should succeed, desperate enough to empty her entire bank account.
"Kakashi, exactly how much got broken at The Rusty Kunai before we left?"
He eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because I haven't paid for it yet, obviously."
"A couple of tables. Not a big deal. But that's my bill, not yours."
She pursed her lips. "You won't pay it. Masashi's been too good to me to let his bar get trashed without –"
"Don't worry about it."
"I'm serious. I can't –"
"You had nothing to do with it. It's not your problem," Kakashi said through clenched teeth.
Her eyes flashed. "Nothing to do with – fine. Good."
Sakura gathered the piles together and gave each of them a small stack before putting some into her purse and some back into her pack. She kicked her slippers off and started yanking on her boots, not looking at him again.
Ryoji stood and Kakashi followed him into the other room to give Shiori and Sakura privacy to prepare for the evening.
"I can't imagine taking that much time to get ready for anything."
Kakashi grunted, opening his book. He couldn't concentrate on it, but he found if he pretended to, no one would bother him.
After a while, he realized he hadn't turned any pages. To keep up the ruse, he tried to turn the page so forcefully that it tore a little bit.
He didn't turn any more pages, just stared at the words until they marched down the white page like ants.
Eventually, a soft knock came at the door and Kakashi shut his book with a snap. It was time to go.
Upon arriving at the casino this time, they were ushered to a different door. Sakura's brows raised in surprise and she shot Kakashi a hand signal behind her back: be ready.
"We're going to have to ask that you leave your guards outside," one of the men said, before opening the door. "Matsushita-sama does not usually allow it."
Sakura gave him a withering look. "My father would be scandalized to know that I was allowed into a room full of men in such a place without even my maid."
"We are instructed to protect Tanaka-sama's honor at all costs," Ryoji said, voice wooden.
The guard eyed Sakura up and down, taking in her silver dress. It clung to her like a second skin with slight rouching from the waist up to the top of its strapless corset. Under the man's gaze, uncertainty entered her kohl-lined eyes and her carefully cultivated confidence dissipated. She became just a little bit less Tanaka Ayame and more Haruno Sakura. She tried to adjust the top to cover more, but it was pointless. The dress was made to emphasize her bust, and it did.
"Her honor, eh?" the man said, still leering.
Kakashi's fists tightened as he fought the urge just to kill the two guards and abort the mission entirely. If she broke character because a door guard looked at her, they had no business here. He had tried to warn her.
"Yes, her honor," Ryoji said, his mask helping him hide the sudden look of alarm he was shooting Kakashi.
Kakashi forcibly relaxed as the second man disappeared inside and then returned, nodding.
"Along the back wall and don't move a muscle, then," the man at the door said.
He swung open the door for them to enter. Immediately, the guards already stationed in the room tensed and drew weapons. Kakashi and Ryoji did not react, but Shiori cowered behind them, playing up her role.
A man at the game table appraised Sakura with small, dark eyes deep set into a broad skull. The hard lines etched into his face and the gray beginning to show in his slicked back hair showed that he was on the latter side of middle aged, but it did not diminish his presence any. Kakashi had no doubt that this was Matsushita.
"I do not normally allow guards in my presence. But then, I always seem to make exceptions when a woman dares to show her face here."
Sakura bowed her head. "I thank you for allowing me to protect myself, Matsushita-sama. I have heard many things about you, but I hadn't realized you were so kind."
"Kind? I think not. Curious is a better word." He slowly appraised her. "I am always curious about women such as you and the fathers that sire them. How do they sleep at night after allowing their daughters to be such harlots? Curious, yes, curious indeed."
Kakashi kept his eyes trained on Sakura, but she only smiled in apparent amusement. "My father does not associate gambling with harlotry. This place is different from my homeland."
"And who is your father?"
"Tanaka Dai."
"I do not believe I have met this Tanaka Dai."
"I conduct all of his business on this continent."
"And I do not conduct business with women. Your homeland is different, as you say."
"Money is the same everywhere."
"Ah, yes. Your money, at least, is true enough, according to my sources. The rest of it remains to be seen. Shall we play?"
"Not until your men stand down."
Matsushita signaled and the guards relaxed, falling back into their positions along the wall.
Sakura settled into the open seat across from Matsushita and she and the three men began to play.
As they played, they spoke only occasionally, mostly in lingo that meant very little to Kakashi. He supposed it was about moving drugs in the black market, since that was supposed to be Sakura's cover.
Kakashi tuned that out quickly. Matsushita was Sakura's job; the rest of them were supposed to case the guards.
There were six in total inside the room besides the two outside, and, as expected, they all moved like ninja. No doubt Matsushita and his associates could defend themselves as well, but they weren't likely to be ninja. Since Kakashi's entire squad had made it in – which had always been up in the air – the odds weren't so bad as long as they had the element of surprise and could extract themselves before backup arrived.
Immediately, Kakashi could tell that the two guards behind Matsushita were the most formidable. If it hadn't been obvious by positioning alone, their reaction speeds would have confirmed it.
The question was their skill levels, which were impossible to tell, and their affiliations. If any of them could be pegged as Rock nin, the squad's job would become infinitely easier. It was Sakura's hope that as the days passed, one or more of them would start to get a bit chummy with the strange new guards. Shiori had a better shot, and he could already see her batting her eyelashes at the guard closest to her.
Kakashi had just settled in for the long haul, knees slightly bent, focusing on everything at once but nothing at all, when the plan flew out the window entirely.
The door burst open, two men dragging a man inside, dressed like a standard mercenary. There was blood caked in his blonde hair and even when he looked up, it took Kakashi a moment to recognize him, the sneer on his heart-shaped face so foreign. It was Michio.
"We found a rat, boss."
"Interesting," Matsushita said, looking down at Michio, unconcerned. "Where is your nest, little rat?"
When Michio didn't answer, one of his captors slammed his head into the wall. "Answer to Matsushita-sama, you piece of dog shit."
"Now, now. Is there a need for such language? There are ladies present," Matsushita said, though his eyes were still trained on Michio. "Well, little rat?"
Michio spat a bloody tooth in Matsushita's direction. "I'd rather be dog shit than the dog itself. My nest is captured by your owners. Can dogs do with rats what they wish if their owners want rat stew for dinner?"
Matsushita's nostrils flared, but he made no other reaction. "Kill him."
"Now," Sakura said, and his team flew into action.
The guards holding Michio were the first to go down, one by his hand and another by Shiori's. Kakashi propelled himself over the table to insinuate himself between the lead guards and Matsushita, but he was only partially successful. One guard got through, and his failure left Sakura to fight Matsushita, his two associates, and his guard on her own, without weapons and in a dress that barely let her move.
Kakashi tore off his eye piece and threw it to the ground, unveiling his Sharingan. The guard's eyes widened in recognition, decreasing Kakashi's advantage.
The battle was every bit as fierce as Kakashi expected, and he had no time to worry about Sakura. His opponent blocked him at every turn in the cramped space of the room. This forced Kakashi to fight close, ruining his chance at using any worthwhile lightning attacks.
And then the screaming started. Sakura had reached Matsushita.
Kakashi took advantage of his opponent's distraction at the bloodcurdling shrieks to do as he had once taught Sakura: slam the man against the wall, extending his spine, and snap his ribs into his liver.
Stunned, the man staggered. Kakashi slit his throat and then finished him with a quick jab to the back of the skull as he fell.
"Move and he dies," Sakura shouted over the screaming.
Kakashi turned to face the scene. Ryoji had picked up Kakashi's slack to engage the other lead guard, who was now standing stock still, arm still extended in an attempt to crush Ryoji's windpipe. Matsushita's two associates lay dead on the floor, skulls exploded distinctly. The rest of the guards were in various states of dead, wounded, or frozen mid-engagement with Michio and Shiori. Matsushita was on his knees, Sakura standing over him with a palm to his forehead, her face a hard mask splattered with brain matter.
It must have been less than a second that Matsushita screamed into the new silence, but it seemed to stretch forever. Finally, Sakura must have let up, because he stopped.
"N-name your... name your price," he said, struggling to breathe as his chest heaved.
"Everyone has their price, don't they?" Sakura's expression was impassive, set into harsh lines but giving nothing away. "What was your price? What did Rock give you?"
"Free reign over the region. Protection. Money, enough to buy my life, please –"
"My price isn't money. My price is information."
Matsushita began to scream again, his eyes rolling back in his head. He gripped his face so hard his nails left bloody tracks from his prominent cheekbones to his jaw.
Sakura stopped and the scream died down to mere hysterical sobs. "When did it start?"
"Last year."
Sakura reached down with her other hand and snapped one of his fingers like a twig.
"When?"
"May! I was first contacted in May." He tried to tear Sakura's palm from his forehead – a futile effort, as she flicked the offending hand away with two fingers, making him cry out. "Please, I'll tell you anything you want to know. Please!"
Sakura did not move her hand. "What were you asked to do in exchange?"
"Just keep an eye on things, report if anything –"
He began to scream again, longer this time, his unbroken fingers digging farther into his skin until the gouges were deep, tears and blood mixing to drip down his mutilated face.
"Liar," Sakura said, voice flat. "What did you do in exchange?"
"Keep the trade tariffs high to all countries allied with Fire and low to anyone else, in all markets, legal or otherwise."
"What else?"
"I told you, I was to report increased ninja activity –"
"What else?"
"That's it, I swe –" His last word devolved into a scream.
"Liar!"
"No, I swear –"
"When is the army coming?"
"What army?"
"When is the army coming?"
"When I receive the signal, I don't know, I don't know, I don't –"
His voice grew hoarser with each scream as he dug deeper into his face, peeling the flesh with his own hands.
"When is the army coming?"
"When the time is right for Mist and Lightning to attack the coast of Fire, the signal, the signal, I told you, I don't know, they'll send me a signal –"
Sakura slit Matsushita's throat, turning his words into burbles as he still desperately tried to answer her. Her other hand glowed green and buried itself in his skull. Matsushita slumped to the side, already dead, though blood still spurted from his neck down his lavish kimono.
For a fraction of a second, Sakura stood over Matsushita's corpse as his blood splattered her, rivulets running down her face, chest, and into her décolletage to stain the dress that used to be silver.
She dropped into attack stance. "Kill the rest."
"This way," Pakkun said from atop Bull's head.
Shiori shoved Ryuu's handkerchief back into her pocket and the group took off again, following Kakashi's pack, minus Uhei who was currently running back towards Konoha with news and a request for backup. Pakkun led them to what appeared to be a sheer rock face.
"They're behind this. I don't know how, but they are."
Sakura stepped forward, her dress flapping in the wind of the mountainside, ragged from where she'd torn slits into the sides for running.
"Move back," she said.
She started to charge her fist with chakra, but before she finished, the wall exploded outwards with an unearthly screech like a banshee.
Kakashi knew no more.
Let's play a game.