House Calls

Chapter 35

Sakura's ANBU problem persisted. Or, she thought it did. It could have been paranoia by this point. It and hyperawareness were close relations, after all. She had people in an out all hours of the day without her knowledge and things were bound to get shuffled around. All she had was speculation.

Well, that and the fact that ANBU wasn't being nearly so discreet since Ao's last letter, which had started making those trade demands that Tsunade had warned her about. The spooks had found out about it—not surprising—and they were less than pleased—also not surprising. The heads—whoever they were and may they find themselves ass-first in a bush of poisonous ivy—were vehemently protesting any exchange of information. It was the opening they had needed, but she suspected that they were still spying on her.

There were no words for how much Sakura hated the fact that her only option was to just go along with it lest she look (even more) suspicious.

In the mean time, Tsunade had finally consented to Gaara's requests and Kankuro had gone home. Without him around to distract her, Sakura focused on her study of fuinjutsu (which conveniently let her spend time focusing on Kakashi, which was not always conducive to studying anything at all) and sparring with the boys to keep herself from thinking too hard about the might-be snoops rummaging through her personal affects. If asked, she'd insist that it was entirely coincidental that for the last week Pakkun and Bull were almost constantly present in her house. Entirely.

"You're making me dizzy. Sit down."

Sakura shot Kakashi a dark look. "What's taking them so long?" she demanded. "It's been a month."

He sighed. He was on the sofa, slouched and watching her pace his apartment with a weary look on his face. His vest and sweater were missing, leaving him in his masked undershirt and sweats. "I don't know, Sakura. Please sit down and try to relax a little."

She shook her head. "I thought you were going to talk to them."

"I did," the Copy-nin insisted. "I said my piece and they told me that they'd take it into consideration." He glanced at her. "I didn't make any promises that they would listen to me."

"I know," she replied, waving his words off with a smile. "You did what you could. I appreciate that. I just… I don't know what's taking them so long. Ao is going to get suspicious and think that something's wrong."

Kakashi shook his head. "He'd be more suspicious if you got back to him right away. He might not expect ANBU to be peeking over your shoulder, but he knows that if you're the good little Konoha-nin you say you are, this will have to go through the proper channels. Trading information is touchy business and he knows that if you get back with him too soon it's probably a trap."

Sakura sighed. "I don't see what the problem is. He wants a few ancient documents." She scoffed. "What does it matter?"

"Those documents are about Kiri-nin that Konoha took as prisoners of war," Kakashi replied, scrubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Only the gods know what he wants with them and they're not exactly going to make diplomatic relations with Kiri easier than they have been. But that probably isn't even the problem. Didn't he ask for your file too?"

Sakura waved a hand. "I've read my file—" This earned a raised eyebrow from the man—"It's boring. Maybe he wants to use it as a sleep aid."

"He wants to read up on you," Kakashi corrected. "Since you're an active ninja of Konoha, you'll be added to their intelligence—your techniques, your abilities. It isn't a good thing."

"We're allies."

"That doesn't mean much."

She heaved sigh. "If it's really that tenuous then what's the point?" she asked. "I need information from him about him. Isn't it a fair trade if I give him information about me?"

Kakashi gave her a bland look. "ANBU doesn't want a fair trade, Sakura. They want to acquire information without giving information—the very precept of ANBU, in a way. Come sit."

"You've said that three times and it won't work now any better than it did before," she scolded.

"I'm a determined man."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It was neat of them to leap on the information trade as an excuse to interfere. They're not accusing me of anything directly, but they can still kill the trade and get their way. Did I tell you that I found one of them snooping in my bedroom?"

"About six times."

She spared him an apologetic look. "I'm boring you."

Kakashi smiled faintly. "No, but you are kind of annoying me. You would have used physical force by now to pin me on this couch if you had asked me three times to sit down."

Sakura rolled her eyes, even as a smile pulled at her mouth, and approached him. With no ceremony, she dropped onto the couch so that her legs were straddling his hips and she was poised in his lap. "Happy?" she wondered, sitting back on his knees.

Kakashi's eyebrows were nearly touching his hairline as he stared back at her, apparently caught off-guard. "Extremely."

She laughed, but sobered as she traced the jut of his clothed collarbone with her fingertips. "They should know that the harder they make this, the more they'll annoy me and the more hell-bent I'll be on getting my way," she murmured. "Did you tell them that?"

"No, but you had best take them by surprise anyway," he replied. He had one hand resting lightly on the outside her right thigh. He tipped his head a little and dragged his palm up to the hem of her shorts and then back down, the roughness of his calluses gently scraping against her smooth, unblemished skin. "Have you heard anything from Tsunade-sama?"

Sakura suspected that he was trying to distract her. She also suspected that it was working, but hell if she was going to tell him that. "She said she'd fight the good fight for me, but that was five weeks ago and she's not had any news for me since."

"These things take time," he replied with a shrug.

Sakura sighed. "Well, I'm a determined woman." She slid off of him and onto the cushion on his right, rearranging her legs to drape them over his lap as she folded her arms around herself and let her head sink into the cushioned back of the couch. "If they stop me here, I'll just find another way. I don't know how, but I will."

"Then why are you so worked up?"

"They're wasting my time!"

Kakashi hummed back at her and watched her lazily as she sat and fumed. "Would pacing make you feel better?"

She laughed quietly and looked gratefully up at him. While his Sharingan was closed, his other eye was sleepily half-open and she found herself almost fawning over how it changed him. He was so relaxed with her, so not the Kakashi she accustomed to on jobs or around others.

The call for missions was slowing down as the beginnings of winter began to ravage the north and make travel in the deserts of Wind Country near impossible. The days were still bearable yet in Fire, but even then there was a distinct chill creeping into the air. All of these conditions gave them time together. Even the handful of times that she had been called to an outpost to provide aid—a more frequent occurrence in the colder months than in the summer when travelling with wounded was easier—Kakashi had joined her and made an effort to be an extra set of hands. In between these jaunts, Sakura picked up stray hours at the hospital and Kakashi contented himself with errand running.

Kakashi's eye opened a little wider when Sakura lifted a hand to stroke his cheek with the blade of her thumb. "So?" he prompted.

"I'm done," she replied with a heavy sigh. She craned her head back to look at the clock on the wall behind her.

He nodded and stroked a hand up and then down her legs, his fingertips tickling the inside of her right ankle and sending a shiver through her. Impulsively, Sakura tried to escape the ticklish feeling and laughed when he retaliated by hauling her back into his lap.

It surprised her how easy it was to be with him. A part of her had been expecting everything to fall apart just as soon as it had come together, but instead it felt like they had just always been together this way and the more time they spent together, the stronger that feeling was. There were changes too, of course, but they were all relatively minor and barely noticeable, except for just one: despite all the nights that Kakashi had spent at her house before their courtship, he refused to do so at present.

This was weird—something even Naruto had noticed and questioned until Sakura had distracted him with ramen—but Sakura could hazard a guess at an answer and it put her in an awkward position.

Over the years, especially after the war, things like dating, men, and physical relationships found themselves slipping further and further down her list of things she deemed important until they ranked even lower than cleaning the grout in her kitchen and tending her cuticles.

True, the life of a ninja was a frustrating, stressful, and even dehumanizing one. After a particularly long time away from home or after a mission gone wrong, it was hard not to feel detached and frustrated and one thousand other things at once. And, for some ninja, sex was as viable a coping method as anything else. It provided human contact and physical intimacy; an outlet, a grounding point, an escape. But Sakura, who could release such frustrations after tearing down an entire forest or bringing someone back from the brink of death, had never felt the need to indulge. Besides, the medical professional in her was repulsed by the risks and the obnoxious, hopeless romantic in her that she kept buried and gagged at all times, was turned off by the prospect of such a passionless exchange.

But things were suddenly very different. The reactions Kakashi evoked in her with a simple touch had been there for some time—even as early as their jaunt in Wind Country—but the turning emotional tides of their relationship had eclipsed them. Now, with her feelings more or less sorted out and those physical things growing more and more difficult to ignore, she was had to face the truth: she wanted Kakashi. She wanted to drag him to bed, to feel his skin against hers, to indulge in the carnal—the consequences be damned—and if his reactions during their more heated encounters were anything to go by, then they were on the same page. This made the prospect of a night together a little more… temptation-y than it had been in the past. In that light, she felt more than a little hesitant about him spending the night too, which was really bothersome. She hated the idea of sex looming over everything and scaring off the intimacy they already had, but actually asking about it meant opening a whole can of worms.

Cynically, Sakura suspected that this was a great argument for why two people who had never been in proper romantic and physical relationships should not get involved in one together. Kakashi seemed to be taking his usual cool, hands-off approach in fear of offending or pushing her and since the idea made her as nervous as it did excited, she didn't know whether to find a nice patch of sand to bury her head in or bring it up.

"It's late," Sakura announced suddenly, knowing that at this rate her thoughts were going to get her in trouble. "I should go."

Kakashi, who had been dozing, started a little at her voice and frowned as she got to her feet. "It isn't—" He glanced at the clock at the wall and paused.

Sakura laughed. "You lost track of time? Shocking."

He shot her a narrow, good-humored look as she moved around the couch, sweeping her coat off the back of and then slipping into it. She moved for her boots next, stepping into them and fastening the buckles with quick, practiced motions. When she straightened a hand came down on her waist and she turned to face Kakashi, letting him pull her up against him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing."

Kakashi raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You're bolting out of here and there's nothing wrong?"

Gods, he was good. Lying to Kakashi was like trying to keep something from Sai. It just didn't work. "I'm fine," she insisted. "My mind's just… all over the place tonight. No worries."

He still looked doubtful, but conceded. "If you give me a minute; I'll get dressed and walk you home."

Sakura just barely wrangled her urge to stomp her feet. She couldn't resist the opening this presented her. Damn. So much for getting out of there before her mouth got her into trouble. "If you walk me home, you'll have to walk all the way back here."

"Very astute of you."

She scowled at him and tried working her hands up under his shirt to pinch his side, but he stopped her and she laughed as swatted her hands away with his before pulling her closer against him. "Kakashi," she began again, sobering and leaning away from him, "Why walk all the way back?"

The man looked taken off-guard by this at first and then settled on an attempt at cluelessness. "Sakura, I don't—"

"Kakashi." She tipped her head and fixed him with a knowing look. "You didn't think I'd notice, or what?"

Looking vaguely resigned, he started to rub her shoulder with one while the other held her at the waist. "I shouldn't have dreamed of getting anything by you," he replied with some good humor, which earned him a swat on the shoulder. He smiled, but it wasn't long-lived as he mulled over his next words and his brow began to furrow. "It isn't the same now, with us seeing each other, as it was before, Sakura."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, a little amused by this. "Hatake Kakashi, are you getting old-fashioned on me?" she asked. "You'd just be spending the night. Like you have. A million times before."

Kakashi actually laughed at this, which served to lighten the heavy air around them. "I know, but I don't want to make a mess of what we have now." His trailed off as he lifted his hand from her shoulder to comb through the locks framing her face. Then he pulled away completely, backing up to lean his weight against the back of the couch and rubbing his neck nervously. "Aren't you, um… happy? With the way things are going, I mean?"

For a moment she wasn't really sure how to react to this—Kakashi acting so nervous was both completely disarming and absolutely adorable—but an instant later she shook it off and stepped toward him. "Of course I am," she said, draping her forearms over his shoulders. "For the record, this wasn't about sex. I'm not even really talking about it—or I wasn't before, at least." She sighed and slapped a palm to her face, prompting a chuckle from Kakashi, whose hands settled on her hips to keep her from pulling away. "I just don't think there's a problem with you staying over." Her hand slid down her face a little so that she could look at him, her eyes narrowing speculatively. "But while we're on the topic, are you happy with the way things are?"

He smiled in response and it was one of those moments when Sakura got the feeling that it was a real, honest to the gods smile under that mask. "Very."

She tried very hard not to be elated by this. Ultimately, she failed. "I really should go now," she said finally. She spared him a sly look and smiled. "You sure you don't want to come with me?"

Kakashi shook his head and tipped his head to invite and receive the brush of her lips against his through his mask. "Good night, Sakura," he murmured.

Sakura smiled back and him and nodded. "Good night, Kakashi."

At some point, Sakura had just stopped being surprised when she came home to find random people sitting in her house. The novelty just wore out after a while.

But she had to give credit where credit was due: Neji still managed it. When she entered her house she found that the lights in the kitchen were on and then discovered the Hyuuga sitting at her table, his arms and legs crossed, and his expression stony and irritable. He was wearing his traditional, Hyuuga garb and he was spotless, indicating that he hadn't just come from a mission.

"Neji?" she prompted, folding her arms and approaching with some caution because an irritable Hyuuga was nothing to trifle with. "Are you all right?"

"Have you heard anything from Tsunade-sama?" he asked without looking her way or even acknowledging that she had asked him a question.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at this. "Regarding what?"

He spared her a mildly unimpressed look, as if he were exasperated by this attempt at feigned stupidity. "I know that there have been letters exchanged between you and a contact in Kirigakure and that ANBU is concerned about the possibility of classified information being traded without permission." He looked away. "Have you heard anything?"

Having nothing witty to say in retort, mostly because she was too busy wondering how he knew anything about this, she shrugged. "No."

He grunted indifferently and, at a loss for what else to do, Sakura moved to put the kettle on. In that time, neither of them spoke.

This was just weird and that was saying something for a woman who kept and enjoyed the company of people like Kankuro. She and Neji weren't exactly close, especially not in comparison to her relationships with the rest of Team Gai, so this wasn't a social call or one friend coming to console with another. It clearly wasn't official business either or he would be in his uniform. All that was left was sheer, morbid curiosity about what was happening, but even then it seemed off. Why did he care?

Once she got the kettle on the stove, she approached the table again. Subtly was not her key strength, especially not in this sort of situation, which left only blunt and brute force. "So, why are you here? Not that I don't enjoy the company and it is nice to have a visitor who isn't bleeding everywhere."

"I wanted to talk to you about this situation with ANBU."

"What about it?"

Neji's jaw tightened fractionally, but noticeably. "I don't approve."

"Of them or me?"

He didn't look even remotely amused by this response and made it a point to meet her eyes squarely. "Them. I respect what you do for everyone by opening your home to us. The time and energy you sacrifice and the inconveniences you endure are beyond the call of duty," he said, his tone bald and matter-of-fact. "And it… angers me that they would treat you this way in response."

It was safe to consider Sakura completely blown away. Who knew Hyuuga could get angry over something that wasn't an affront to their pride? Who knew Neji respected her? Okay, she kind of did. Ibiki had mentioned Neji giving her his approval during their brief meeting, but she hadn't really thought much of it at the time. After all, smart men didn't insult their medics.

"I really appreciate that, Neji," she said finally. "It means a lot to me."

"What do you plan to do about ANBU?"

The medic shrugged. "There isn't much I can do without digging myself deeper. I wasn't even going to go to Tsunade-sama about it at first, when they were just snooping through my things and letting me know that they knew who I was talking to. But with his last letter my contact has started asking for information and I had to tell her."

"That should be enough to prove your innocence."

"It just proves that I went to her after ANBU started questioning what I was doing," she replied with a dismissive wave.

"How can you be this casual about this?" he demanded. "This is insane and you know it."

She scoffed. "Tell them that. Tea?"

Neji nodded, his lips twisted like he was sucking on a lemon. "There are others too."

"You're being cryptic. Stop it," she scolded as she got back to her feet and moved for the cupboard where she kept her teacups. "Others who?"

"Who disapprove of how the higher-ups have been handling this situation," he replied. "Why do you think you've happened on so many of the agents sent here?"

She paused at this as she was setting out two cups and saucers and turned to look at him, her expression torn somewhere between incredulity and realization. "They let themselves get caught?" she asked. "Whose idea was that?"

Neji shrugged and made a noncommittal noise.

Sakura swiped a lock of hair out of her eyes and then picked up the cups to carry them to the table. "I don't want you getting in trouble for me."

"Why? It doesn't sound like you're going to fight yourself, so we will for you," he replied.

"You will not," she corrected, fixing him with a narrow, determined look and receiving one in return. "ANBU can't charge me with insubordination. You're risking your careers."

"You have to do something," he retorted. "You know this isn't fair."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course it isn't," she said, returning to the countertop and removing a jar of tea leaves and filling two strainers. "It's childish, paranoid, and vaguely underhanded, but they're not trying to paint me as a traitor. They just don't like it that I'm treating their operatives and communicating with Kiri, so they're trying to put an end to the one without losing the other."

"It still isn't right."

"Agreed, but I am kind of between a rock and a hard place."

"Then why don't you refuse to treat their operatives?"

She turned to face him, an exasperated look on her face. "What?"

"Tell them that they are not welcomed here anymore," Neji elaborated. "Or allow them use of your medical supplies and room, but do not waste your energy on them."

"Yes, don't heal the guys on my side. A brilliant strategy." She spared him a wry look before going to retrieve the now whistling kettle. "I'm not going to stand by and let someone suffer just to prove a point to the higher-ups, who I don't think would be all that moved by it anyway."

"Haruno—"

"Tsunade is already handling this, Neji." Sakura filled both of their cups with hot water and finally took her seat again. "And I don't like saying this, because of how it sounds," she elaborated with a wince, "But I have one certainty that ANBU doesn't in this particular situation."

"And that is?"

"Tsunade is on my side." The medic shrugged, stirring her tea as the leaves began to steep. "I'd die for this village. She knows that. Besides, she was the one who suggested that I get in touch with Kiri in the first place and she's been overseeing it the whole time—well, for the most part. She knows I haven't been doing anything to compromise security."

Neji's brows rose fractionally at this. "So ANBU can argue with that choice as much as they want, but they don't have the authority to stop or punish you."

"Not really," she replied. "I turned Ibiki's offer down, remember? They can pull this "periphery" bull as much as they want, but they know as well as I do that they'll have to win Tsunade over with it and I don't think they can."

"So they can slow you down, but they cannot stop you." He leaned back slightly, eyeing her in an appraising manner. "May I ask one more question?"

Sakura removed the strainer from her tea and then lifted it to her lips. "Shoot."

"Why are you so determined to get this information?"

"What do you mean?"

Neji shrugged. "Your ultimate goal is to solve the mystery of the Sharingan, isn't it?"

"More or less, yes."

"Is it really worth all of this effort?" He tipped his head. "It has never been easy, from what I understand, but it seems to have gotten exponentially harder for you with ANBU's involvement. Even being forced to contact Kiri has given you one more hurdle. Why do you keep going?"

She raised an eyebrow at him in return and shrugged. "Tsunade-sama would say that I just don't know when to quit."

"There is more to it than that, isn't there?"

Sakura wondered for a moment if he somehow knew what was going on between her and Kakashi. Had he seen them together somehow? "What do you mean?"

Neji shrugged again. "I just don't believe that simple stubbornness or curiosity would drive anyone to these lengths." He paused for a moment as he stirred his tea and then added after some thought, "Unless you happen to be Lee, of course."

She smiled. "I don't know what to tell you," she replied. "They say you do crazy things for love."

Neji might have been amused by this, but it was hard to tell. "I suppose so."

They had their tea and then Neji departed with a curt nod of his head and an offer to assist if she ever needed it. It was sweet and it made her feel just a little bad for all of that time she had spent calling him a jackass.

Sakura fell into bed later that night with a considerably lighter mind. Hers and Kakashi's little exorcism had put her thoughts to rest about them for the time and her talk with Neji gave her a sense of fulfillment. What she did really seemed to matter and it was appreciated. Medics were not exactly unsung heroes, but they rarely got a chance to see the fruits of their labor prosper and, unless they were stationed permanently on a single team, rarely still had a chance to be thanked for their work. This was especially true at the hospital where the turnover rate was very fast and by the time an individual was being released, their medic was off duty or onto another patient.

She wouldn't apologize for the fact that hearing that kind of appreciation from someone outside of her team made her all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

For some time, she stared at her ceiling and simply basked in all of this, but her basking was brought to a halt when she remembered what she had said. Since realizing it, she must have told Kakashi a thousand times that she loved him—in her head. That thought had never really found an actual voice before.

So when was she going to say it to him? She had never been shy about saying it in the past—having practically sang her love for Sasuke from the roof tops way back in the day—and what she felt for Kakashi was easily twice that. What was she waiting for?

Too easy: a confession would send Kakashi running for the hills. Or so she feared, despite knowing that this was completely immature and that Kakashi was a better man than that. After all, the man was many, many things, but he certainly wasn't a coward and she liked to think that he respected her enough to face that sort of thing like a man.

Sakura rubbed at her eyes.

Was she waiting for him to say it first? The thought was humorous. It wasn't going to happen. She would have never before in her life described Kakashi as being timid, but their relationship brought that out in him. This was uncharted territory and the man was ever cautious and methodical. He had lived a life of almost complete social isolation for a long time and she wasn't going to change that just by being there.

But should that really stop her?

Sakura fell asleep, alone with these thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. It's for the best."

Sakura almost couldn't believe her ears. A week after her conversation with Neji and Tsunade had finally called her into her office to discuss what had been decided.

"You have to understand that this is to appease the council and ANBU," Tsunade explained. "I would let you continue writing Ao until he simply ceased to amuse you, but it's important to keep the peace, if only for my sanity."

The medic simply gaped at her mentor in response.

"I have made it clear to the ANBU officials that they cannot prevent their men from seeking you out for medical care," the woman went on. "They have the right to go to whoever they are most comfortable with and I authorized their visits personally."

This was only a mild comfort. It was good that ANBU wasn't allowed to tell the men they couldn't come, but that didn't really mean anything. They still got what they wanted and she was left with squat.

"You can also rest assured that surveillance will no longer be a problem." Tsunade said this through grit teeth as her eyes darkened menacingly. "I made it very clear to them that treating my student like a traitor was not just an insult to you and all of the work you've done for Konoha, but to me personally. Of all the idiotic, insufferable—" She cut herself off with a quick shake of her head. "Anyway, you can return Hatake's dogs to him. You won't need them anymore."

Sakura nodded. She could feel her cheeks reddening steadily. Time for Plan B, she supposed, except she didn't exactly have a Plan B.

Tsunade reached into her desk suddenly and removed a single file folder and a scroll. "I know you're disappointed," she said. "But I have just the thing to keep your mind off of it."

The pinkette shot her a doubtful look.

The Hokage simply smirked in response and pushed the papers over to her. "I know this isn't usually your thing, but it's a solo mission," she began with her chin propped in an upturned palm. "Real boring stuff, I'm afraid: diplomatic business. I thought you could use the time out of the village to help you focus. Maybe a little time on your own will help you collect your thoughts neh?"

Sakura sighed and reached for the scroll, slumping back in her chair to unravel it.

Kiri. She blinked. Mizukage-sama was requesting copies of a recent diplomatic contract and a few historical files to add to Kiri's library, which was badly underdeveloped. She was offering a scroll of fuinjutsu recovered (translation: looted) from Uzushio in return as well as information on medical techniques and theories derived by the medical minds of their village.

Tsunade appeared very pleased with herself when Sakura looked up with stunned, wide eyes. "Well?" the woman prompted. "Will that do?"

Sakura skimmed the document again and then began to smile despite herself. "You magnificent bitch," she murmured.

Kirigakure, she knew, didn't have "medical minds" available. In fact, they had one of the most sorely underdeveloped medical programs of all of the great villages and those few medics they did have on hand were probably too busy elsewhere to do research of any kind. And historical files? That was almost too on the nose.

"How long were you planning this?"

Tsunade scoffed. "I knew that the ANBU officials and the old farts on the council wouldn't be happy with any kind of compromise, so I got in touch with Mei myself. Lucky for you, she really wants to help out."

"Why?"

The blonde shrugged. "Who knows? The woman is a wildcard. When she was here last year she said your hair was charming and maybe that won her over. What matters is that she and I settled things ourselves."

"Doesn't the council have anything to say about this?"

"I'm sure they would," she replied, sounding almost bored, "But since they don't know anything about it and we're not going to ask, we won't worry about that. Don't give me that look, Sakura. What would be the point of even having a Hokage if they had to have their work double-checked all the time? I handle other inter-village communications and dealings by myself and this is no different."

Sakura scowled. "Then why was there such a fuss raised about what I was doing?"

Tsunade flapped a hand. "ANBU started it for reasons you've probably already deduced and the council just likes to jump on band wagons to feel useful." She pointed to indicate the files and scroll. "Now, this is a solo mission to Water Country. You won't be actually going inland since your contact will meet you at the harbor, but it's still dangerous and I want you to be careful."

"Does it have to be a solo mission?" she asked, making a face.

"I'm afraid so. Your contact will be coming alone and it's always best to keep these things even." She tipped her head. "Just tell me if you don't want to go, Sakura. We'll find another way or someone else—"

"No, I'll do it," the girl cut in quickly. "You fight a zombie army and you're pretty much ready for anything. Besides, I've been to Water before and I'm the only one who knows what questions need to be asked."

Tsunade nodded. "You'll leave in a few days. Rest up in the mean time, though. You'll want to get there as quickly as you can once you do leave; your contact isn't a patient man and you don't want to keep him waiting."

Sakura nodded and then raised her eyes hesitantly to meet her mentors. "Shishou?"

"Hm?" The woman was already reaching for another stack of folders to go through, a sure sign that their discussion was over.

"I'm sorry if I caused you extra hassle," the medic replied.

For a moment Tsunade looked briefly taken aback by this and then she fixed her student with a serious look. "Sakura," she began, sternly, "I don't care how old you are or that you're a Jonin now or that you think you should be able to do everything on your own: if you get in over your head, you come to me, and I'll sort things out. Am I being clear?"

Sakura glowed at this and nodded. "Yes, Shishou."

"Good. Now get out."

Sakura waited to tell Kakashi of her mission until the afternoon before she was set to leave. He was, not at all to her surprise, bothered by the news; so much so that he had turned and fled her house shortly after she finished explaining.

Round two started much later that night when she was packing her things and she heard the front door open and shut.

"I forbid it."

Kakashi was standing in her bedroom doorway, one shoulder propped against the jamb and his arms crossed.

Sakura almost laughed. "You forbid what exactly?" she asked.

"This." He gestured at her folded clothes and backpack. "I forbid it."

She stared at him and then she actually did laugh. "Aw, that's cute, sweetie," she said, approaching him and raising up on her tip-toes to peck him on the chin, "but I'm still going."

For a moment he looked almost taken aback, but then he shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "I'm not joking, Sakura."

"Neither am I," she replied, having returned to her bed to place her first stack of clothes in her bag.

"It's risky."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "And our particular career path is never risky," she retorted. "Kakashi, what is this really about?"

The man shifted, visibly uncomfortable. "I don't like the idea of you going alone," he admitted at length, looking uncomfortable as he spoke. "Water Country is dangerous—more-so than Fire or even Wind."

"I know that." She glanced back at him. "You don't trust me to do this on my own?"

"It's more that I don't trust the local color," he replied. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "How much time do I have to convince you not to go?"

Sakura looked to the clock as well and smiled. "A little less than ten minutes, but I wouldn't waste my breath."

"That soon?"

"I'm meeting Tsunade before I leave the village."

Kakashi nodded and, apparently undeterred, perched himself on the edge of the bed, motioning for her to join him.

She smiled and declined the offer with a wave of her hand. "Go."

"You won't have back-up."

"I'm meeting an ally—albeit one that doesn't like me much—the harbors are heavily policed because of the merchant ships that travel to and from there all of the time, and it isn't as if I can't fight myself."

Kakashi shifted. "What if he can't tell you anything useful?"

"What if he can?" she replied. "What if Ao can answer all of my questions and he's the one who knows how to help me out? Tsunade-sama herself said to put an end to the letters, so I have to do this or I lose my chance. Ao doesn't strike me as the sympathetic sort and he isn't going to give me what I want just because he feels sorry for me."

"Is it worth it?"

Sakura, who had turned to pull her cloak out of her closet, turned back to look at Kakashi, her brows creased. "What do you mean? Of course it is. I haven't done all of this work just to stop."

"Sakura," he started again, his tone stern. "I know that you don't like it when I say this sort of thing and you always stop me before I can, but hear me out. It's just an eye. Give me one good reason why it's worth all of this hassle."

The medic sighed and pulled the drawstring of her pack tight. "First of all, it's not just an eye: it's the last Sharingan and therefore the last chance any medic has to figure it out. Secondly, and more importantly, it's your eye."

Kakashi huffed quietly at this, sounding vaguely amused. "I said a good reason."

Sakura tried to talk herself out of it as she swung her pack over her shoulders followed by her cloak, but it was to no avail. It was Neji's fault as he had started it and she would have never dared say what she was going to before their chat, but if Kakashi wanted a good reason, she'd give him a good reason. "Kakashi," she began so that he looked at her. "I love you."

He was visibly stunned by this; his eyes widened, his mouth dropped open (or she assumed it did given the way his mask moved).

She smiled, pleased that she had managed to catch him off-guard, and then stepped forward. She cupped one side of his face in one hand and then tipped his head to press a lingering kiss to his masked lips. "I'll see you soon."

And she left him there, knowing better than to expect a response. He needed time before he would say it himself, perhaps even more than what she had given him by saying it after just a month, but she had a feeling that he also needed to hear it. This was enough to quell the horror creeping up on her; the fear that she had damaged things beyond repair with that one statement.

Consequentially, she would deny it if anyone ever claimed to have seen her skipping on her way to Tsunade's office

.1. Holy God someone needs to fix the damn editting options because I just spend twenty minutes fighting with this POS.

2. I'M BACK! AGAIN! AGAIN AGAIN!

3. Maybe number 3 should be the obligatory "I hate this chapter" note from now on. And I should point out that I only hate it because I felt rushed putting it together BECAUSE *deep breath*

4. I'm having surgery! In approximately 3 hours. Yeah. For those of you who are not a part of the DA group or do not follow me there, I shall sum up quickly for you: for the last few years I have been ill with the ick as I have taken to calling it-nausea, pain, inability to eat, etc. My doctor thought that it was my gall bladder (henceforth known as "failbladder") and lo he was right! So in about 3 hours I am going into the hospital to have my gallbladder removed.

5. I wish I could blame the ick on why I have not been updating, but that's really only half the problem. The other half is just plan old writer's block.

6. But speaking of the ick and the surgery to cure it, again for those of you who have not joined the DA group: nmmi-nut, the House Calls Community founder, is hosting a "Get Well Soon" contest over at the community! Details and such are available in the blog there! There's still plenty of time to get your submissions in if you want to join in the fun!

7. You can rest assured than any and all submissions will be drooled all over by me and recieve copious amounts of love. On that note, please check out the new fan art in the gallery done by the very talented jellybananza!

8. All right, no funny notes this time, but I promise next chapter will have them. Next chapter will also not be crap and will hopefully not be two months belated. Also, it will be Kakashi-centric, so there's always that to look forward to.

9. Review please! They warm the coggles of my heart!