Sakura's head fell back against her pillow, breath coming out in short pants. Her bedfellow flopped down beside her and if she had any energy left she would have grinned at how ungraceful the male was. Normally she would have said grace was his middle name, but it thrilled her that time in her bed would render him unable to use his shinobi skills.
Their arms touched, but no words were said as they both laid there trying to calm their breathing. Tiredly she moved her head to take in the sight of the toned man, inky black hair spilling over the pillow. It wasn't the first time he visited her bed, but she got a thrill every time he climbed through her window, tight black ANBU uniform clinging to his toned muscles.
Onyx eyes found hers and she gave him a tired smile before turning over and laying her head in his chest, masculine arm coming up to rest around her back. She wouldn't try and fool herself into believing he had feelings for her, but what they fit perfectly into her life. Due to her having made ANBU two years ago as a medic they were able to speak about missions they both went on, and had even on occasion been placed on the same team.
"You leave tomorrow?" His deep voice rumbled, and she felt more than heard his question.
"Yep. Meeting at the gates at six." She was scheduled to go on a simple escort mission with her old team since Kakashi decided that she needed a break.
It was like the pot calling the kettle black.
His fingers made little designs on her shoulder blade, and between that and the rise and fall of his chest made her eyes grow heavy.
Somehow the comforter was pulled over their naked bodies and she took at as a sign that he was staying the night, so she finally closed her eyes and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
The next morning she woke alone, which didn't surprise her in the least. Usually he would come see her as soon as he made his way back into the village and stay the night, before leaving way before dawn to go home.
She squinted at the alarm and sighed when she realized that she only had half an hour to get ready to meet her team. Years ago she didn't have to worry if she was a little late, but since Kakashi had taken over as Hokage her excuse ceased to exist.
Tiredly she drugged her body out of bed and into the bathroom, groaning when she saw the bright red hicky on her collarbone. Thankfully being a medic she was able to quickly heal the offensive mark, but she made a mental note to make sure she paid him back.
And she would not heal it for him.
Twenty minutes later she made her way to the gates, grinning when she saw that she was the first to arrive. She had just sat her pack down when three masked ANBU ran past her, one bumping into her shoulder. It startled her that they were in such a hurry that they couldn't miss her, but then she realized that a piece of paper had been tucked into her Jounin vest.
What? She thought as she reached up and pulled the slip of paper, starting to open it until Naruto's loud voice boomed from behind her.
"Oi, Sakura-chan!"
"Don't be so loud, Naruto!" And there was the other third of her original team, trying to shush the loud mouth as per usual.
She discreetly slid the small slip of paper up her sleeve as she turned around and rolled her eyes. Nothing had changed with the two of them, save for their height.
Okay, maybe they filled out a bit as well, but their maturity was still very much the same and she couldn't help but smile. Normally she didn't get the chance to take many mission with her boys, due to neither one of them being ANBU.
Oh don't get her wrong, it wasn't because they didn't try, but more so because their inability to work with others. For some reason they both had this insane need to always be the leader and always be right and that didn't work well with ANBU. So stuck as jonins they were.
"Please tell me this isn't how the entire mission is going to go." She loved her boys, but years of working with highly trained operatives left her with little patience for stupid bickering.
"What?" The dumbfounded look on that blonde's face made her laugh outright. They may be knuckleheads, but there wasn't ever a dull moment.
A few minutes later they set off, speeding through the trees, intent on reaching the mining town by nightfall. Their mission was simple, escort the leader of the town to the Fire Country mining expo and insure his safety while there. The whole thing should only take four days, and was more of a vacation than anything. She knew Kakashi thought she pushed herself too hard, with ANBU mission as well as shifts at the hospital, but it was the only life she knew.
As she bounced from branch to branch she thought back to the dark haired male who she had fallen asleep beside the night before. Maybe that's why he fit into her life so well; he was just as busy and driven as she was. As an ANBU captain he worked harder than most, and she knew it was him who placed the paper in her vest. That meant that he got home from one mission yesterday and left on another that morning; the thought causing her to worry if he had gotten enough rest.
Not that he would pay any attention to her worry, because like last time he'd simply raise a dark brow at her and comment on her own insane schedule.
Near noon she signaled for the boys to meet in on the forest floor, deciding that now was as good of a time as any for a break. She knew that her being the leader of the mission probably didn't set well with the two jonins, but it's how it always worked when they did pair up.
Sasuke appeared first, slinging his pack from his shoulders as the blonde hopped down beside him. She grinned as he pulled three wrapped boxes from the black bag, knowing his mom had prepared their team lunches.
"Yes!" She said as she first pumped the air, causing Sasuke to roll his eyes at her display.
Hey, he got to eat Mikoto's food all the time, but she only did when they had a mission together or the Uchiha Matriarch forced the younger son to invite his team to dinner.
All three tucked in with gusto, glade to have such a tasty meal in the stomachs before making their way to their destination.
Unsurprisingly, Naruto finished his lunch first, laying the empty bento box down and flopping to his back. "Oi, I'm stuffed!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes before picking up the last bit of fish from his own lunch. "You say that now, but in less than an hour you'll be complaining of hunger once again."
Naruto sat up, glaring at the dark haired male. "Sasuke!"
Sakura chuckled, amused at how they still managed to have the same argument every time they went out on a mission.
"Dobe."
And there it was, the reason neither one of them had made it into the elites yet. Naruto got up and jumped in Sasuke, who in turn twisted around and slammed the blonde into the ground.
"Boys!" She halfway found it amusing, but mostly it irritated her that they couldn't wait until they were back home to squabble.
Neither stopped or made any sign that they heard her, so she decided to use their stupidity to her advantage and go find somewhere private to read the note her dark haired lover had slipped to her. She was sure it wasn't much, but it gave her butterflies all the same.
Finding a small clearing she sat back down on the ground and pulled the paper from her sleeve, opening the now beat up note.
More to mission than meets the eye.
Be careful.
Great, now she knew her vacation of a mission would most likely end up being far more serious. She suspected that his team had been sent out near the area she would be in, which meant there was more going on than a mining expo.
Tucking the note into one of her vest pockets she made her way back to her team, not surprised the find then still grappling on the floor.
"Guys!"
Both jerked and froze, looking around until their eyes landed in their pink haired teammate.
"Come on, it's time to head out. I want to get to our location by nightfall." She turned and picked up her bag, dusting the small amount of dirt off the bottom.
"You don't have to be so bossy." She knew it was Naruto who grumbled and she took a deep breathe before turning around with a menacing smile on her lips.
"Naruto-kun, did you forget that I'm the leader of this team?"
Sasuke scoffed, and she brought her gaze to the other third of her team. "Maybe if you showed some maturity you'd find yourself getting closer to your brother's level."
Oh, she knew good and well that it was a low blow, but they had this argument every mission they went on together. She knew it was hard for both of them to still not have made it into the Black Ops, but it was through no ones fault but their own. She had tried to tell them on several occasions that it wasn't their talent that held them back, but rather their attitude.
You didn't have the ability to bicker in ANBU.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits at her jab. "I'd rather never make it into ANBU than have to walk around like I had a giant stick up my ass."
Sakura rolled her eyes, which she found herself doing a lot recently. "It's time to go, let's move out."
It was at sunset when the trio made their way through the gates of the town, the leader meeting them with his own security. It gave Sakura some pause, as she could sense that his guards were shinobi, and she filed the information away to ponder at once they had their rooms.
"Ah, Konoha shinobi! Thank you so much for coming!" His enthusiasm was forced, but she couldn't be sure if it was because he was tired or if he was uneasy in their presence.
"Hai, Shinjo-san. This is Naruto, Sasuke, and I am Sakura." She gestured to each person as she spoke, knowing that most likely he would forget or at least jumble up their names at some point.
"Sakura! What an appropriate name for such a beautiful woman!" She felt her eyebrows twitch in annoyance, but chose to overlook it.
Thankfully the other two chose to do the same.
"Thank you, Shinjo-san. Do you have need for us tonight?"
His fake smile faltered a smidge before he answered. "No, I'll have Mina show you to your rooms. I want to head out at daybreak tomorrow; will that be a problem?"
"Not at all. We will be here waiting when you are ready."
He nodded and then a small woman appeared beside him, "Ah, he is Mina!"
He turned to her, patting the young woman on the shoulder. "Mina-chan, will you please show our guests to their rooms and see if there is anything they need?"
She nodded, the action causing her dark hair to sway. "Right away, Shinjo-sama."
She gestured towards the group, beckoning them to follow her.
"Until tomorrow, Konoha shinobi!" The man would end up getting on her nerves, but about fifty percent of the time someone did.
Together they followed the dark haired woman until she let them into a large building. Sakura assumed it was used for foreign visitors and thankfully the cool air of the place hit her as soon as she walked in. August in Fire Country could be a killer and sometimes the places she stayed didn't have the best air conditioning.
She led them down the hall and to a group of rooms. "These three rooms are yours. Is there anything you need before you retire?"
"No, thank you Misa-san."
The woman nodded before unlocking the doors. "I bid you a good night." She left before Sakura could say anything, so she exchanged a look with her team.
"Meet out in the hall at 5am sharp; we don't want to be late." They both nodded at her and then they slipped into their rooms, all three exhausted and ready for some sleep.
