Chapter 7: A Battle Of Wills

Women, in Kakashi's opinion, were a necessary pain. Like everything else in the world, they came with their set of good and bad. Take alcohol for an example; it was bitter in taste but it numbed your senses and got you drunk. Women in that sense were a lot of work, but at the end of the day, they were there to share a laugh with you and be attentive.

If you haven't already gathered as much from the analogy, Kakashi Hatake was kind of, sort of, maybe drunk. Just a little bit. At least, that was what he told himself when he stumbled slightly and Sakura caught him by the sleeve of his shirt.

The rosette giggled, her cheeks as flushed as her hair, the moon reflecting in her eyes. In that moment, in all his drunken glory, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She danced —yes, because somehow, while drunk, she still managed to look graceful— her way to his side, her elbow intertwining with his. "You're sooo drunk."

Kakashi scoffed and managed to hold himself up without her help. "Like you aren't."

Giggling, she poked his side as she said "I am" like she was proud of her intoxication. His partner, he had to admit, was the prettiest mess he'd ever seen, standing there with her hair mussed and her eyes cloudy, watching him from beneath dark lashes, plumped pink lips forming a carefree smile that made him long to lean over and taste— Shit, I'm drunk.

They stumbled a few more steps before Sakura rounded on the unsuspecting man and pressed him against a streetlight. She beamed at him as she rested her chin on his chest and hugged his middle. "Carry me?"

Kakashi blinked dazedly at her, his clouded mind needing a few seconds to process her words. "Uh… I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Pleaseee?" She pouted, her lower lip jutting out almost invitingly, begging him to nibble on it, to— end thought, end fucking thought.

"Okay. Fine. Yeah."

She grinned, displaying a perfect row of pearly white, straight teeth, her pink cheeks popping endearingly and he wanted, more than anything, more than ever, to gently hold her face in place and kiss her breath— fuck!

"Maybe we drank too much," Sakura muttered into his shoulder, slowly rubbing her face against him like she was trying to keep herself awake.

Blinking slowly, and trying to collect his thoughts as they trudged down the ally to round to the backdoor of the hotel, he remembered the initial reason to why they excessively drank. "We had to keep up appearances."

It was true. Not only was everyone in the restaurant drinking themselves into a stupor, but even Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki were having one drink after the other, and so Kakashi and Sakura felt obliged to do the same. On one hand, it was alright for Sakura, she was probably already detoxing her system. He, on the other hand, would have one heck of a hangover the following day.

They reached their room in a daze, and Sakura's scent clung to him like perfume, tickling his nose and intoxicating him like the alcohol he had consumed. He sat her down on the threshold and massaged the bridge of his nose —too drunk, maybe I should shower.

Slim arms wrapped around his bigger build and he sensed her lips between his shoulder blades. Kakashi tensed up as he was once again assaulted by her scent, but didn't make a move to leave or reciprocate as he heard her murmur, with a touch of humour. "Thank you for being the Shizune to my Tsunade."

The Copy Ninja couldn't help it, he chuckled and patted the hands around him before gently extracting himself from the warmth of her embrace. "I'm gonna shower," he told her and patted her head gently.

He regretted the action instantly, for the way she leant into his touch and closed her eyes like —like she craved it— had his throat tightening up. He swallowed thickly. "Go to sleep, Sakura, okay?"

"Mhmm," she hummed, remaining in spot until Kakashi managed to gather all his will to pull away and leave, swearing to never ever drink around her again. Who thought she'd be this distracting?

He shut the door behind him and ripped his mask down, gulping in air, and watching his flushed face cool. Kakashi couldn't think clearly but something was definitely wrong. Why was he reacting to Sakura now? It had to be the alcohol.

His mind swam in circles, swirling slowly like he was swimming towards la-la land. Being drunk was supposed to be wonderful, but right now it was giving him a pre-hungover headache. Sighing, he palmed his right eye and began to strip. He belatedly realised he forgot to grab a change of clothes and cursed softly under his breath; how did he become such a mess in a few hours?

Never mind, too late, he thought. Hopefully, Sakura would be asleep once he was done. And first thing's first… His brows furrowed and he stood stock still as he gathered the energy flowing within him to one spot. A few silent moments passed before his palm glowed white; time to treat his shitty hangover.


Sakura sat crosslegged on the king sized bed, monitoring her chakra flow and making sure it slowly circulated her system. Being drunk was never a problem to her, or to any elite shinobi; all of them took into account an immediate attack. Jōnin were never caught unaware like that.

The sound of the shower was loud in the vast room, breaking the silence of the night, but somehow it was relaxing to listen to the cascading water —it made focusing easier. A day had been wasted playing fake couple instead of gathering information, and it weighed heavily on perfectionist and detail-obsessed people like Sakura.

And even so, she couldn't bring herself to truly regret it. Kakashi had been laughing uninhibitedly as he listened to the stories the couple told of their son and his boyfriend/fiancé/maybe husband at this point and as the night droned on, Sakura felt like she was losing an internal battle –one she wasn't aware of to begin with. The whole time her stomach would knot itself over and a wave of heat kept passing from Kakashi's touch on her shoulder to every other part of her. The weight of his hand on her didn't feel uncomfortable, even when his palm became clammy –weirdly, it felt grounding. What made it worse is that she could tell that he was having an internal battle too; what about, she was clueless.

The bathroom door creaked open. "Sakura?"

"Yeah?" she called back, wondering why he hadn't shown up in the room yet.

A beat of silence followed before, "You're awake?"

Sakura snorted. "No, I'm just sleep-talking."

He showed up then, stalking nonchalantly to his bag and... Sakura's mouth dried. He was clad only in a towel and his mask, hair damp and dripping over his naked flushed torso. She hadn't been expecting that and wasn't prepared at all so she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.

"Sorry," he apologised upon seeing her reaction and raised a handful of clothes, "I forgot these."

It was hitting her again, like a truck, that Kakashi was wholly and undeniably male. He was handsome, sure, if the uncovered part of his face was anything to go by, he was most definitely good looking. But the rest of him… like now, barely covered, his shower slick, well-toned body on display… Kakashi was attractive. Sexy, even.

Sakura looked away, suddenly hyper-aware of the blush creeping down her neck. Maybe traces of the alcohol that they drank earlier still lingered in her system, why else would she be having these ridiculous thoughts? Kakashi was Kakashi, her… her friend.

He crawled into the space next to her once he was clad in grey sweats and his body-fitting undershirt, Icha Icha in hand. Sakura's eyes slowly moved from his face to the book in his hold and back. "Whatever happened with Toishi earlier today?" she asked because there was no way in hell she wanted him to read Icha Icha now when she was this confused.

To her delight —and relief— Kakashi snapped the book shut and turned his face in her direction. "I've wanted to talk you about that all day but thought I should wait till tomorrow, aren't you sleepy?"

The rosette shook her head adamantly, sleep was the last thing on her mind right now. "No, tell me."

Kakashi pursed his lip and regarded her carefully, obviously in the process of piecing together the information he gathered. "He's… really closed. I really had to pry to get him to talk, even for a little bit. He doesn't boast or gloat about his company and he downplays his wealth, it's confusing."

Sakura frowned. "That's strange. What did he tell you?"

"General facts mostly, like how he develops and sells medicine, which we already know. But he did let slip that he's had a recent good deal, which may or may not be what Ino's prisoner witnessed." Kakashi hummed contemplatively and turned to look at the glass door of their balcony, where the light of their bedside lamp reflected their image clearly against the darkness of the night's sky. "He also briefly mentioned a partner. They could be involved, he sounded like he trusted the man above all, so maybe… it's nothing solid, but that's what I have so far."

The rosette slumped back against the headboard with a frustrated sigh. "Can't we just… break into his home? Go through his documents?"

Shaking his head, the Copy Ninja slumped back in defeat too. "No. He's rich, Sakura, he definitely has ninja hired left and right to protect him and whatever dirt he's sweeping under the carpet. It'd be too risky but I guess we'd have to if this mission turns up in vain."

The pink-haired woman slid further down until her head rested on the pillow. "The only piece of information I gathered from Akiko is that he never takes her along on business trips, so whatever it is she's probably not involved. I don't understand it though, she's pregnant and they've been married for six months. What are they doing here?"

Kakashi straightened in surprise. "She's pregnant?" he echoed, eyes slightly wide. "That's… suspicious. Maybe Toishi is planning to do something here. I guess we'll have to closely monitor him tomorrow. It too late for a honeymoon and too early for a reminiscing trip and well… she's already pregnant, that kind of defies the purpose of a supposedly romantic trip."

Sakura had no idea why her cheeks warmed at that but she nodded anyway. "I agree, and we could switch between spying on him so he doesn't get suspicious. I'll tail him tomorrow."

The silver-haired man nodded his agreement and scooted lower on the bed to rest on the pillow, his body turning to face her. "Just be careful, he seems highly guarded all the time. It could just be a personality trait but he could be hiding something. I don't want him to flee the island in fear of being discovered."

Charcoal eyes surveyed her face closely for signs of hesitation —there was none— and then he smiled. "Get some rest now, it's two in the morning."

Sakura was sleepy, but something about their position inspired butterflies in her stomach. Kakashi wasn't pressed closely to her or invading her personal space, quite the contrary. He left comfortable space between them, one that would allow her to stretch and turn however she desired without disturbing him but… gazing back at him, she concluded it was the way their bodies faced each other and the dimness of the room. Again, there was that feeling of intimacy she couldn't fathom.

She supposed sharing a bed would be intimate if they weren't ninja and she didn't need to do it regularly with all the male members of her team and in much more confined quarters. She'd had to sleep in the same sleeping bag as Naruto before and that was perhaps the most uncomfortable five hours of her life, but she lived.

Now, in this large bed, it felt even more confining and the sole reason being that he was watching her with sleepy eyes, his blinking growing slower and slower —when was the last time she watched anyone slowly fall asleep, anyway? Not since her four-year-old cousin was a baby.

Finally, he turned over onto his back and shut off the last source of light in the room. "Good night, Sakura."

"Night," she whispered, pulling the cover up to her chin, thankful for the complete absence of light. That way she couldn't see him and so she wouldn't ponder anything further. "Kakashi."


There was a soft light in the distance, peeking from behind humongous mountains, touching the darkened skies with rays of yellow and orange, painting them with reds and purples. It was a breathtaking sight, especially from where she sat on the dry grass, a warm figure next to her, dwarfing her side.

Something felt strange, however, like she wasn't quite in the scene, just aware of her surroundings, of the light breeze on her exposed legs and the warm gentle fingers in her hair. Looking up, she was met by dark brown hair tickling her forehead and gentle features smiling down at her. The woman that held her had the most comforting aura she'd had the pleasure of experiencing like she was a miniature sun —she reminded Sakura of Naruto's warmth, which was rare to find.

Brilliant blue eyes were smiling down at her, and when she spoke, her voice was soft, comforting and full of affection. "Beautiful isn't it?"

Sakura didn't have the option of replying or moving and— oh, that's right, she must be dreaming. Vividly.

"Your father and I used to come here before I got sick." The woman hummed, her fingers brushing languidly through Sakura's —or maybe Kakashi's, for all she knew this could be another vision— short strands.

"Are you not sick anymore, mum?" The hopeful voice of a little child echoed from her throat, even when it didn't belong to her and Sakura was starting to realise that perhaps she was truly experiencing this memory through Kakashi and that this beautiful woman was his mother.

Her heart skipped a beat at that. So this was the woman that brought the famous Copy Ninja into the world? Sakura was awed.

The brunette chuckled sadly. "I am baby, but I wanted to see this one more time."

It was silent afterwards for a long time as they watched the sun rise and the woman was holding closely onto her, filling her with warmth and affection until she felt like she might burst. Suddenly, a small notebook was pushed into her tiny hands, and she looked up at Kakashi's mother in surprise.

The brunette's smile was rueful. "Can you promise me something, Kakashi?"

"Anything."

"I want you to keep this for me." She pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "But don't read it just yet."

"When should I read it?" The young questioning voice was again bursting from her unmoving throat and Sakura was now sure she was living this out from within Kakashi.

"Maybe when you're older." She conceded and ruffled his hair, but everything in her demeanour was sorrowful and it choked Sakura for reasons she couldn't comprehend.

The dream shifted to the familiar home of her former teacher, and in his larger, battle-scarred hands was the same book from before, albeit in a slightly more tired condition. When she looked down at the opened age-yellowed pages, she knew she was seeing them from behind Kakashi's irises.

My dearest Kakashi,

Do you ever envy the birds? I've always been jealous of their ability to fly away, to leave behind all the pain and misery.

It's been three months since the doctors told me I'm terminally ill, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet. I'm dying. You don't know that yet but there's no way I can look at you, my little precious four-year-old, and tell you your mommy's not going to be around much longer.

I hope you understand. I don't fear death baby boy, and I never will. But I fear for you. I wanted to be there to guide you but my days are short and numbered. I'm sorry I was forced to leave you behind and I'm sorry this will be the only piece you have left of me but I hope you know that I love you more than life itself. You'll always, always be my favourite boy.

Chihiro.

Only then did it fully sink in, that that was the last sunrise Kakashi had ever seen with his mother.


Her tears fell silently and effortlessly, distorting her vision and soaking her pillow. It was entirely unfair for her to be put in this position and not only because those were personal and treasured memories that belonged to Kakashi and Kakashi only, but because they opened up a world of pain for her to soak in.

Every time she looked at him she recalled a moment in his life where he was dying, a moment where he was vulnerable enough to cry, a moment where the world nearly broke him. It was insightful, truly, but the burden of it was enough to make her want to collapse. What would Kakashi do if he found out about those dreams? It would undoubtedly send him running to the hills. God knows that's what she would have done.

All that aside, she couldn't deny those dreams were slowly changing her view of him. What she used to call a tardy emotionless man that can't be bothered was now… someone who suffered so much and concealed it so well it made her ache to hide him from the world, somewhere where no one could hurt him anymore.

Sakura wiped her tears with the back of her hand, feeling more trailing down her cheeks. Damn him and those stupid dreams.


Kakashi could smell the salt of her tears, and without looking over to confirm he knew she was crying. It baffled him but he guessed it was a bad dream; he noticed she'd been having those quite frequently as of late. It made his stomach twist uncomfortably; he hated it when she cried. Especially when it was soundless crying that consisted of rivers of tears and nothing else, it made him worry that much more because he knew all too well what it meant —Sakura wanted to hide her hurt from him.

He would've preferred frame-shaking sobs, like when she was a twelve-year-old, that way he'd have an excuse to reach over and comfort her. He wasn't sure she'd appreciate that treatment now. Nevertheless, he couldn't just ignore her like that…

"Sakura?" he said softly, but made no move to turn to face her, instead, his eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. "Are you okay…?"

A pause followed where it felt as if the whole world was quiet and then her small shaky intake of breath broke it. "Y-yeah. Just a bad dream."

The Copy Nin had guessed correctly. However, let it be said he was not the most affectionate person in the world, but for her, he would try. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

"No," she whispered and then rolled away to give him her back. "I'm sorry. Please go back to sleep it's still early."

Kakashi's frown deepened and he entertained the thought of pestering her but decided against it. Sakura, like him, hated being or feeling vulnerable. He should know better than to deliberately put her in a situation as such.

No matter, it still didn't explain the sudden ache in his heart when she sniffled quietly into her pillow.


At eight-thirty in the morning, Toishi hit the gym. At eight-forty-five, Sakura showed up in a tank top and a pair of joggers that hung low on her waist, hopping onto the treadmill next to him. She gave a friendly wave as she kick-started the machine and watched curiously as his eyes slowly raked over her figure before acknowledging her greeting with a simple nod.

Confusing as ever, this man. He had his machine at the speed six-point-one and Sakura gave him a long side way look before keying up her setting to six-point-three.

It earned her an imperceptible eyebrow raise, but Toishi seemed up for a challenge for the dark-haired man increased his speed to six-point-five, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a smug smirk.

A silent and verbally unacknowledged battle ensued between the kunoichi and the millionaire, but unbeknownst to one of them, the rigorous exercise was a part of an intricate plan. And unbeknownst to the other, one had a wicked plan.

It didn't take long for them to reach running speed as they kept trying to outplay each other. Finally, Sakura hopped off, putting on a show of being out of breath, while frankly, she could've kept going for hours if she desired. As a shinobi, she remembered days where she'd done nothing but run from dusk to dawn —days like when an information leak was at risk or days when a teammate was in danger and needed immediate backup.

She headed for the varying weights on the rack by the mirror and was surprised when she found Toishi had followed her. It seemed the man wasn't done with their competition just yet, which was exactly what she wanted. So when he grabbed two heavy weights, Sakura strolled casually past him and picked a heavier one. It didn't require her chakra, and she knew better than to use chakra when it was unknown if there was another ninja in the area who might sense her.

Another eyebrow raise was given by Toishi, but this time accompanied by a challenging smirk like he was daring her to exercise with such heavy weights. That disbelieving look pushed Sakura beyond her mission to outdo him.

Two hours later, Sakura was carefully following Toishi, making sure she stayed out of sight but something was off, like a dull tingling sensation in the back of her head, prickling uncomfortably, insisting something was misplaced —something very important.

It wasn't the time to dwell over the weird ticklish sensation travelling down her spine, not at all because Toishi was finally heading for the swimming pool, no doubt to swim and cool down. It was time for her plan; she was going to quickly sneak into his room and uncover his schemes. His presence on Naka's island was too suspicious to deny and she could only hope this mission would come to an end soon enough; Sakura was done embarrassing herself in front of her former sensei. One more tear-inspiring dream and she might just die from mortification. Kakashi probably already found her pathetic enough.

A dull throbbing began to creep it's way to the forefront of her brain, pulsing in time with her heartbeat and thrumming away annoyingly just behind her right eye. Dammit, what now?

She glided down the hallways with a swiftness that would've put a fox to shame, heading towards the east wing where room two-two-six was located, where a certain Akiko may or may not be there…

A simple jutsu quietly unlocked the heavy door and Sakura slipped inside unnoticed, but by now her head was pulsing incessantly, making her whole head ache like she had the worst hangover of her life. No time to heal that now… Sakura crept inside the darkened room; the curtains were drawn shut, blocking the sunlight and concealing her in the shadows.

One small pulse of chakra sent across the wall told Sakura she was alone. If only she knew how wrong she was…

Smack!

The world blurred and spun, and before her brain could register the danger, the pink kunoichi hit the ground with a resounding thud.

A deep voice chuckled maliciously, the raspy note of their voice echoing in the vast room. "Stupid woman…"


Hello dearest readers, sorry for the delay of this update I have some family problems going on and no wifi. I'm very excited for you to see the next chapter (it's half way done) because I'm enjoying writing it so much!

Before I list some of the songs I promised the last chapter, I have an important question. In the old version, NaruSasu was a thing. However, in this new version, I'm going to give you a choice. I created a poll asking who do you think Naruto should end up with so quickly head to the link on my tumblr (it won't let me post it here, I'm bouncyirwin) and let me know (it's anonymous of course)! Pair with most votes wins x

Now onto the music list, I'll give you two songs every chapter:

1) Michi - To You All

2) LP - Lost On You

Review for KakaSaku fluff ;-P

Until next time! -Rama