Time seemed to drag as they waited for Sakura to be discharged. After Tanaka had given the bad news, Kakashi and Hinata did their best to keep Sakura from thinking too much. The small talk remained fluid, for the most part. Hinata was asking Sakura about her parents, her upbringing, and essentially her entire life. Despite the tightening in his chest he was feeling, he found himself absorbed with the information she'd divulge. Typical to Sakura, she was not an open book. But, Hinata's sincerity and sweetness made for a great disarming tactic, so eventually she began to freely speak. He learned that she had grown up in Long Island her whole life, that she used to have another pug named Ramone who passed away when she was sixteen. She used to run track, she became a black belt in Taijutsu by thirteen, and that college was one of the most "rewarding but rough" experiences of her life. He also delighted in the fact that she shared with them that she would go fishing all the time with her father. When she was younger, it was every week at least. As she got older, the tradition became more sporadic, but they still found time at least once a month to break away from the world and spend time together.

"You know," Kakashi began, plucking at the fabric on his chair mindlessly. "My dad and I used to go fishing all the time together, too. Behind our house, there's a path that leads to a river. We'd go there, we'd fish, and then we'd take the fish home and cook it up—ever since I had been just a kid. As I got older, he'd let me have a small glass of sake with it."

"I wish my dad and I had some sort of tradition…" Hinata trailed off deplorably. "We were pretty distant for the most part. Sometimes it felt like he spent more time with my sister than me."

Sakura's mouth twitched, "I'm sorry. Is there an issue between you two?"

"No," Hinata shook her head and plucked her shoulders. "no issue. We've just never really found a common ground to click? Plus we've never really been great on communication."

"Well…I mean, there's still time, you know? You could talk to him and tell him you'd like to spend more time with him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind that. I bet he's just awkward and doesn't know what to say. I had to learn that with my dad. He's a man of very few words, so I had to pick up on his body language and the things he didn't communicate told me everything I needed to know. Men are pretty straight forward, so just confront him about it."

"I should," she agreed softly. "I would love for him to spend time with Naruto, too."

Kakashi chuckled, "Maybe have him hang out with Naruto in small doses, so your dad doesn't get overwhelmed."

Hinata giggled and nodded with a smile.

"How did you and Naruto become a couple?" Sakura rasped, sipping water and openly wincing.

While Hinata talked, Kakashi became lost in thought. Even though Sakura seemed to hold it together for the most part, he knew that her mind has to be spinning wildly. In just a short amount of time, her entire world has been flip-flopped. She went from a new job in a new place, to a victim being actively hunted by an extremely dangerous group of men. Anyone else in this situation would react wildly, it was honestly only natural. Despite her efforts in making her face unreadable, he saw the cogs turning in her eyes. He saw the way they flashed when he told her about Sota, he heard her breath hitch and hold during that moment. Kakashi noticed her subtle panic, there was no doubt she was scared shitless of being ambushed again. She probably felt equally unsafe anywhere, considering she was attacked in a common place, where tons of people are, during the day no less. He didn't know how she's actively feeling about having to stay with him at the house, and he was only slightly worried at how she conceded. Sakura was a proud woman, that was screamingly obvious. The fact that she was going to have to be taken care of down to the very detail of someone else helping her shower, her gut must be twisting and she probably feels awful; and that's the last thing she need right now.

With Tanaka's instructions of her remaining as stress free as possible, Kakashi was going to do his best to cultivate that environment for her. Even though she was at a disability, he was going to make sure she didn't feel that way. He didn't want her to feel coddled or patronized, that would only further her mounting stress. He was also not going to inform her on any dealings with Sota, if he didn't have to. As long as she'd feel reassured it was being taken care of, that would be the extent of her knowledge on the subject up until they capture him. The more Kakashi thought about Sakura's stay at the house, he suddenly realized that he had been staying at this hospital the entire time when he knew for a fact the house didn't have a scrap of food in there, let alone any of her stuff. Chances are, Sota's men are camped out somewhere waiting to see Sakura step out of the hospital. If they go directly to her apartment, he wouldn't put it past them to ambush them right then and there. Considering the most recent events, there was no way he was going to underestimate what these men could do. Even if he came off overly paranoid, it was a precaution he was willing to take. These men were not playing games, and neither would he.

Digging in his pocket, Kakashi pulled out his phone and pulled up Shino's contact. Muttering an "excuse me, ladies" to the girls, he stepped out of the room and into the hall of the hospital. Kakashi walked down either end of the hall, observing around the corners and speculating the nooks where someone would hide out. Once everything was clear, he propped himself against the wall by Sakura's door and dialed. Two rings passed, followed with a very curt, "Yes" from Shino.

"Sakura is supposed to be discharged sometime this afternoon," Kakashi informed. "As soon as she is released, we are heading to Samurai so that we can all come to terms with how we're going to do this. Afterwards, we still have to go to Sakura's so she can pack, because I will have her staying at the house until all of this is taken care of."

"I'll gather a team to run perimeter," Shino affirmed, already on the same field as Kakashi. "We'll run perimeter. I'll have Kiba bring his car to pick you all up. We'll do checks up until you leave, making sure no one follows you, and then we'll follow behind for good measure. Should anything happen, we'll notify you and handle it."

"I can always count on you," Kakashi expressed firmly, relieved he didn't need to explain anything to Shino. "The doctor said she'll be released sometime around the afternoon."

"We'll be there before then."

"Great."

Shino hung up.

With a sigh, Kakashi let his hand fall to his side. Shino has sharp eyes, they'll be able to catch if anyone suspicious is lurking around the hospital, or if anyone is trailing them. Kakashi would make sure that they took the long way to Samurai, to weed them out just in case. He scratched his head, turning and stepping back into the room. Twin sets of eyes glanced up at him when he walked in, question on their faces. "Everything okay?" Hinata asked carefully.

Kakashi gave a blunt nod, "Yes. I was on the phone with Shino."

"How's Shino?" The look in her eyes was immediately knowing, already understanding what was taking place.

"He's good, he's good." Kakashi took in a deep breath. "Sakura, as soon as you're discharged we will be making a stop at Samurai first. You have to meet the entire team, and we all have to talk about what we're going to do."

Sakura's brow blenched, "About what?"

He met her gaze with a steady one of his own, "About everything."

"Oh," she breathed, her expression going blank. "Okay. I'll be able to go home and pack, right?"

"Of course, as soon as we are done there. It's just important that we all meet as a unit and come to terms with what we're going to do. It's also important that you're there to listen, so you understand what's going on and what's going to happen. I don't want you to be lost on anything."

"Okay…" she replied gradually. "Will…will we be okay?"

"What do you mean?" Kakashi pressed.

Sakura broke her gaze, staring down at her fingers that she's threading and unthreading together. "Are we going to be safe?"

Kakashi held back the grimace that threatened to form. He stepped over to stand beside Hinata who was sitting down. He placed a hand on his chest and a hand on Hinata's back. "We've got you, Sakura. Not just us, but the entire team is on this. You're in incredibly capable hands. We're no-shit trained ninjas, remember?" He winked.

Sakura relaxed only slightly, her shoulders lowering and her hands releasing themselves. She leaned back from her hunched over position, her eyes flicking between Kakashi and Hinata. For a moment he thought he saw her gaze settle on his hand that was on Hinata's back, a peculiar expression flickering in her eyes before she looked away with a subtle shake of her head. "I mean, I read about your group. It was on some janky website. But I just figured it was something that died out with the change of time. I didn't even think that actual ninjas existed. You don't look like ninjas."

"What were you expecting, all black suits and fabric over our eyes? Should I be wielding a katana right now?" Kakashi chortled, removing his hand off of Hinata's back.

"I prefer nunchucks myself," Hinata giggled in front of him.

Sakura regarded them passively, "You know what I mean. It's just surreal, is all I'm saying."

Kakashi shrugged, "I suppose for someone on the outside, yeah. We don't know any other way of life, though. Most of us were born into this, it's incredibly generational."

"Does that mean that you don't have a choice in the matter?"

"No," he answered, jutting out his lip and shaking his head. "not really. It would be considered dishonoring your ancestors, but it's not something you absolutely have to do. Back in the day, yes. Now? Not so much. Still, we all chose to follow in our lineage. It's an honorable way to live, and we do a lot to help those around us."

"And one day, hopefully our children will do the same," Hinata added almost dreamily.

"So, do your parents train you?" Sakura inquired skeptically. It was obvious she was still not fully understanding what they were apart of was a real thing.

"Well, yeah they do train us growing up. But, along with school there's another school we're sent to as kids. We call it the Academy. We start there, and then we're set up with a teacher who trains us from there," Kakashi explained. "Our team isn't just the only ones. We are called Samurai, but there are others all over." He stuck his arm out, waving his flat palm in a semi circle for emphasis. "We have two annual meetings a year, and others if it's called for it. Technically, we are ninjas, but we're called Shinobi. There's levels to it, a lot like the belts in Taijutsu. It's a lot to explain, but we'll have time to pound out the details. So, during the summers our parents will send us away to where the academy is and that's where we train. During the school year it's our parents job to train us according to what the Academy says they should be teaching us. This happens until we graduate to Jonin. Most of us stay in our sects, or chapters. Some become apart of the Academy. Some join a group called ANBU and they work on more extreme jobs, like high level military and political stuff. For the most part, our chapters handle things ourselves. Calling in ANBU is when it's beyond our control."

"Why is it called chapters, and not just one group? Are all the chapters called Samurai?" Sakura cocked her head slightly, processing the dump of information.

"Back in the day, there were villages. Each village had its' own group of jonin, its' own teachers, so on and so forth. As time went on, villages sort of died out as cities and counties changed. So, it got changed to chapters, but depending on the vicinity is what village your chapter is from. For example, we come from the village hidden in the leaves. That's where our ancestors come from, that's where we'd be living. Gaara, his ancestors are from Sunagakure, which back then was pretty much a desert in the Tottori sand dunes. He goes in between that chapter and ours a lot, because at the end of the day we are all working towards the same goal. Each chapter has its' own jobs, along with sometimes asking other chapters for jobs to help them with. While we are dealing with the Yakuza, Sunagakure takes on a lot of drug lords in that area. As a whole, our organization is still Ancient of Days. Our chapter is regarded as Samurai. Gaara's home chapter is regarded as Shukaku, and they're all pretty brutal as far as their sect goes. Damn good nins, but they don't smile nearly as much as they should. Overall, there's five major chapters with shinobi. There are smaller sub-chapters included. We are one of those five."

"That's insane," Sakura mumbled. "I feel like I'm reading some fantasy book."

"Traditions don't die, Sakura. Not really. No matter how bad rival gangs and groups tried to take down Ancient of Days as a whole, or the chapters—we never died out. We take pride in our chapters, in our job, and we'll die for it. The life of a Shinobi isn't easy, but it's rewarding."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak at the same time a light knock could be heard on the door. The door opened up, and Shino stepped in with Kiba; Akamaru close to his feet.

"Good?" Kakashi mouthed silently.

Shino gave one slow, deliberate raise of his chin. Kakashi responded with a quick one of his own, then turning to Kiba. "Thank you for bringing your car."

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba dismissed with a wave, tearing his concerned gaze away from Sakura to look at Kakashi. Their eyes met, the silent connection communication enough on the severity of the issue. "Don't mention it. When's she supposed to be discharged, have they said anything yet?"

"Mh. Not really. The nurses have been coming in every hour or so to check on Sakura, but none of them have said when she's going to get discharged. We're just all sitting around and waiting," Kakashi replied with a tired sigh.

Kiba nodded, directing his attention back to Sakura. He ambled over to her, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she managed to smile.

"You look rough," he remarked sarcastically. Kakashi went stiff, quickly turning his head to Kiba to rebuke him until Kiba followed up with: "I feel bad for the bastard that tried to take you down. You fucked him up, Sakura."

"Good. I wish I could have done more." Her tone was solid, with an indignant edge.

"You did a lot, trust me. You punched his face so hard that he had been spitting teeth out the entire time we were taking him away. He was breathing funny—did you hit him in the chest?"

Kakashi knew what Kiba was doing. Kiba had always been good at making someone feel really good about themselves, or really bad. His words held a lot of weight, and could do more damage than a dagger if he so chose. What he was doing now was an attempt at making Sakura feel good about how she protected herself, instead of feeling like she lost. Even if she got the short end of the stick, she still fought tooth and nail; that was something that she needed to recognize, and Kakashi was thankful that Kiba was aware of it, too.

Sakura's brow came together, her expression thrown off by Kiba's forthcoming attitude about the encounter. Until now, everyone was tip-toeing around the details as much as possible so she'd stay calm and that it wouldn't trigger anything. "Um…yeah, I did." She finally answered, unsure of where Kiba was going.

"How'd you do it?"

Sakura looked around the room, raising her hands up dubiously, "I…I mean, he was on top of me. I punched him in the throat, kicked him in the chest and he fell back. I leapt on him, put my hands like this," she weaved her fingers together, her two hands forming a tight ball. "Then I drove it down as hard as I could."

Kiba's brow quirked, his lips drawing into an impressed grimace. "Gaara thinks that you cracked one of his ribs, which is why he was breathing so funny. By the time we got him where we were taking him, he was missing almost all of his front teeth, his eyes were swollen shut and bleeding, and he could barley breathe. His face was all fucked up, he looked like he'd been put through some industrial meat grinder."

Sakura sat up some, her expression glimmering a small hope. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah girl. You fucked him up, Sakura. Remind me to not get on your bad side," he nudged her playfully.

Sakura tittered gravelly, but otherwise said nothing.

"Let us know when they discharge her," Shino remarked by the door. "Kiba. Let's go."

With a final wave, Kiba followed Shino out of the room. Watching Sakura, Kakashi paid close attention to the display of emotions that flashed in her green eyes. Seconds passed and her brow would draw deep, straighten, pick up, and go flat again. No doubt she was reliving the whole experience. Internally, Kakashi frowned deeply. He wanted nothing more to take away the scenes that were replaying in her head. He wanted to replace them with others, ones so dramatically different that the attack would pale in comparison to the others. He wanted to replace them with scenes of cooking breakfast, drinking coffee, and talking shit to each other. Scenes of them even fishing together, just like he did with his dad and she did with hers. He only wanted her to heal properly from this, but with the knowledge looming over her that Sota and his men were still out there; it was near to impossible. For someone like him and the team, attacks happen so often that they've become jaded to it. Someone will come in stabbed and find it a burden when Tsunade yells at them to go to the hospital. Sure, she knew Taijutsu, but she's never been actively attacked a day in her life—not to this degree, not with this much severity, and not with the consequences following. The way she was attacked was the reason she'd took Taijutsu; to protect herself. She probably read about instances like this in articles on the web, posts, and on the news. She probably never thought it would actually happen to her.

He hoped that she could reform herself from this. That she'll be stronger, mentally and physically.
Kakashi would help her get there, no matter the cost.

Another hour and a half passed until Sakura was officially discharged. Once all the paperwork was done, it was Himari who was going over the aftercare paperwork that Tanaka had provided, along with a bag of medical supplies for Sakura. "Like Tanaka said," Himari went on abrasively so Sakura understood that what she was telling her was non-negotiable. "you've got the month to heal. Do not over exert yourself, do not lift anything heavy, and do not drive. You must be monitored for the entire time, meaning someone has to be with you. We will run a wellness check, and if we find out that you're not being attended, there will be consequences like us taking you in here for the entire month—and that's going to be expensive, even with you working here. For the first five days, stick to a liquid diet. For the first two weeks, have someone assist you with the shower because I'm telling you, you won't be able to do it on your own. Because of the severity of your wounds, if you don't already, you have to shower every day to take care of all of them. If after the two weeks you're still feeling stiff and showering hurts, still have someone help you. Make sure that when you're sleeping, someone is there with you just in case you have another seizure in your sleep. Stay as stress free as possible, Sakura. I cannot say that enough. Here," she handed Kakashi a fabric bag. "in there is the throat medicine, the ointment for your wounds, gauze, gauze tape—everything. Oh, also there's a certain soap in here that you need to wash your wounds with. Use just a dime sized drop, and use it until the bottle is empty. Do not take care of your wounds on your own, have someone help you. Be sure to drink a lot of water so that your muscles will start to ease up some, you're going to feel like you ran for 100,000 miles straight without stopping and then lifted weights for 72 hours consecutively."

Sakura deadpanned, "You're being dramatic."

"Hmph. NO, I'm not," Himari snapped sassily, cupping Sakura's chin and staring down at her tenderly at the same time. "We need you to get better so we can have our pink-haired nurse back, okay?"

"Okay," Sakura responded just as tenderly, glancing up to meet Himari's eyes.

Himiar whipped on Kakashi, "And you."

"Me?" Kakashi repeated, thumb jutted at his chest and his voice influxing.

Himari's eyes narrowed, "Yes, you. You better take damn good care of her. If I find out that you're not handling her the way we told you to, or that she's being neglected in any way, I will personally—"

"Himari," Sakura interjected with a shake of her head. "He'll take care of me."

Kakashi couldn't help the stupid smile that spread across his face. Was she actually trusting him?

Himari grunted, "Fine. I'll go grab the wheelchair, I'll be back." She left the room in a breeze.

Himari came back in twenty minutes, pushing the wheelchair in. "Alright, baybay. You're going to move nice and slow, okay? We can't afford any sudden movements. Take my hand," she held out her hand. Kakashi stood by, watching Himari gradually help Sakura move off of the bed and into the wheelchair. While she told them she was okay, her winces of pain said otherwise. Each movement that was greater than the small ones she made in the bed caused her to hiss, flinch, or blow out air slowly. Her movements were stiff and jerky, and he could see the realization crossing her face that Himari and Tanaka were indeed right. While this was going on, Kakashi had pulled out his phone and made a quick call to Shino to let them know they were on the move.

"Okay. Kiba is out front by the entrance waiting for you all. We are running perimeter checks right now. We'll follow you out when you leave." Shino remarked, militant.

"Good."

The phone hung up.

Standing behind Himari and Sakura was Hinata, holding the bags Himari had given them. Kakashi and Hinata exchanged a brief glance before following them out. Both Hinata and Kakashi kept sharp eyes out, carefully watching rounded corners and speculating anyone remotely suspicious. Once they got to the elevator, Choji was across from them and heading their way. He lifted a hand in a wave, "Mind if I take this down?" He quipped to Himari casually.

Himair eyed him gingerly, "I don't know baby, you might be too big of a man to fit with all of us in here."

Choji squinted his eyes and laughed, "Don't worry, I'll fit."

After Himari tugged the wheelchair to the front left of the elevator, Kakashi and Hinata squeezed in behind them, with Choji managing his way in the back right corner. Kakashi glanced over at Choji out of the corner of his eye, regarding him with a deliberate wink before looking straight ahead again. The elevator dinged, and Himari was the first to push Sakura out. In front of the double doors of the entrance stood Kiba, with a huge Jeep Explorer waiting for them.

"You better drive carefully in that thing," Himari commented bitterly, raising Sakura to her feet. "Go ahead and walk, honey."

Sakura took several steps forward, wincing only slightly when she stepped too far out or too fast. After several minutes, she was at the door of the jeep and Kakashi was there helping her in. He took her hand in his, using his free hand to grip the back of her thigh to help hoist her in without her using as much muscle as possible. Sakura grunted, wiggling her way into the seat and rolling her head around slowly with her eyes closed.

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi pressed gently, taking the seatbelt from her hand when it was getting caught and not pulling over.

Sakura suspired, "It hurts way more than I thought it would. I didn't think my body was going to feel this way, so it's just kind of a shock."

Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek, "I'm sorry, Sakura. You'll heal and get better sooner than you know it, as long as you follow the doctor's orders."

She peered over at him, "Why do you say it like that?"

He simpered, "Because you're incredibly proud, and also incredibly stubborn." When Sakura glared at him, he raised his hands in defense, "Hey, that's not a bad thing. I personally like that you're more hard headed than a territorial ram." She gave a small laugh, and he winked at her saucily, shutting the door.

Himari gave some last minute instructions, talked to Sakura through the window, and rolled the wheelchair away. Kiba was sitting in the driver's side, Hinata was sitting in the back with Sakura, and Kakashi was in the passenger's seat. Akamaru was in the big trunk in the back, sniffing the nape of Sakura's neck every now and then. The drive was quiet, and Kakashi could see Shino and the others in Choji's car following them.
His mind was whirring.

Seeing Sakura move, it only furthered the fact that she is in a terrible condition. While her movements most of the time are fluid and nearly graceful, she moved as though her limbs were made of stone. Heavy, slow, and her face twisted in discomfort and pain was proof of that. For a brief moment, he almost second guessed bringing her to Samurai. He thought that maybe it would all be too much for her during this time, but he also knew that she had a clear understanding of how the team was planning on protecting her and capturing Sota. She was already neck deep. The way he saw it, if she was witness to how willing the team was to help her, then she wouldn't feel so bad. Then she would feel confident that she'll be taken care of.

From what Shino told him at the hospital the other day, apparently Gaara and Neji were able to get information about the base out of them—it was a different base than the previous one the team had thought Sota was working out of. He's guessing cops caught on and they relocated. Either way, they had a location and that was the first step. He only hoped that they could get to him before they take off again. It wasn't going to be easy. This had already been a job they have been working at for months and months. They were going to have to tick off Sota's men, narrow them down so they didn't have to meet that much resistance. Squeeze each one for information, as much about Sota's whereabouts as possible. If they could catch him away from his base, the better. If they could capture Sota first, then his men would scatter. The problem was that Sota was a shifty son of a bitch. He never stayed in one spot, he was truly never alone. This job was going to have to be carefully thought out, otherwise Sota would only focus his efforts on getting Sakura and the team.

Kiba pulled up to the club, Shino and the others parking behind. Kakashi stepped out, opening the door for Hinata in passing and making his way to Sakura's side. He opened the door, seeing that Sakura had her head tilted back, eyes squeezed shut and lips pressed together really tight. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling the seatbelt off of her.

Her eyes snapped opened, she released her lips and leaned forward. "I'm fine. Are we going in?"

Kakashi took her hand, gently pulling her out and letting her stand on her feet. "Yes, we're going in."

He released her hand, but kept his hand on the small of her back to catch her just in case anything happens. Kiba and Akamaru were already at the doors of the club, waiting for them to catch up. Hinata was beside them, and Shino, Neji, Choji, Tenten, and Shikamaru were ambling up; muttering among themselves. Whatever they were chatting about, Kakashi didn't care. He was too focused on Sakura, the way her face twitched from how hard she was fighting back her frustration.

Eventually they passed the double doors, made their way through the empty club. Sakura peered around, her expression almost disappointed. "What is it?" Kakashi sought, his voice echoing in the hall they turned down.

"The club seems…boring…without all the lights and music," she replied in a rasp.

"Yeah," Kakashi shrugged. "once all the magic is taken away it's still just a boring old building. But we've been operating out of this club since the seventies."

"Is it down here?" she pointed down the hall that split left and right at the end.

"Sort of. We'll turn right, and at the end of that small hallway is a door. That door has a staircase that leads down, down there is our safe house."

She glanced down, "Maybe I should stay up here…"

"Why?"

"I don't think I'll be able to get down the stairs, Kakashi. My muscles are hurting way more than I anticipated, they feel all tight and stiff like I've got a constant muscle cramp all over. They almost feel like they're stinging, tingling, and burning. They ache terribly, head to toe. My joints are pulsing. I thought I was just going to be uncomfortable, but I'm really hurting. If I try to go down those stairs, I'll just hurt myself more. I'll just stay up here, I can sit in the booths back there and when you are done we can go." Her frown drew deep, pink brows tightening in the middle. Emerald eyes met his, and he could see her discomfort there. "But," she started. "I really don't want to miss what you and your team are going to talk about. I feel like…I don't know, if I am there I'll feel better about everything?"

"Mh," Kakashi hummed. They reached the door to the safe house by this point, and both were standing there staring at each other. He felt terrible. He didn't want to risk her getting hurt, but it was really important that she stay in on this; for him and for her. "I'll carry you down," he propositioned carefully.

Sakura's eyes widened with a jump, "Carry me? No, I don't think that's a good idea. Plus, I feel horrible about all of this already. From you having to take care of me, to your team having to protect me, to—"

"Listen, Sakura. Whatever dialogue is going on in your head, you really need to squash it. You aren't a burden to any of us. If you don't remember, I offered to take care of you. I offered my home to you, and my help. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't; plain and simple." Kakashi decapitated earnestly, searching her gaze.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to help me? Why do you want to take care of me? Why do I matter to you and your team so much that you are all doing this for me?" She pressed, each question more anxious than the last; her tone almost accusing, as though he was lying.

Kakashi placed his hands on her arms, "I want to help you because I really care about you, Sakura. I think I told you at the diner, I already know that my future involves you. Can't be much of a future if you don't have anyone to carry you down a simple flight of stairs."

Her eyes flicked back forth between his, "How do I look?"

"What?" Kakashi barked confused, leaning and being taken aback by her sudden question.

"How do I look?" She repeated in barely a whisper. "I haven't had a chance to look at myself at all this week. Not even when I'd use the restroom at the hospital. It's like Himari was purposely trying to block the mirror from me." A small tear slipped out of her eye. She wiped it away, glancing down and sucking in a deep breath. "I'm afraid... I don't know what I look like, but I can feel it. I can feel my face, I can feel how hot it is and I can feel the scratches..." Another pause, another breath. Kakashi regarded her, nearly stunned from her candor. She was always so shut off, getting her to admit how she really feels about something was akin to climbing up a muddy hill in the pouring rain. He waited patiently as she opened her mouth to speak again. "I'm afraid of being by myself… I keep thinking that he's going to pop back out and come for me again. I'm afraid of what that man would do to you and your team if he did this to me. I'm afraid that my voice won't get better, and I don't know what I'm going to tell my parents if that's the case…" Sakura shook her head, "My body hurts so bad that logically, I know it'll heal over time. But I still can't help thinking I'll be stuck this way forever. I'm afraid I'll have another seizure, and then I get afraid that I'm over stressing myself…I-I don't even know why I'm saying all of this. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do. I don't know who to talk to. And…and you and your team saved me. What can I possibly do to pay that back? I have nothing to offer, that equates what you did for me…I've never been so afraid in my life. I've—"

At that time, the rest of the team was walking down the hall towards them in a cluster. Hinata had held back to wait for them, but she waved at Sakura. Sakura turned her head away from them, looking down at the floor and trying to compose herself. The closer the team neared, the more their expressions fell blank at the sight of the intimate conversation between them. "You all go ahead, we'll follow up," Kakashi commented as they opened the door and began to pass. They nodded, and Kakashi waited until every last one of them was through the door and well down the stairs.

He turned his attention back to Sakura, who was still staring down at the floor. His heart wanted to burst out of his chest. He felt honored that she was opening up to him in a big way, considering the situation. He wanted to be sure to say the right words to console her, so she didn't feel like opening up to him was in vain. He honestly wasn't sure he was going to get another moment like this, and he figured the more she started to get better, she'd go back to being reserved. She was vulnerable now, he got that. She'd be protecting herself then, and he got that, too. Neither bothered him; he couldn't blame her. Regardless of these, Kakashi still took to handling her as best as he could. Gently, he hooked a knuckle under her chin, guiding her to face him. Sakura's eyes, which had flicked to the floor, cast up to meet his earnestly. "First and foremost," Kakashi began. "I need you to know that what you're feeling is valid. You went through a traumatic experience, it's only natural to feel what you're feeling, so don't beat yourself up about being afraid. Second, I'm glad that you're voicing this to me; it helps me understand more how I can help you. Plus, it's not all pent up in there," he tapped her forehead lightly. "Third, I cannot express just how sorry I am that you're in pain and that you have to deal with all of this. You were thrown into the mess of everything, and it may feel like things will never go back to normal. And I'll be honest, to a degree; things will never be the same…especially if that involves me. That being said, you are in the most capable hands ever. The team cares about you because I care about you. Ino cares about you deeply. We will all protect you and make sure nothing like this happens ever again. Ever. Lastly, you are beautiful—"

"Don't say that," she huskily admonished. "You always say that. Look at me, be honest. How bad do I look?"

"I always say it, because I always mean it. Your wounds will heal, Usagi. Even with your proof of fight, you're still beautiful. You could sprout a second head and your eyes could fuse into one and I'd still think you're hot." He smirked at her crookedly, with as much reassurance he could muster.

A small, weak smile twitched on her face. One that was obligated, telling him that she wasn't fully with him. He understood. He always understood.

"Understand things will get easier when this is all over. And we will do our best to make it as easy for you during this season. Now, they're waiting on us. I'll scoop you up and—"

"No," she raised a hand to stop him. "I'll just wait up here. I really don't want to bother you with having to carry me."

"Please," he scoffed. "It's not like you're heavy. It's not like it's a hassle, it's not like it's out of the way, dude. We're literally both going down the same way. It's not a burden, you're not a burden. It's not hard at all."

"Are you sure?" She sought uncertainly, nibbling on her thumb nail.

"Well, now that I think about it, there is one thing that's pretty…hard…" he rocked back on his feet, glancing down at her with a playful pause.

Sakura gave a raspy groan, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Kakashi egged artfully. "I was going to say what's hard is my control to dip you romantically under the moonlight and—"

She groaned again, shaking her head and swatting a limp hand at him. "Shut up. Pick me up and let's go."

Kakashi smirked, "Right away, ma'am."

Kakashi took a step toward Sakura, squatting down and very carefully hooking his left arm under her legs; his right arm looping around her back to hold her close, hand wrapping around her bicep. Her breath was only slightly labored by the action, and if it had hurt her she didn't let on with her expression. "Are you okay? Does this hurt or feel uncomfortable at all?" He inquired attentively, angling his face down to meet hers. He pulled her in tight, making sure his hold on her was secure so he could move without her jostling around in his arms.

"I'm fine," Sakura uttered in a low voice.

Holding her, Kakashi couldn't help but notice how perfect her body fit into his arms. Her curves matched and molded with the hard plain of his body; the firmness of her flesh equally combating his toughness. Her head was just at his collarbone, her head angled up at him, her startlingly vivid eyes bearing into his. Her body was tense, her jaw was set; but Kakashi couldn't tell if it was because of the pain she was in, or because of the closeness of their bodies. When she had passed out at the diner, he held her this tight; but she was just that, passed out. Now she was wide awake, fully aware of the proximity between them. Kakashi eyed her face gingerly, taking in the feline shape of it; from wide, cat-like eyes to her sensuous lips. He loved the light-pink hue to them, a dusty rose compared to her peony hair. Her lips were just full enough, and looking so soft he wanted to feel them for himself. Sakura must of noticed his gaze lingering a little too long on her mouth, so she turned her head towards the door, "Should we go now?"

Kakashi waited several more beats, making sure to eye her just long enough for a small blush to form on her cheeks. She pinched her brows at him, glaring. Kakashi grinned, "Now I'm ready."

Walking down the flight of stairs, Kakashi made sure to take his time. Each step was careful and gradual, making sure his heel's didn't hit too hard on the step. Once they reached the bottom, they were greeted with a bunch of "hhhheeeeyyyyy!" from some of the team: Naruto being the loudest of them all.

"Hey," Kakashi replied casually, ignoring Sakura's wiggling.

"Put me down," she murmured, trying to break her foot from his hold but thinking twice about it.

"Let me just put you down on the couch," he rebutted just as quietly. Defeated, she stopped wiggling when he walked her to the couch and placed her down as though she were the Queen's crown jewels. Kakashi straightened, scouring the room. Everyone was there from their team: Neji, Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Temari, and even Kankuro and Gaara. Tsunade was at her dest as usual, shuffling through some papers that were scattered on the desk. He knew the other half of the team was at their location; Anko, Asuma, Gemna to name a few—but this was a matter involving them and their sect as of right now. A job assigned to them, and should things go wrong then they'd call on the other team. Should things go worse, they'll call for ANBU.
Kakashi was hoping none of that would be the case.

The safe house underneath the club acted like a mini studio apartment. There was a kitchen, but otherwise everything else was pretty open. Most of it made for where the team hashed out job details, get jobs from Tsunade, or just fuck off if they were bored. There wasn't much to the place: Tsunade's desk sat against the back wall of the room. A black, weathered sectional couch was about fifteen feet in front of the desk. There was a table where a bed would be, covered in documents, blue prints, and folders. Opposite from the table was an incredibly old foosball table; the plastic from some of the handles completely missing. The kitchen had a fridge, stove, microwave, and sink. The cabinets above the grey counters were sparse with dishes, cups of noodles (that Naruto religiously keeps in stock), and seasoning. The fridge mainly had water, tea, sake, and beer in it. The restroom was in the farthest left corner of the room, more of a small hallway than an actual bathroom. To the far right was another door, which its' stairs led down to a basement where the team often drug bad guys for interrogation. (Blindfolded, of course.)

Sitting on the couch beside Sakura was Tenten, Shino, and Temari. Naruto and Hinata were in the kitchen, Gaara and Kankuro leaned against the wall where the restroom was; the others remained scattered about. Tsunade let out a heavy sigh, "Alright, Kakashi. Let's hear it, I don't have all day." At the same time, Ino crossed the room to squeeze in between Tenten next to Sakura; leaning in and placing small kiss on Sakura's temple, muttering something so low Kakashi couldn't hear.

"Alright," Kakashi commenced, "for those of you who haven't met Sakura; Sakura, this is Neji, Tenten, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. You guys, this is Sakura. You should all know that she had become a target of Sota, the man whose group we happen to be chasing after. As you should also all know, she was attacked at the diner by one of his men, who wholly intended to drug her and kidnap her. From my understanding, Gaara, he was told by Sota to rough her up pretty good before hand?"

Gaara raised his chin in a slow nod, arms crossed over his chest. "He was told to, 'beat her near death before drugging her,'" Gaara supplemented darkly, calm and smooth.

"Right. We all know by now what type of man Sota is. He's not going to stop until he's either got his hands on Sakura, or she's dead. That being said, because she was dragged into the club during a sting, it's our responsibility to protect her and make sure she's safe. Sakura cannot stay at her apartment—they know she lives there. We don't know if they know her room exactly, but the man who attacked her followed us from the complex to the diner; there's no other way."

"So what do you suppose we do?" Tsunade challenged, honey-brown eyes narrowed.

"I'll tell you," Kakashi equally returned. "She will be staying at my house, the one that's thirty minutes outside of Tokyo. She's already been given a month off from the hospital to heal from her wounds."

Neji rocked his head, "You understand it'll take longer than a month. We've been on Sota's case for months. Every time we get close, he slips out of our hands."

"I understand that," Kakashi leveled, his palm flat to the ground in Neji's direction. "But Sota is sloppy. He already stuck his neck out by having her attacked in the setting she was in—shining a big light on him and his crew."

"Yeah, but they're like roaches," Neji claimed. "They'll just scatter. I can guarantee he'll stay off the map for at least three months until we catch sight of him again."

"We know his most recent hideout," Kiba interjected. "We can ambush him before he goes and hides under whatever sick fucking rock he hides under."

"No, I've got one better. He's expecting us to ambush him—he knows our team has been on his trail for some time. I can guarantee one of his men saw us escorting Sakura. We we will do, is tick off his order of men. He's got several main guys who works under him, those guys have grunts under them. We knock them off, squeeze them for information on where Sota goes when he hides. From what we do know, it's a place where his men aren't allowed because it would draw attention to him."

"So like a small town?" Tenten propositioned.

Kakashi nodded in affirmation, "Yes. Some small town or dusty village. Somewhere where maybe he has family, who don't know what he actually does. Our problem right now is no matter how close we get to Sota, he either takes off too soon due to intel; or we've got like twenty of his men to take down. We can't just sneak in and assassinate him. We've got to infiltrate his men. Once we find out where exactly he's going to—because I can guarantee only a few of his guys know, and we don't know who—we can monitor him. We'll spook him, making him feel like he's about to be attacked just enough for him to take off. Once we know he's heading out of town, we'll remain in the town or village of where ever he's staying. We can take him out there, because he's got no men waiting on him. If there is family, chances are they don't fight."

"We can't kill him," Shino reminded deeply from his side of the room. "The detectives have been wanting this man for over a year now, and only recently assigned him to us."

Kakashi's jaw set, "Unfortunately. But, if he fights and your life is in danger, then do what you must to protect yourself."

"If he dies, he dies." Kiba remarked rigidly.

"If he dies, he dies…" Kakashi echoed.

"So, if the detectives want him, does that mean we're getting paid for this job?" Kankuro inquired, his tone agitated.

"Of course. Kaito already agreed to pay. It'll be for each man we bring in, for each job we go out on, and ultimately for Sota. With the information we've got now, we'll start there. We've got a short list of some of his main grunts, so we'll start there. Each job will be a three man job. We'll meet up here, and then take off once we've got everything together."

"I'll assemble the teams based on Sota's men," Tsunade commented behind crossed hands.

"And what about Sakura?" Ino urged from the couch. "We can't leave her alone at the house, especially not in the first month."

Kakashi's eyebrow quirked, "Did Himari call you?"

Ino grinned, "She did, just as you all left the hospital. She wanted to make sure Sakura was taken care of."

"Naturally…" Kakashi took in a breath, glancing over at Sakura briefly before continuing. "About Sakura. Right now, she is extremely injured to the point that she had to be heavily monitored for the first month, especially. For the most part, only a few of us will be doing the major watching—especially in regards to taking care of her. But, this is a team effort. There are times I'll be gone on a job for this, so we'll be trading off on shifts if we need to, just like at the hospital. She cannot be alone, we can't underestimate Sota nor his men."

"We'll get the job done!" Naruto shouted happily, leaping in the air. "Don't worry, Sakura. No one will hurt you, I'll make sure of it!" Naruto jutted a thumb at his chest proudly, "We'll catch that bastard Sota and fuck him up really good for you. Oh, and Hinata said she'll help you shower too, if you don't want Kakashi to which I don't blame you, you two haven't even had a first date yet so that would be—"

"Naruto!" Hinata hissed, slapping the whiskered man on the shoulder.

"What? We're helping her, you said that you'd help her sho—"

"You're not supposed to just say that out loud," Hinata continued to hiss.

Sakura flinched back in shock some, glancing around the room, "Um…"

Ino raised her small hand in the air, "I can help you, too, Sakura! I mean I'm a nurse, I help people shower all the time. What am I saying," she giggled, "you're a nurse, you already know."

"And if they can't help, I can," Tenten added sweetly, leaning over to smile at Sakura.

"I wanna party in the shower, too," Temari grinned.

"Um…" Sakura reeled slightly, blinking rapidly. "I mean…thank you? You really don't have to. I can do it by myself, honestly."

Everyone deadpanned.
Even Kankuro and Gaara.

"Don't be stupid," Kiba scoffed. "Himari even told me how to take care of you."

"Who does she take me for…?" Kakashi muttered under his breath, bewildered. How many people did she talk to?

"I'm not stupid," Sakura bit back. "I'm just saying, it's really not that big of a deal. You're doing enough as it is, the last thing we need is someone coming over and giving me showers."

"You're a little stupid," Ino stated matter-of-factly. "Just from sitting next to you, I can obviously tell how hurt you are. Himari read off your chart to me, down to the very detail of damage. This is all for your best interest, Sakura. We aren't here to patronize you, we just want to help you however we can."

"I don't understand why," Sakura muttered thickly.

"Because," Tsunade spoke up, "you're apart of the family now, whether you like it or not. We take care of our own."

"Technically," Sakura hedged, "I'm not. I wasn't born into your organization."

Tsunade chuckled, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I guess you don't understand now, and I don't blame you. But you will. We're tight knit. You're apart of Kakashi, Kakashi is one of us; that makes you one of us."

Sakura sat up straight, hands raised up in front of her; crossing them back and forth. "Oh, no. We aren't—I mean, I'm not—it's not like that, we—"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, incurious, "Right." She leaned back into her chair with a sigh, "Whatever you say, Sakura. Regardless, you're in safe hands. This team is one of the best around—even the other half of our chapter pales compared to us."

"Tch," Shikamaru scoffed. "You can say that again. That Might Guy is always going on and on about—"

"The power of youth," Tenten drawled with a heavy roll of her eyes.

"Guy isn't bad," Lee remarked defensively. "Guy and I train all the time together, he's really great."

"Yeah, if by great you mean overly-intense and obnoxious," Shika grunted. "You only took a shine to your buddy because you two happened to have the same hair."

Lee ran a hand over his hair, mussing up the black locks. "Not even," he mumbled. "Besides, if anyone should be irritated with Guy, it should be Kakashi. Any chance they see each other, something is going down between them. Didn't you two fight for like, four whole hours once?"

Kakashi, who had moved to sit halfway on Tsunade's desk, plucked a shoulder, "Something like that. He kept saying something like," Kakashi's brows furrowed, his gaze hardening and widening to mock Guy's intensity. "'A real man boasts endless stamina! I could fight for hours on end and never tire!'" He made his voice boisterous, projecting it loudly in the same manner Guy talks; forearm help up in the air, his hand balled into a fist.

"Remind me," Tsunade chuckled, "who won?"

"Me, by two minutes," Kakashi beamed, relaxing his voice and pose.

"There's another half of your chapter?" Sakura piqued. "This isn't the whole team?"

"There's a lot of us, yes," Tsunade answered, slapping the Rubric cube out of Kakashi's hand. "But to cover our area, we split in two. We see each other a lot, we work on a lot of the same jobs together. Recently, however, we've both been on some intensive jobs that neither can really help the other with at the moment. But more often than not, they're hanging around here since their version of a safe house is Guy's basement."

Sakura hummed and nodded.

Kakashi clapped his hands together, "Alright. We've got a game plan. Be on call, in case we need to switch shifts, or if something comes up. Watch your backs." He slid off of the desk, knocking papers off in the process and warranting him a string of swear words from Tsunade. He ambled to stand in front of Ino and Sakura, "I've got to go get food for the house. Ino, can you, Hinata, and Kiba take Sakura to her apartment so she can pack her things? Call me when you get there, call me when you're done, and then let me know when you're on the way to the house and at the house."

Ino's lid's lowered, "Really? We can handle it."

"I know you can, Ino. But we need to know where you are at in intervals, so if something does happen we can go from your last location. Remember, these men know were Sakura live. They very well could be scouting around the complex," Kakashi returned, matching Ino's irritated gaze.

"Shouldn't we just take her to the house then?" Kiba suggested. "Have Ino and Hinata go to the apartment complex to gather Sakura's things, I'll take her to the house. Chances are, if they are scouting, they'll notice Sakura walking in and they will attack."

Kakashi paused, deliberating.

"But, my stuff," Sakura piped up, her face drawn in worry.

Ino smiled, rubbing Sakura's shoulder soothingly, "Just tell us what you want packed and we'll pack it."

"What about my pets?"

"I already took care of it," Ino replied immediately. "Your pets, along with Kakashi's, are at the house. I transported them last night."

Sakura relaxed some, looking down at her thumb and picking at the skin there. Tension was written all over her, along with guilt. There was no doubt her pride was screaming that she hated every second of this. Kakashi leaned over, tapping her thumbnail to get her attention, "Hey."

Sakura glanced up, expression unsure.

"Kiba is right. We'd be putting you at risk dragging you back to your apartment where they followed us from. They don't know where my house is, no one does, really. It's sort of tucked away, behind a bunch of trees, bamboo, vines…it's really hard to find if you didn't already know it was there. You'll be safe, Kiba will be with you," he tapped the top of her thumb again, making each tap a long press.

"How long will you be gone for?"

"I shouldn't be gone long. The problem is that I've got absolutely no food at the house, since I haven't been there in ages. It's in great condition, so don't worry about that. There's some other things I've got to get, too. Kiba will be there, and soon after Ino and Hinata will arrive with your stuff. Rock will be there, Chonk is there—and so are all my boys. You'll have company, you won't be left by yourself." His expression, which had been focused and earnest, turned artful and sly; his black eyes glittering humorously. His head cocked slightly, "Why, are you going to miss me, Sakura?"

Her shoulders, which had been tensed up tight, dropped immediately at his words. She lolled her head over to the side some, lids settling halfway with an unconcerned expression. "Hardly," she managed to growl.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," he hummed mischievously, straightening and towering over both women.

Ino glared, "Give her a break, you're so tacky it kills me."

Kakashi stuffed a hand in his pocket, unbothered by Ino's catty quip. "Meh, you call it tacky. I call it charming and charismatic."

"And what does Sakura call it?" Ino contested, shifting her gaze over to Sakura.

They waited, watching Sakura flick her eyes between the two.

"Well?" Kakashi pressed, cupping a hand around his ear. "I'm waiting to be wooed and acknowledged here."

"Tacky," Sakura confessed teasingly, biting on her grinning lip.

"TOLD YOU!" Ino shouted aggressively, pointing a dainty finger at Kakashi.

Kakashi leaned back, fisting his shirt in his hand where his heart is. "Ah, so that's how you really feel? And here I thought all this time, I was admired and loved and—"

"Please," Ino snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, lover boy."

"Alright, fine. I'll accept that I'm a tacky bastard. Sue me. Anyways, I must get going. Kiba, please look after Sakura and be careful driving there. Call me when you get there. The same goes for you Ino and Hinata. Keep me updated at all points. Once we're all at the house, we can disperse."

Hinata had stepped up to the small group now, leaning over the couch, "Well, I'm going to help Sakura shower tonight."

Ino shot a look back at Hinata, "Excuse you? That's the best friends job, sorry."

"Ladies, laaaddiieesss," Kakashi sang. "Stop being so eager to help Sakura shower. It's kind of creepy, and your arguing like two bad actresses at the beginning of a bad porno."

Ino and Hinata glared at him. Kakashi laughed, rubbing the back of his head and taking a nervous step back from them. "What I meant to say is that your kindness is residual across the land. I'm sure the three of you can figure out whose going to do what. Either way, I really appreciate your help. Now, if you'll excuse me," Kakashi leaned in on his left foot, kissing Sakura's temple and regarding her expression of surprise when he pulled away. Exiting the building, despite the same tight feeling he's had in his chest since all of this began, he grinned to himself. She probably wasn't expecting him to do that in front of the team, but to Kakashi it was more than just a peck.
It was a clear statement to every single person in that room, and an obvious point to Sakura.

She was a part of him, and he was a part of her.
One was not without the other, their stars of their separate skies fully integrated into their own glimmering constellation.