Sigh My parents are fighting out in the living room. So here I am, writing my next chapter with My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard, Three Days Grace, Lost Profits, and Coheed and Cambria blasting from my laptop. I hate it when they fight. I mean, they could at least have the common sense to fight in their room. Goddamn it. Yeah, like you care about my life =P
Oh yeah, I forgot. I don't own Naruto or the characters.
"Eight O'clock," Sakura said to herself as she entered into the training area. "With Temari..."
"Temari-san," She corrected. She jumped down from the large wooden post she had been perched on.
"I'm sorry," Sakura said as pleasantly as she could, though she wish she could have spat it. Earlier she decided that she was going to make things as... comfortable as possible. She was, after all, spending the next two months with the ex-sand nins. "What's on the list for today?"
Temari yawned and stared down at her newly coated nails. "Look, Pinky, I don't really feel like being here this early. I'll tell you what, I'm going to give you just a work out assignment and leave you at that," she said. She Put a finger on her chin as she thought out loud, "How about one thousand pushups and sit ups for upper body strength and then lets say... five hundred laps around training ground trails."
Sakura glared at her, "But that's a one mile obstacle course!"
"Oh, it is? Alright, I'll tell you what. When you're finished with the push ups and sit ups, run through it til nightfall then you can go home," she said casually. "After that, you can go home."
"Do you have any idea how hard that trail is?" Sakura practically shrieked.
"Nope! Have fun now!" Temari said as she disappeared off to who knows where.
Sakura continued to glared at the spot her 'trainer' formally occupied. She threw up her hands, sighing in frustration. She walked over to a spot and begun her least favorite thing: push ups.
Rock Lee was on his ninety-eighth lap around the training grounds. He smiled to himself; he was only getting started.
"Nine hundred ninety-two, nine hundred ninety-," there was a grunt of discomfort, then the pink haired shinobi fell to the ground. "God, I hate this."
"Sakura-chan!" Lee said happily as he bounded over to her. "Training this early too?"
"Unfortunately," Sakura muttered as she sat back up. "How long have you been at it?"
"About three hours," he said casually as he started to stretch his back out. "Gai-sensei said I should do it."
"Oh... After this, I'm going to the obstacle course," Sakura said. "You wanna come?"
"Sorry, Sakura-chan, but I promised to spar Naruto," he said. "I saw Sasuke a little while ago, you can ask him," Lee offered.
"Sasuke..?" she thought for a moment, "No, thanks, I suppose I could do it by myself."
"Well, talk to you later Sakura." Lee waved as he left, flashing her a smile.
Sakura fell back down again, finishing off the rest of her sit ups.
"I don't want Sasuke to know..." Sakura said to herself, "I don't want his help."
Th next day, Sakura almost considered not showing up for practice. It would be her first time being alone with Gaara, and it freaked her out. She fidgeted with her hair as she waited for him to arrive.
"Okay, just have to stay calm, he's not going to bite me," Sakura told herself.
"How can you be so sure?"
Sakura's eyes grew wide with fear as she slowly turned around, "Oh... Gaara-san... hi..."
"Hello," he answered. His black eyes stared intensely at her. Inner Sakura could only guess that he was undressing her with his mind.
"Erm, well, training..."
"Yes, training. I want you to hit me," he stated.
"Hit you?"
"Yes. Once you can actually lay a blow on me, then we can start sparring." Sakura shrugged then got in a fighting stance. Gaara didn't move an inch, just crossed his arms and looked at her. "You may start."
Sakura nodded, then disappeared. Gaara sighed, it was going to be a long, boring day. The sand started flowing from its gourd, and automatically blocked the kick she intended to connect with the back of his head. It also blocked the round house to his legs, and the punch to his kidney.
Sakura growled in frustration. Rock Lee had trouble putting a scratch on Gaara, and he had inhuman speed. How was she going to do it?
Kakashi watched as Sakura walked away from the training grounds exhausted, discouraged, and covered in sand. She was looking down at her feet as she walked bast him on the street. He smiled briefly.
"Sakura," he spoke.
She jumped in surprise, then turned back to him. "Ah, Kakashi, hi."
"How's training?" He asked.
"I wouldn't call it training," she said. "Temari just left as soon as she got there, and Gaara just stands there while I try to hit him."
"Are you going home for the night?" He asked. Kakashi leaned against the wall behind him and crossed his arms.
"I think so," she said as she started to comb her hair with her hands, getting as much sand out as possible. "I'm exhausted. Why?"
"I found some reading on your... condition. It has some mental exercises that are suppose to help you stay in control in case of emergencies." He watched her for a moment. She looked completely worn out. "Do you have training tomorrow?"
"No, I don't. We could do it tomorrow, if you don't mind?" She asked. Mental things she could do easily. "I would like to learn as much as I could."
"Okay. I'll meet you tomorrow at the-"
Sakura held her hand up, stopping him. "No. You will come pick me up at my house. I'm not going to wait at some random location for two hours for you to show up."
Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Alright. I'll be there at noon. See you!" And with that, he disappeared.
"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I found this kitten who's mother-"
"LIAR!" Sakura shouter, pointing a finger at him.
Kakashi's eyes crinkled with laughter. He shrugged and started walking away from Sakura's house. "Come on, I have to make a stop."
"Just a second!" Sakura called as she put her shoes on as fast as she could. "Kakashi!" She ran over to him, pulling on his arm as she put her left shoe on. "Where are we going?"
"The market," he answered. "I need some stuff for my house."
"We're going to your house?" Sakura asked him.
"Yeah, it's quiet enough there so we can do some meditation," he said. He stopped in front of a building. "I'm going in here. I'll be right back."
Sakura watched him go into the grocery story, then looked around for something to do while her sensei shopped. Then she noticed a book store. She smiled as she dug around her purse. "Ah, might as well." She ran off into the bookstore. When the clerk rung her up, he gave her a very suspicious look.
She walked back out to where Kakashi left her. He was leaning against the store, holding a small paper bag in his left hand. He noticed a bag that Sakura was carrying. She put it into his purse, and he didn't ask questions.
"It's this way," he said, pulling the keys out of his pants pocket with his free hand. Within five minutes they had reached his apartment door. He opened it easily, then pushed the door open and flipped on the lights. "Make yourself comfortable, I have to feed Omi."
"Omi?" Sakura asked. "Who's that?"
"The kitten I found on the way to your house," he stated simply. He took out a bowl from his cabinets over the sink and set it down on the floor. He reached for the brown bag and pulled out a carton of milk he bought from the grocery store.
Within seconds, a little grey kitten emerged from its hiding place under his couch. It mewed wildly as it ran over to the bow. It stared at Kakashi with its big green eyes as its little pink tongue lapped up the creamy milk as fast as it could.
"So, you weren't lying," Sakura said.
Kakashi nodded in return, watching the kitten. "Ah, well, we should get started. There's a book on the table about the shadow demons. Why don't you look through that for a bit."
"Okay," she said softly as she turned to his living room. Suddenly she stopped, remembering her gift. "Oh, I bought you something." She pulled out the bag and handed it to the silver haired jounin.
Curious, he opened up the bag and pulled out a red covered book. His face lit up immediately and he started flipping through the pages of Come Come Paradise. "Thanks!" He looked down to little Omi, who was practically shoving his face in the milk. "It must be karma or something."
Sakura smiled, then walked over to the book about the Shadow Devils. She flipped through it, reading at an alarming rate. Kakashi poured himself a cup of milk and leaned against the kitchen counter. He watched her as shock played out on her facial features. She looked up from the book, but not at Kakashi.
"So, there's really something else inside of me," Sakura stated slowly. "It's not like it will change me and I'll become this... thing, but... It was born inside me the second I was bit."
Kakashi flinched inwardly. He didn't want to think of that day. He could feel the guild rising in his mind. He closed his eyes and turned his face away. "It's growing every day to catch up with you. That's why you need to training so much."
"Kakashi, it says that it's going to attack my mind," Sakura stated. "Why do I have to physically train so much? It's not like I can attack it or anything."
Kakashi looked up lazily as he spoke, "You need to be in top condition. If your body is weak, then it can take control of your body. If you have horrible upper body strength, then it could take control over your arms."
Sakura cringed. "Has anyone ever survived something like this?"
Kakashi picked his words carefully, "I've never heard of anyone even waking up after they've been bitten." The blood drained from Sakura's face. Kakashi walked over to the table and took a seat across from her. "The fact that you woke up a few days ago means that you've already got a chance."
"That's all I've got?" Sakura whispered, "A chance?"
Kakashi looked serious. "Unless if you get stronger, yes."
"Do you think I can do it?"
He grinned. "Yeah. Otherwise, I wouldn't help you."
Sakura's grim expression immediately turned into one of anger. "So you would have just left me to rot if I wasn't up to snuff?"
"Yeah, that's about right," he said thoughtfully. "Well, good thing you are up to snuff."
Sakura glared icily at him. "You're so sweet," she said sarcastically.
"I know! Alright. Time for some meditation."
Sakura opened her right eye slightly, peaking at Kakashi. He was sitting on the floor across from her, but was leaning against his wall. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not.
"Sakura, in order to do this exercise correctly, you have to keep both eyes closed," Kakashi said from beneath his mask, not even opening one of his eyes.
"Sorry!" Sakura muttered as she clenched both of her eyes together. She was about to reflect on what Kakashi had instructed her earlier, but he spoke up again.
"Remember that you're supposed to focus on your whole being, your entity. This way, you'll be able to recognize what's really you and what's the demon."
"You read my-"
"I know," he said simply.
Sakura sighed then straitened her back as she tried to sit more comfortably. Unlike Kakashi, she had nothing to lean against. She took a deep breath, then readied herself for her exercise. First, she used her mind to identify different parts of her body and chakra flow. After that, she explored everything in her head: her brain, her thoughts, and the two gates. And that's when she felt it.
Kakashi's eye opened as Sakura started to take ragged breaths. "Sakura?" She didn't even here him. "Sakura," he said, more firmly. He leaned over to her and placed on of his hands on her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Hey, wake up."
Sakura's eyes snapped open. Her mouth was agape, but nothing came out. She started to take fast deep breaths as her body started shaking. She looked around wildly, but then she stared strait at Kakashi. "I found it," she breathed out. "I found it..."
Kakashi's brows furrowed, his hand still placed on her shoulder. "Sakura, this exercise wasn't for you to locate-"
"I know Kakashi," she said, "I wasn't trying to. It was just... I my mind... it was there..."
Kakashi stood up and walked over to his cabinets and pulled out a bottle. He threw the medicine at her over his shoulder, then pulled out a cup and filled it with water. When he walked back into the living room, he stopped suddenly. "Sakura?"
The bottle of medicine was lying on the floor, its contents spread in front of Sakura. She was staring, completely frightened, at Omi. Kakashi walked over and scooped up his little grey kitten and put it in his room, shutting the door.
The shadow demon was a cat, Kakashi realized. "Sakura, I think we've had enough for one day," he said. He picked up two pills from the floor and gave it to her along with the water. Sakura took it obediently then handed him the cup back.
Sakura stood up, nodding. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, I don't know what got into me."
"It's alright," Kakashi said, placing a hand on her head affectionately. "Go home and get some sleep. We'll do this tomorrow again."
"I'm training tomorrow with Temari," Sakura stated.
"Not anymore," Kakashi said. "I'll tell her later. Anyway, good night."
"Night," Sakura said as she stepped out of his apartment and made her way home.
Kakashi turned back to the mess on his living room floor and began to clean it up. As he brushed all the pills together, he noticed that there was something wet on the carpet. He touched it lightly, then brought his fingers closer for inspection.
"Blood?"
Oh yeah, I forgot. I don't own Naruto or the characters.
"Eight O'clock," Sakura said to herself as she entered into the training area. "With Temari..."
"Temari-san," She corrected. She jumped down from the large wooden post she had been perched on.
"I'm sorry," Sakura said as pleasantly as she could, though she wish she could have spat it. Earlier she decided that she was going to make things as... comfortable as possible. She was, after all, spending the next two months with the ex-sand nins. "What's on the list for today?"
Temari yawned and stared down at her newly coated nails. "Look, Pinky, I don't really feel like being here this early. I'll tell you what, I'm going to give you just a work out assignment and leave you at that," she said. She Put a finger on her chin as she thought out loud, "How about one thousand pushups and sit ups for upper body strength and then lets say... five hundred laps around training ground trails."
Sakura glared at her, "But that's a one mile obstacle course!"
"Oh, it is? Alright, I'll tell you what. When you're finished with the push ups and sit ups, run through it til nightfall then you can go home," she said casually. "After that, you can go home."
"Do you have any idea how hard that trail is?" Sakura practically shrieked.
"Nope! Have fun now!" Temari said as she disappeared off to who knows where.
Sakura continued to glared at the spot her 'trainer' formally occupied. She threw up her hands, sighing in frustration. She walked over to a spot and begun her least favorite thing: push ups.
Rock Lee was on his ninety-eighth lap around the training grounds. He smiled to himself; he was only getting started.
"Nine hundred ninety-two, nine hundred ninety-," there was a grunt of discomfort, then the pink haired shinobi fell to the ground. "God, I hate this."
"Sakura-chan!" Lee said happily as he bounded over to her. "Training this early too?"
"Unfortunately," Sakura muttered as she sat back up. "How long have you been at it?"
"About three hours," he said casually as he started to stretch his back out. "Gai-sensei said I should do it."
"Oh... After this, I'm going to the obstacle course," Sakura said. "You wanna come?"
"Sorry, Sakura-chan, but I promised to spar Naruto," he said. "I saw Sasuke a little while ago, you can ask him," Lee offered.
"Sasuke..?" she thought for a moment, "No, thanks, I suppose I could do it by myself."
"Well, talk to you later Sakura." Lee waved as he left, flashing her a smile.
Sakura fell back down again, finishing off the rest of her sit ups.
"I don't want Sasuke to know..." Sakura said to herself, "I don't want his help."
Th next day, Sakura almost considered not showing up for practice. It would be her first time being alone with Gaara, and it freaked her out. She fidgeted with her hair as she waited for him to arrive.
"Okay, just have to stay calm, he's not going to bite me," Sakura told herself.
"How can you be so sure?"
Sakura's eyes grew wide with fear as she slowly turned around, "Oh... Gaara-san... hi..."
"Hello," he answered. His black eyes stared intensely at her. Inner Sakura could only guess that he was undressing her with his mind.
"Erm, well, training..."
"Yes, training. I want you to hit me," he stated.
"Hit you?"
"Yes. Once you can actually lay a blow on me, then we can start sparring." Sakura shrugged then got in a fighting stance. Gaara didn't move an inch, just crossed his arms and looked at her. "You may start."
Sakura nodded, then disappeared. Gaara sighed, it was going to be a long, boring day. The sand started flowing from its gourd, and automatically blocked the kick she intended to connect with the back of his head. It also blocked the round house to his legs, and the punch to his kidney.
Sakura growled in frustration. Rock Lee had trouble putting a scratch on Gaara, and he had inhuman speed. How was she going to do it?
Kakashi watched as Sakura walked away from the training grounds exhausted, discouraged, and covered in sand. She was looking down at her feet as she walked bast him on the street. He smiled briefly.
"Sakura," he spoke.
She jumped in surprise, then turned back to him. "Ah, Kakashi, hi."
"How's training?" He asked.
"I wouldn't call it training," she said. "Temari just left as soon as she got there, and Gaara just stands there while I try to hit him."
"Are you going home for the night?" He asked. Kakashi leaned against the wall behind him and crossed his arms.
"I think so," she said as she started to comb her hair with her hands, getting as much sand out as possible. "I'm exhausted. Why?"
"I found some reading on your... condition. It has some mental exercises that are suppose to help you stay in control in case of emergencies." He watched her for a moment. She looked completely worn out. "Do you have training tomorrow?"
"No, I don't. We could do it tomorrow, if you don't mind?" She asked. Mental things she could do easily. "I would like to learn as much as I could."
"Okay. I'll meet you tomorrow at the-"
Sakura held her hand up, stopping him. "No. You will come pick me up at my house. I'm not going to wait at some random location for two hours for you to show up."
Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Alright. I'll be there at noon. See you!" And with that, he disappeared.
"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I found this kitten who's mother-"
"LIAR!" Sakura shouter, pointing a finger at him.
Kakashi's eyes crinkled with laughter. He shrugged and started walking away from Sakura's house. "Come on, I have to make a stop."
"Just a second!" Sakura called as she put her shoes on as fast as she could. "Kakashi!" She ran over to him, pulling on his arm as she put her left shoe on. "Where are we going?"
"The market," he answered. "I need some stuff for my house."
"We're going to your house?" Sakura asked him.
"Yeah, it's quiet enough there so we can do some meditation," he said. He stopped in front of a building. "I'm going in here. I'll be right back."
Sakura watched him go into the grocery story, then looked around for something to do while her sensei shopped. Then she noticed a book store. She smiled as she dug around her purse. "Ah, might as well." She ran off into the bookstore. When the clerk rung her up, he gave her a very suspicious look.
She walked back out to where Kakashi left her. He was leaning against the store, holding a small paper bag in his left hand. He noticed a bag that Sakura was carrying. She put it into his purse, and he didn't ask questions.
"It's this way," he said, pulling the keys out of his pants pocket with his free hand. Within five minutes they had reached his apartment door. He opened it easily, then pushed the door open and flipped on the lights. "Make yourself comfortable, I have to feed Omi."
"Omi?" Sakura asked. "Who's that?"
"The kitten I found on the way to your house," he stated simply. He took out a bowl from his cabinets over the sink and set it down on the floor. He reached for the brown bag and pulled out a carton of milk he bought from the grocery store.
Within seconds, a little grey kitten emerged from its hiding place under his couch. It mewed wildly as it ran over to the bow. It stared at Kakashi with its big green eyes as its little pink tongue lapped up the creamy milk as fast as it could.
"So, you weren't lying," Sakura said.
Kakashi nodded in return, watching the kitten. "Ah, well, we should get started. There's a book on the table about the shadow demons. Why don't you look through that for a bit."
"Okay," she said softly as she turned to his living room. Suddenly she stopped, remembering her gift. "Oh, I bought you something." She pulled out the bag and handed it to the silver haired jounin.
Curious, he opened up the bag and pulled out a red covered book. His face lit up immediately and he started flipping through the pages of Come Come Paradise. "Thanks!" He looked down to little Omi, who was practically shoving his face in the milk. "It must be karma or something."
Sakura smiled, then walked over to the book about the Shadow Devils. She flipped through it, reading at an alarming rate. Kakashi poured himself a cup of milk and leaned against the kitchen counter. He watched her as shock played out on her facial features. She looked up from the book, but not at Kakashi.
"So, there's really something else inside of me," Sakura stated slowly. "It's not like it will change me and I'll become this... thing, but... It was born inside me the second I was bit."
Kakashi flinched inwardly. He didn't want to think of that day. He could feel the guild rising in his mind. He closed his eyes and turned his face away. "It's growing every day to catch up with you. That's why you need to training so much."
"Kakashi, it says that it's going to attack my mind," Sakura stated. "Why do I have to physically train so much? It's not like I can attack it or anything."
Kakashi looked up lazily as he spoke, "You need to be in top condition. If your body is weak, then it can take control of your body. If you have horrible upper body strength, then it could take control over your arms."
Sakura cringed. "Has anyone ever survived something like this?"
Kakashi picked his words carefully, "I've never heard of anyone even waking up after they've been bitten." The blood drained from Sakura's face. Kakashi walked over to the table and took a seat across from her. "The fact that you woke up a few days ago means that you've already got a chance."
"That's all I've got?" Sakura whispered, "A chance?"
Kakashi looked serious. "Unless if you get stronger, yes."
"Do you think I can do it?"
He grinned. "Yeah. Otherwise, I wouldn't help you."
Sakura's grim expression immediately turned into one of anger. "So you would have just left me to rot if I wasn't up to snuff?"
"Yeah, that's about right," he said thoughtfully. "Well, good thing you are up to snuff."
Sakura glared icily at him. "You're so sweet," she said sarcastically.
"I know! Alright. Time for some meditation."
Sakura opened her right eye slightly, peaking at Kakashi. He was sitting on the floor across from her, but was leaning against his wall. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not.
"Sakura, in order to do this exercise correctly, you have to keep both eyes closed," Kakashi said from beneath his mask, not even opening one of his eyes.
"Sorry!" Sakura muttered as she clenched both of her eyes together. She was about to reflect on what Kakashi had instructed her earlier, but he spoke up again.
"Remember that you're supposed to focus on your whole being, your entity. This way, you'll be able to recognize what's really you and what's the demon."
"You read my-"
"I know," he said simply.
Sakura sighed then straitened her back as she tried to sit more comfortably. Unlike Kakashi, she had nothing to lean against. She took a deep breath, then readied herself for her exercise. First, she used her mind to identify different parts of her body and chakra flow. After that, she explored everything in her head: her brain, her thoughts, and the two gates. And that's when she felt it.
Kakashi's eye opened as Sakura started to take ragged breaths. "Sakura?" She didn't even here him. "Sakura," he said, more firmly. He leaned over to her and placed on of his hands on her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Hey, wake up."
Sakura's eyes snapped open. Her mouth was agape, but nothing came out. She started to take fast deep breaths as her body started shaking. She looked around wildly, but then she stared strait at Kakashi. "I found it," she breathed out. "I found it..."
Kakashi's brows furrowed, his hand still placed on her shoulder. "Sakura, this exercise wasn't for you to locate-"
"I know Kakashi," she said, "I wasn't trying to. It was just... I my mind... it was there..."
Kakashi stood up and walked over to his cabinets and pulled out a bottle. He threw the medicine at her over his shoulder, then pulled out a cup and filled it with water. When he walked back into the living room, he stopped suddenly. "Sakura?"
The bottle of medicine was lying on the floor, its contents spread in front of Sakura. She was staring, completely frightened, at Omi. Kakashi walked over and scooped up his little grey kitten and put it in his room, shutting the door.
The shadow demon was a cat, Kakashi realized. "Sakura, I think we've had enough for one day," he said. He picked up two pills from the floor and gave it to her along with the water. Sakura took it obediently then handed him the cup back.
Sakura stood up, nodding. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, I don't know what got into me."
"It's alright," Kakashi said, placing a hand on her head affectionately. "Go home and get some sleep. We'll do this tomorrow again."
"I'm training tomorrow with Temari," Sakura stated.
"Not anymore," Kakashi said. "I'll tell her later. Anyway, good night."
"Night," Sakura said as she stepped out of his apartment and made her way home.
Kakashi turned back to the mess on his living room floor and began to clean it up. As he brushed all the pills together, he noticed that there was something wet on the carpet. He touched it lightly, then brought his fingers closer for inspection.
"Blood?"
