A/N #1: Hey everybody! We have officially moved into the new content for the story! WOOT! I can't tell you how happy I am to have reached this point! No more re-written or edited content, from here on it will all be brand spanking new!
A/N #2: I had to take my laptop in for repair, so I had to write this (and possibly the next few chapters -depending on how quickly I write-) on my phone. So, please forgive any awkward formatting! I'll make sure to fix it once I get my laptop back!
A/N #3: I've never used the FF app before to post... so let's all hope it doesn't go too badly.
Chapter 5. Lunch Dates, Grocery Shopping, and Gossip
It was well after noon by the time Sakura had convinced Sasori that she was emotionally stable enough to face the world outside of her apartment. And while he had only asked her once if she was sure she didn't want him to go with her, she could tell that despite the confidence with which she told him "yes," the puppet master had been uncertain. Not in the worrywart sort of way a mother hen might have been, but in his own, peculiar and overly attentive way.
From the way he had watched her carefully after they had cleaned up their late breakfast, to how he'd chosen to follow her back to her bedroom when she announced that was she going to get changed before going out to run her errands.
"What if you run into him again?" He had asked her as he followed her into her bedroom and took a seat on the edge of her bed, his taupe gaze calculating as he watched her move about the room collecting clothes.
"I seriously doubt that Sasuke will actively seek me out after what happened this morning," she had told him as she closed the last of her drawers and hugged her bundle of clothes to her chest.
"How can you be so sure of that? You didn't expect him to drop into your kitchen this morning either." Though it was the truth, the comment stung a little because it reminded her of how very little she knew about the man Sasuke now was.
Nevertheless, Sasuke had never liked engaging anyone but Naruto in public, that much was still obvious, and since she had no intention of sneaking down any back alleys or wandering by the old Uchiha district, she had confidence that she wouldn't be seeing her old teammate any time soon.
Sasori, however, didn't seem convinced. Although, instead of trying to persuade her to stay home, he asked her one last question.
"Do you regret choosing me over him?"
Admittedly, the question had taken her by surprise, having not expected Sasori to be the type to need reassurance or affirmations like she did. However, when she saw the somewhat guarded expression in his eyes when he asked the question, Sakura realized that someone must have told him the truth about her history with Sasuke. The thought made her heart clench and warm at the same time.
Primarily because she knew he wasn't asking to make her feel bad or to be manipulative. He was asking because he truly wanted to know. He wanted to make sure she was making the decision because it was what she wanted as well, not because she needed someone to fill the space in her heart or as an obligation. Sasori wanted her to be as sure of this decision as he was.
Which is why, after she had set her clothes aside and took his face in her hands and swore to him that she had never for a moment regretted choosing him, Sakura decided that her first matter of business would be to visit Ino.
And so, here she was, walking casually through the marketplace towards the old flower shop run by Ino and her parents.
It wasn't that she minded that Ino had told Sasori about her complicated relationship with Sasuke. Quite the opposite, actually. Rather, it was because Ino knew the specifics about her relationship with both men that Sakura naturally gravitated towards finding her best female friend to discuss the events that had unfolded in her apartment that morning.
Although, when she found the blonde already waiting outside for her under the guise of watering the outdoor plant displays, Sakura had a feeling the intelligence officer already knew some of what happened. And if the way Ino immediately set down the watering can in her hands to throw her arms around the pink-haired medic was any indication, she already had an idea of how badly things went.
"Sai told me he saw Sasuke heading to your apartment when he returned from his mission with Naruto and Kakashi this morning," she said by way of explanation as she pulled the shorter woman into a tight hug. "He said Sasuke had blood on his hands and a black eye when he left. What the hell happened, Sakura?"
Letting out a soft sigh, Sakura wrapped her arms around the blonde to return the hug before mumbling into her shoulder. "He arrived right after I had woken up and Sasori was out getting us breakfast."
Pulling back a little, Ino shot her a disbelieving look. "And you didn't notice it was him?"
Sakura sighed. "He was masking his chakra. I thought it was Sasori trying to surprise me or something, so I didn't think anything of it until I walked into my kitchen and found him."
Retracting her arms, Ino raised an eyebrow as she led them inside the flower shop. "What was he doing in your kitchen?"
Sakura scoffed, "Making himself a cup of tea."
This time, as she took off her apron and hung it on one if the hooks behind the counter, Ino looked almost offended. "You're kidding."
The frustrated sigh Sakura gave in return was all the answer Ino needed before she called to her mother in the backroom to tell her that she was taking her break. Then, she grabbed Sakura by the wrist and marched them in the direction of the nearest café. It wasn't until they were seated at a nice table outdoors and had placed their orders that Ino demanded the details. And by the time their late lunch had arrived and Sakura had finished her story, the blonde was positively seething.
"Now let me get this straight," Ino said as she aggressively stabbed at the strawberries and spinach leaves in her salad. "Sasuke, the a*hat that left you behind two years ago and whom never wrote a single letter or made contact with you at all, had the nerve to be angry with you for wanting to be happy?"
Chewing thoughtfully on her sandwich, Sakura realized she wasn't actually sure why Sasuke had been so irritated.
Ino snorted softly around another bite of her food. "Well, it's either that or he's jealous that you chose an S-class criminal, whom was only supposed to be a lab rat, over him."
Wrinkling her nose at the pettiness of either explanation, Sakura sighed, "I guess it has always boiled down to pride with him."
Noticing the far away, pained look in the medic's eyes, Ino reached out and squeezed her hand. "Whether this is about Sasuke's stupid male pride or not, Sakura, I think you should just ignore it."
At her friend's raised eyebrow and curious green eyes, Ino continued with a small smile. "Sasuke is in the past, Sakura. What you have now with Sasori, though it is still a little bizarre, is more than what you ever had with Sasuke." Giving Sakura's hand another squeeze, she added, "Besides, if Sasori makes you as happy as he seems to, who the hell cares. You deserve to be happy, Sakura, just as much as the rest of us. Don't forget that."
Finding herself unable to do anything other than smile brightly at Ino, Sakura thanked her best friend and offered to pay for lunch... as well as a large box of the tiny tea cakes the Ino loved that were being sold at the teahouse next door.
It was when they entered the teahouse that they saw a familiar face waiting patiently by the counter for her order.
"Hey, Hinata!" Ino called with a wave as she and Sakura crossed the room to the takeout counter.
Looking up in surprise, the former Hyuuga heiress smiled at the sight of the two kunoichi.
"Ino-chan, Sakura-chan," she greeted politely, still seemingly unable to drop the honorifics even after all these years.
Not that either of the other women minded. They were all used to Hinata and Neji's ingrained habits of propriety, knowing just how much emphasis had been placed on manners during the two's upbringing, as well as that of every member of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan. At this point they had all resigned to accept the politeness in the same way they'd accepted Lee's monologues about youth, never seeing Shino's face, and Naruto's propensity for mischief.
"Fancy seeing you here," Ino greeted as she and Sakura came to stop beside the pearl-eyed jonin.
Hinata nodded good-naturedly. "Yes, it is quite a coincidence." Then, she turned to Sakura and frowned in concern. "Naruto-kun told me that Uchiha-san was back... I imagine he's already visited you?"
Judging by the way Ino scowled at the mentioning of the Uchiha avenger, Hinata realized she was correct and looked to Sakura worriedly.
"Did Uchiha-san do anything to you or Sasori-san?"
Despite it being a habit for years now, ever since the first time Sasuke had left Sakura behind after returning to Konoha, it still felt like an extremely cold gesture for Hinata to refer to Sasuke by his last name. Although, considering how much pain Hinata had witnessed both Sakura and Naruto endure as a result of Sasuke's choices, it wasn't entirely surprising to know that the typically sweet and mild-mannered Hyuuga felt so harshly towards the last Uchiha. And frankly, Sakura almost felt that Hinata's silent hostility towards Sasuke and fierce protectiveness of her friends was refreshing because no one else had the guts to so overtly disapprove of the Uchiha.
That being said, Sakura had no desire to sully Hinata's mood with another recounting of her own chaotic morning. Instead, Sakura simply confirmed that her encounter with Sasuke had been unpleasant, but thankfully they all left it in one piece.
When Hinata continued to frown at Sakura's news, the pinkette decided it was best to change the topic.
"By the way, Hinata, I visited Tsunade-shishou last night and she signed off on the campaign plans, which means I will need to meet with you and the other squad leaders on Monday to go over the details and assign your teams. Is there a time that works best for you?"
Hinata paused, her eyes finding the ceiling of the establishment for a few seconds before she looked back at Sakura and answered. "I have a meeting with Hanabi in the morning, but I should be free from lunchtime on. I had plans to train with Kiba and Akamaru, but I can reschedule if needed."
Sakura sent her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Hinata. I'll get in contact with Renji-san, Matsumoto-san and Tsukasa-san and let you know, okay?"
Hinata nodded slightly before turning to accept her order when the shopkeeper approached.
"I look forward to hearing from you then, Sakura-chan," she replied before bidding the two goodbye and heading out. "It was nice seeing you as well, Ino-chan."
"Bye, Hinata!" Ino replied with a smile and wave before turning back to Sakura. "I already placed our orders, so it shouldn't take too long."
"Thanks, Ino." Sakura said as she turned back to the blonde.
They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the peaceful atmosphere of the teahouse surrounding them with soft chatter and rich aromas of teas and sweets. It wasn't until they each had their orders in their hands and were back on the street that either of them felt the need to talk again.
"So, Hinata is one of the squad leaders for the campaign this year?" Ino asked as they began their stroll back towards Yamanaka Flowers. "This is her first year taking part, isn't it?"
"Yes, being heiress had inhibited her from taking missions that kept her out of the village for long periods of time, but as soon as she saw the notice about this year's campaign, she came to me and signed up." Sakura smiled as she recalled the excitement on her friend's face when she had been approved as one of the squad leaders. "I'm confident that she'll do a great job."
Tipping her head back to gaze up at the blue sky, Ino smiled. "I'm glad she's finally able to live her own life. I mean, I had enough trouble convincing my clan to let me date Sai... I can only imagine how hard it was for her."
Sakura nodded slightly. "I'm proud of her, though, for making that step. She's so much happier now because of it."
"She is," Ino agreed. "And so is Naruto, if that's even possible."
Sakura giggled softly as she thought of the sweet couple. "Yeah, I think he's always tried his best to hide how much her clan's traditions and rules bothered him. I think he was always trying to see the bright side of it all for her."
"Now, they don't have to worry about it so much," Ino replied before lowering her head and leaning closer to Sakura to whisper. "By the way, I heard a rumour that he asked her to move in with him."
Eyes wide, Sakura fought not to gasp in surprise. "No way! But his apartment is so small!"
Straightening back up, Ino shrugged. "Who knows, maybe'll they look for a bigger place together."
"That would make sense. I mean, as much as I know Hinata loves Naruto, his apartment is the size of shoebox," Sakura replied, making a mental note to herself to bring up the topic the next time she saw Naruto.
Changing topics like she changed clothes, Ino sighed as her parents' flower shop came into view. "You know, part of me is a little sad that I won't be going with you guys this year."
It was understandable. Like Sakura, barring the years she spent researching and teaching in Suna, Ino had taken part in the medical campaign missions every year since the war ended. Her absence was sure to be felt this year.
"But hey, you're one of the new intelligence commanders now, you've wanted this position for as long as I can remember," Sakura replied, giving Ino an encouraging nudge with her elbow. "I'm sure you'll be plenty busy while we're gone."
Ino pouted faintly but made no attempt to deny how much she loved her new job. Instead, she threw her free arm around Sakura's shoulders and leaned in with a teasing grin. "And I imagine it's a plus to not have me around while you're off galavanting with your new beau, eh?"
Rolling her eyes at Ino's dramatics, Sakura decided that since it was the last time she's see the blonde in a month, she'd humor her. "Oh, of course, Ino. You know just how much Sasori and I have been dying to get away from you so that we can get freaky in the woods."
"And to think our sweet little Sakura would have the nerve to do something so risque on a mission."
Letting out a surprised squeak, both girls whirled around to come face-to-face with their newest companion.
"Kakashi-senpai!" They gasped in unison, one turning the shade of a tomato while the other grinned like a cheshire cat.
Ino, naturally, was the first to recover, greeting the jonin cheerfully as she dodged the headlock Sakura tried to pull her into. "What a wonderful surprise!"
"Good afternoon, Ino," Kakashi replied, watching with barely concealed amusement as his former student made another attempt to muzzle her best friend. "Sakura-chan."
Deciding her efforts were futile, because Ino was still a highly-trained jonin and could easily dodge her half-hearted swings for hours, Sakura righted herself and turned to face her genin sensei with a smile. "Hello, Kakashi-senpai, what brings you here?"
Lazily, Kakashi cast a glance at the wooden sign board hanging above the entrance of Yamanaka Flowers before providing them with an answer.
"Mr. Ukki has outgrown his pot. So, I thought I'd drop by to see what size Ino recommended I buy."
Although it was a lie, because they all knew Mr. Ukki had died a few years ago when Kakashi had moved to his new apartment and misplaced the plant in a box for weeks, the excuse was acceptable. It was also the perfect conversational segway, saving Sakura from any further embarrassment as Ino led them inside and over to an aisle of clay pots.
"Assuming Mr. Ukki has doubled in size," Ino began, looking back to catch Kakashi's affirming nod before reaching for one of the pots on the middle shelf, "this would probably be the best size to go with, Kakashi-senpai."
Nodding, the copy-nin offered the blonde a grateful eye crinkle before tucking the pot under his arm and following the girls to the counter where Ino set her shopping bag aside and pulled on her apron.
"Will you need any more potting soil or stones, Kakashi-senpai?" Ino asked, apparently content to continue the farce as she played the ever-attentive shopkeeper. When the silver-haired jonin shook his head, Ino smiled and rang up his order. "Alright, that'll be 400 ryo."
Setting the pot down, Kakashi reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. Then, after counting out the needed amount, he dropped the coins into the blonde's outstretched hand and smiled. "Thanks, Ino."
"My pleasure, Kakashi-senpai. Feel free to drop by the next time you need a new cactus," Ino replied with knowing grin. Then, after motioning to Sakura to wait, she disappeared into the backroom, reappearing moments later with a small bouquet of white daffodils wrapped in plastic.
"Good luck with the campaign, Forehead," she said as she handing the flowers out to Sakura with a smile. Then, she winked. "And try not to get too frisky in the woods."
Chuckling softly, Sakura accepted the flowers before pulling Ino into one last one-armed hug. "Thanks, Pig," she replied with a matching smile as she squeezed the blonde tight before pulling away. "I'll be sure to give you a play-by-play as soon as I get back."
Ino grinned widely and pointed an accusatory finger at Sakura as she returned to her place behind the counter. "I'm holding you to that, you know."
Laughing, Sakura gave Ino another wave and shouted, "I'm sure you will," before turning and following Kakashi out of the flower shop.
Once they were outside, Sakura turned her attention to the tall shinobi walking leisurely beside her and sighed. "So, are you also here to ask me about Sasuke?"
The look he gave her was one of playful disappointment, his tone a light huff. "Actually, I was here to help you with your grocery shopping, but if you're just going to accuse me of playing babysitter, than I guess I'll just leave."
Laughing lightly, Sakura watched as Kakashi made a brief show of starting to stomp off before she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and leaned her head against the curve his shoulder.
"Sorry," she said softly, "but it's only been a few hours and it seems like everyone already knows."
"Everyone who cares about you, yes," Kakashi replied lightly, his gaze set forward in the direction of the produce market. "That aside, it's a shinobi village and Sasuke is a significant public figure. Perhaps not in the same positive way that you, Naruto and I are, but people, especially shinobi, still notice when he returns."
Sighing to herself, because she knew it was pointless to argue that people should mind their own business, Sakura decided to brief him on the series of events that left her apartment with two holes in the drywall. "I found him in the kitchen making a cup of tea."
"Better than raiding your fridge."
Sakura sent him a small glare, to which Kakashi smiled and said, "Humor me, Sakura."
Rolling her eyes, she obliged him before continuing her story. "The first thing he did was criticize me for not knowing it was him."
"A valid question." Sakura sent him another sour look.
"He was suppressing his chakra."
"Ah, now, in that case..." Kakashi gave a soft hum as they entered the market and stopped by a stand selling oranges. "It sounds like he was trying to avoid you."
Sakura snorted softly as she picked up an orange and examined it. "That's what I said."
After placing a few of the citrus orbs in the basket she was carrying on her free arm, Kakashi paid the farmer before guiding Sakura to the next stand. "And then...?"
"Then, he accused me of being unfaithful."
It was subtle, almost undetectable, but Sakura felt the muscles in Kakashi's arm tense, although he maintained his calm expression for the sake of appearances. Instead, he picked up a head of lettuce with an extreme amount of care and replied. "He always was a charmer."
Appreciating the bucket's worth of sarcasm her old sensei had poured over his words, Sakura picked up a bright red tomato and inspected it for soft spots. "Oh, of course. After all, what girl doesn't want to hear her ex tell her that she could never find love with someone other than him."
At that, Kakashi set down the leafy vegetable and frowned. Then, after helping her pay the vender, turned his gaze sternly to her. "I certainly hope you don't believe him."
Touched by the man's obvious support, but certainly not surprised by it, Sakura gently patted Kakashi's arm and smiled. Then, she shook her head. "I don't, but it's always nice to know that I have people in life my telling me that I deserve to be happy."
If Kakashi was offended by her using the implication of his words against him, he said nothing. Instead, the masked man simply flashed another one of his happy eye crinkles at her and proceeded to lead them through the marketplace, making sure to crack small jokes and quips as they went.
Overall, it was enjoyable experience, walking side-by-side with the copy-nin as they shopped for their respective groceries. It wasn't until they had each run through their lists and were about to start the trek towards their homes that Sakura realized she still had an errand left to run.
Feet coming to a stop at the edge of the market district, Sakura looked up at the jonin with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-senpai. I just remembered that I need to drop a few papers off at the missions office." Shifting her hold on her basket of groceries, she started to release his arm as she continued, "Thank you for accompanying me this far, though."
However, instead of smiling and continuing on his way as she had expected he would, Sakura was surprised when Kakashi caught her hand and carefully returned it to the crook of his arm. Then, when he gestured for her to lead the way, she understood that their real conversation had yet to occur.
And so, she started walking, knowing that if Kakashi wanted to talk, it was typically about something important.
"There have been reports of villages along the borders being targeted by bandits."
Ah. That was important.
Keeping her expression neutral, Sakura nodded.
"In particular, the villages along the borders of River and Whirlpool."
"That would be Hinata and Renji-san's groups." Eyes narrowed thoughtfully, Sakura turned to look at the jonin with a small frown. "Do you think I should request for additional chuunin?"
Pace steady, Kakashi looked ahead of them silently, pondering the question for a moment before responding. "No. It's common knowledge that we send shinobi out this time of year for the medical campaign. Sending additional forces might send them into hiding." As they rounded the counter, he added, "For now, just keep an eye out for any signs of foul play and carry out your mission. If you find anything that you feel needs to be reported, just send word to us and we'll take care of it."
Nodding in understanding, Sakura found herself wondering why Tsunade hadn't mentioned anything about it her.
"We only just got the reports this morning when we returned from our mission. She probably wanted to wait to tell you on Monday," Kakashi replied easily. "After all, I believe you were ordered to relax this weekend, no?"
Chuckling softly, Sakura nodded. "Yes, she kicked me out of her office yesterday when I tried to help her organize some files."
"After finishing a full hospital shift?" Kakashi asked with a dramatic gasp. "The nerve of that woman!"
Rolling her eyes at the jab at her workaholic tendencies, Sakura gave Kakashi's arm a small squeeze and returned them to the topic at hand. "Anyways, who is this "we" you keep mentioning? Last I checked, you weren't in charge of domestic intelligence affairs."
Kakashi hummed at her observation. "I'm not, but given my... tenure... I was recently assigned to work with one of the new intelligence officers who is."
Eyes widing, Sakura pulled them to an abrupt halt and stared up at him in surprise.
"You're working with Ino?" She asked excitedly, the gears in her mind already turning as she considered all of their interactions that day. "So, you really weren't there to talk to me about Sasuke."
This time, it was Kakashi who shook his head. "No, I was there to check-in on you, but I also had something to drop off with Ino."
Green eyes flickered to the clay pot tucked under his arm, now filled with his groceries, and then back up at the shinobi. "So... You aren't really going to replace Mr. Ukki, are you?"
Looking down at the pot, Kakashi shrugged. "Maybe I'll start an herb garden."
Sakura snorted a soft, "yeah, right," before resuming their walk, the orange awnings of the entrance of Hokage Tower coming into view.
"I'm serious," Kakashi insisted, looking down at Sakura as if her disbelief wounded him. "Maybe I'll even learn to cook."
"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it," Sakura said with a laugh, the sound loud and cheerful as it mixed with the sound of bustling village streets.
Beside her, Kakashi huffed, the outline of his masked lips forming a small pout as he grumbled to himself about how cruel and heartless she had become. Sakura, however, simply smiled and patted his arm placatingly.
"Oh, don't be like that, Kakashi-senpai," she cooed lightly, offering him a sweet smile as they came to a stop in front of the Hokage Tower. "My door is always open in the case that you give yourself food-poisoning."
"Wow," Kakashi replied, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm as they turned down the hall that led to the missions office. "I feel so loved."
"Anything for you, senpai," Sakura said, giggling to herself as she removed her hand from his elbow and reached into her hip pouch. "Although, I'm sure the medics at the hospital would be just as happy to help you out if you let them."
"Ah, but then I wouldn't get to see your smiling face when I woke up," he replied cheerily, offering his arm to her once more after watching her drop the sealed papers in the priority dropbox reserved for high-ranking members of the village.
"You just hate hospitals," Sakura retorted, happily taking his arm again for their walk back towards the entrance. "What are you going to do without me for a month?"
"Be extremely careful?" Sakura pinched the inside of his arm. "Ow!"
"Promise me that you'll go if you need to?" Sakura asked seriously as they came to a stop outside Hokage Tower. "And that you'll drag Naruto there if he needs it?"
Extracting his arm from her grasp, Kakashi looked down and gently placed his hand on Sakura's head. Then, giving her hair an affectionate ruffle, he nodded. "On one condition."
Raising an eyebrow, Sakura waited for him to continue.
"Promise me you'll let us know if things go south."
It went unsaid that he was talking about more than just the medical campaign. Nevertheless, Sakura was grateful for his concern - for all of her friends' concern.
Smiling, she nodded. "I promise."
Lowering his hand, Kakashi granted Sakura one more hidden smile before wishing her luck and bidding her farewell.
For a moment, Sakura watched him go, admiring the strength of his broad shoulders, a back she once believed she'd never catch up to. Now, however, she felt differently - proud to know that she was capable of lifting some of the burden off of not only those shoulders but those of her friends and loved ones. And as she turned away, prepared to set off in the direction of her own apartment, groceries and flowers in hand, she felt lighter.
Maybe Sasuke coming home wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe, despite the reports of bandits, the medical campaign would go off without a hitch. And maybe... just maybe... the happiness she felt now would last just a little bit longer than it had in the past.
I just wanted to say thank you, again, to everyone who has held out until this point, as well as to all the new readers! I hope we can all continue to enjoy the growth of this story together!
As always, let me know what you think!
~Smash41KMF
- 01.14.2021