- S -
"Ino I swear to Kami if you breathe this to a single soul, I will kill you. Better yet – I'll dress you in some of my clothes and make you walk through the village," Sakura threatened.
"Geez, no wonder you and Ibiki get along so well you psycho." Ino flicked hair out of her face before continuing. "You seem happy."
"You don't," Sakura pointed out with a downturn of her lips. After finally feeling comfortable with talking to Ino, a disapproving look was not the reaction she expected or hoped for.
Sighing and dropping her eye contact with the pinkette, Ino took her time forming her response. "I just…I want you to be happy. For a long time, not just right now."
"And you don't think he can give me that?" There was no hiding the hurt in her voice.
Lifting her blue eyes to meet Sakura's emerald eyes, Ino softened her tone and expression. "I don't know, I really don't. But I can't watch you go through another heart break. Call me selfish, but I don't want you to go through it and I don't know how I'd be able to seeyou go through it. Sakura it was so bad, and you know it."
A lump had built in Sakura's throat as she listened to her lifelong friend. Ino was right, her last heartbreak had been a years ago but it had still torn her apart for years to follow. She was still figuring out what Kakashi meant to her even. Hell, Sakura had known what Sasuke meant to her and she still didn't expect how much it destroyed her.
"I only have one Forehead, I need you around to make me look prettier," Ino joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"I'm sorry."
Heaving an even deeper sigh, Ino reached out to grasp Sakura's right shoulder. "Don't throw yourself a pity party. I'm not mad. I just want the best for you, y'know? And if you really think he's able to do this, whatever it is, then I'll believe it too."
Nodding, Sakura's good mood returned. Ino had always supported the pinkette, through the toughest times and the dumbest mistakes.
"So, how's the sex?" Red enveloped Sakura's face and she could only sputter in response. "Well? Don't leave me hanging, if I'm being honest I've wondered if he's any good in bed. I mean just look at him, I'm sure he's got women lined up. But I've never heard about it somehow."
"Ino! Keep your voice down!" Sakura screeched, drawing more attention to them than Ino's comments had.
"I'm not going to shut up, but we can talk about this at your place instead if you promise to let me throw out one ugly clothing item you own." Ino always had an angle.
"I'll let you throw out two, kami. Can we leave now?"
The women returned their cups to the coffee shop dish bin before beginning their walk to Sakura's apartment. They didn't talk since Ino couldn't stop laughing and Sakura was stuttering in embarrassment.
Once behind the privacy of her front door, Sakura chased down her best friend as the blonde made a beeline upstairs to find offensively ugly clothing items. "Pig you're going to be the death of me," Sakura seethed as she flopped down onto her bed.
"If you hold on like 30 seconds you'll die with a nicer closet," Ino hummed. The sound of rustling fabric filled the air as Sakura took deep breaths to calm herself after Ino's comments. Almost ready to continue the conversation, Ino beat Sakura to it. "Oh. My. God. No way!"
The blonde came charging out of Sakura's closet and initially the pinkette didn't understand why Ino was screaming. Quickly Sakura's brain caught up when she realized Ino had Kakashi's clothes in her manicured fingers.
"You better start talking right this very second, Forehead!"
"Ino….." Sakura took a deep breath. "This is serious, it's not just physical. I think I'm in love with him."
Blue eyes stared blankly back. "Well obviously – but you also just admitted it is physical! Now tell me what his clothes are doing in your clothes – more than just this shirt and sweats set!"
Emotional whiplash definitely had to be real because Sakura's head felt like it was going to fall off from the way the conversation was bouncing around. "Well, um, sometimes he stays here." Ino's mouth dropped open comically. "So, he keeps clothes here. Some I borrow to wear; some are just so he has clothes here."
"You are so dead for keeping all of this a secret, but please continue."
Sakura described the growth of she and Kakashi's changing dynamic. The blonde reacted as if the events were happening in real time with wails, sharp retorts, and the occasional wink.
"I don't really know what exactly it all means, but I'm happy. I really am." A knowing look occurred between the two women and Ino's lips spread into a broad grin.
"You just made me rich."
Of all the words to come from Ino's mouth, those were not expected. "What?"
"The girls and I had a running bet on when or if you two would get together. Unfortunately, I can't collect my winnings until you two decide to stop playing games and become official so for now I'll just enjoy the satisfaction of being right."
Sakura dragged a hand over her face and glared at Ino. "You're a real bitch sometimes, you know that?"
"You wouldn't have it any other way," Ino responded haughtily.
She wasn't wrong.
But in a way Sakura had won – the talks about Kakashi had distracted the blonde from throwing out any clothes.
- S -
Sakura had turned the house inside out by the time Kakashi came home from training with Naruto. Laundry had been washed and folded, dishes had been washed and put up, floors had been vacuumed and wiped down – all with sun left in the day meaning he was done much sooner than she'd expected. The door slid closed behind the jonin as he entered her house just as she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Cleaning was a work out of its own kind, and she had opted for a bandeau and spandex shorts to keep cool.
"Welcome back! I'll get started on dinner in a minute, I'm just wrapping up putting things away." Sakura shouted over her shoulder as she was bent over putting away cleaning chemicals.
A sudden touch on her shoulder surprised her and she glanced back over it to see his eyes hardened. That's my right shoulder. Oh my god he sees i—
"What the hell is this?" The flattened touch against her shoulder moved to be a tight grip on her upper arm that he used to haul her up to stand straight. Something burned in his eyes, but she couldn't figure out what it was with how her head swum and the room began to spin.
No, this isn't happening. Everything is okay, he doesn't know. This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't rea—
"Answer me." His icily cold voice cut through her mantra. This was very real, and her mind went into overdrive on how to minimize the damage and explain herself while still protecting him. "Sakura, answer me," he hissed as he yanked on her arm to catch her attention.
"Please just let me explain," she begged, hoping to calm him enough to let her go so she could turn around.
"This is from the mission – from your torture. Why is 'Traitor' carved into your shoulder like some kind of sick branding?"
Shutting her eyes tightly in an attempt to hold back tears, Sakura could barely choke out a reply. "It was a message."
"What does that even mean? What happened on that mission?" Kakashi was chipping away at her resolve. He was playing out the situation whether she told him or not. This was what she had tried so badly to avoid.
"Team 7 is well known – for good and bad reasons. Some people aren't happy with the war outcome, especially with Sasuke's return. They wanted to shake our bonds, to make me feel threatened and in turn threaten you all – especially him. But he's not a threat, none of you. Sasuke belongs here and none of the rest of you have done anything wrong!" She was shouting, practically begging because she felt panic overtaking her.
Selfishly she felt a small rush of relief – she didn't have to keep secrets any longer and she could come to him for comfort with complete honesty. However, that relief was crushed by panic and fear that Kakashi would actually leave. That this would be the reason he decided he didn't belong near her and he would be gone by morning.
"Sakura, this is serious. Someone used you to get to the team, you were tortured!" Sakura's panic ground to a screeching halt and her wits returned to her when she noticed that the impenetrable, unaffected Kakashi Hatake was shake. He was worrying over her. "You could have been killed. You weren't, but you still suffered."
"It's okay! I'm okay, I'm right here and I'm okay," she whispered in the calmest voice she could manage having just broken from her own panic seconds ago.
The grip on her arm disappeared as he turned away from her and the relief of it was followed by absolute terror as she watched Kakashi move away from her. She moved after him only to realize he was merely taking a step back. He's not leaving?
"How could you keep this from me?"
"Kakashi—"
"Sasuke and Naruto – where the hell were they?" Kakashi gestured towards the village as he spoke.
"The mission was only meant to be gathering of medical information, I had no way of knowing I'd need backup."
"I'm not talking about backup. I'm talking about how he and Naruto were supposed to protect you. They always promised they would take care of you, I stepped back from the team because you were supposed to be safe!" he shouted in response.
Suddenly, Sakura was no longer scared. She wasn't helpless anymore. "You don't decide who my keeper is!"
Kakashi turned around to stare at her and the edge didn't leave his glare. "I'm not going to watch you ruin your life."
"I'm still here and I'm not going to be talked about as if other people run my life. I'm an adult and I can make my own choices. I chose to go on that mission. I chose to protect my village."
"They didn't threaten the village. They used you to threaten us, it was only a threat to the village because of us." Exasperation crept into his voice and she saw his anger begin to crack.
"Kakashi…" Sakura took a chance, moving towards Kakashi when he was so emotionally volatile. "You don't get it."
"What don't I get?" he snapped, getting in her face. Taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out to calm her nerves, Sakura realized all limits were off – everything was out in the open.
"You all are the village. In protecting Team 7 I'm protecting the village!" Thrusting a finger into his chest, she leaned closer to him and put all her strength behind her words.
Kakashi Hatake, a man who had faced struggles no one else could claim to understand, looked lost.