Hey guys! I want to apologize for updated so late, it's been a hectic week! Thank you all for being so patient :) I'm going to try to get the next chapter up within the next few days (maybe three or so). I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, so hopefully you all like it!

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine!

Chapter 3: Rough and Tumble

Sakura woke up before the sun had fully risen into the sky. The walls of her small bedroom were washed in hazy white from beyond the hastily drawn curtains, and the chirp of birds echoed faintly through the window. She leisurely stretched her sore limbs, one hand rubbing at her eyes. A smile pulled on her lips when she remembered that she was having breakfast with Kakashi.

Because of her busy schedule she wasn't able to cook much, even though she loved to. The thought of testing out her rusty skills on Kakashi was interesting enough. Though Sakura doubted he'd complain, even if it tasted bad.

She headed to her bathroom, determined to get in a hot bath today. Sakura lowered herself into the tub with a contented sigh, grateful that her shift at the hospital started in the afternoon. It gave her plenty of time to wash up and get groceries before heading to Kakashi's apartment.

Sakura waded her hands through the warm water, pulling soap bubbles into bigger piles. The soap smelled of cherry blossoms, her favorite scent. She found it funny that she smelled like her given name. She used to grab whatever was available, but when she found the soap at the store years ago, she never went back.

When the water finally cooled she forced herself from the tub to get dressed. Within a few minutes she was out the door, heading to the market. Sakura got enough ingredients for two omelettes, and she hesitated before paying. She wanted to get some food to stock Kakashi's fridge but she wasn't sure how long he'd stay before his next mission. She decided not to risk the food going bad and left with her breakfast fixings.

With her brisk pace, she arrived at Kakashi's apartment in relatively quick time. She knocked her usual three sharp taps and waited, centering some chakra in her arms to help carry the bulky supplies. Kakashi opened the door and gestured for her to come in.

"Hello, Sakura," he chirped in an unusually pleasant voice. Sakura narrowed her jade eyes at him, trying to figure out why he would be so happy. She tried to ignore the jolt of surprise that flowed through her at seeing his younger self again. His hair was more tousled and his clothes were not his usual jonin outfit. His old clothes looked strange on him, and Sakura briefly wondered if he was going to get a smaller version of his jonin outfit in the future.

"Kakashi," she cautiously greeted him with a nod as she headed toward the kitchen with her bags. "You're in a good mood this morning."

He followed behind her with a noncommittal shrug. "I'm hungry."

Sakura held back a smile as she watched him intensely scan the ingredients as they were lifted out of the shopping bags. "It's going to be a simple vegetable omelette, if that's alright with you." She didn't wait for his response as she started to move through his kitchen with ease. She'd been here enough times to know where everything was. She'd even cooked for him before, when he was too injured to get food himself.

She heard, rather than saw, him move to the table and sit down. The room was enveloped in comfortable silence as Sakura focused on her skills.

Sakura finally turned around again once the omelettes successfully made it onto the plates. She brandished them with a smile, her eyes shining with a "ta-da!" Kakashi was slouched with his back against the seat, his eye focused on hers. The corner of his eye crinkled as she placed the steaming plates on the table.

He bowed his head before picking up his chopsticks. Sakura knew the drill well, and took her time taking a bite, focusing on the eggs in front of her. She smashed the egg with her tongue, a pleased hum resonating from her at the flavors. She breathed a sigh of relief that the food was not only edible, but good. I still got it, Sakura thought with a smirk.

After a few minutes, she lifted her eyes up to see his plate was vacant of food and his mask firmly in place. She smiled, taking another bite and slowly chewing it. Sakura was impressed with how fast he ate his food, even though she knew why he did it.

She stopped actively trying to see what was under the mask a while ago. Every once in a while she wondered if he would ever show her, but she always concluded with 'he'll tell me if he wants to.' But she still couldn't help joking about it often.

"One of these days," she said, giving him a cheesy smile.

"But not today," he immediately responded with a small chuckle. He waited patiently for her to finish before grabbing the plates and taking them to the sink.

Sakura leaned back, absentmindedly patting her stomach from the satisfying meal. She normally grabbed a quick muffin or smoothie before her morning shifts, so a well-balanced meal to start the day was not so bad.

"So what's your plan now?" Sakura asked casually, trying to contain her curiosity. She wasn't sure how he would respond. Maybe he would stay hidden in his apartment until someone found Migato, or he would start his search for the man again.

Finished with the dishes, he returned to his usual spot in his usual slumped position. He intertwined his fingers together and rested them on his stomach. "I'm going to ask the Hokage for a mission."

Sakura blinked. "You mean to continue your hunt for Migato, right?"

"No, I mean another, entirely separate mission."

Sakura stared at him, trying to discern if he was being sarcastic or not. But she was almost positive he wasn't. Even though he looked different, all of his mannerisms were the same. "Why?" She asked. Out of all the responses he could give, that was the last one she thought he would say.

"Because I want to," he stated simply. Sakura had to fight to stop her eyes from rolling. Of course he dodged the question with a vague response. This was Kakashi. She didn't press him on it, as this wasn't the first time he kept his reasons to himself.

She pointed a finger at him. "As your doctor I think it's best if you test out your skills before going into the battlefield. You don't want to be going up against an opponent and realize your chakra supply is more limited than you're used to."

Kakashi took a second to respond, in which he stared at her with an unreadable eye. Right before Sakura was about to get fidgety, he said, "Okay." His voice was laced with amusement. He stood and Sakura watched him quickly stretch before heading back into the living room.

Sakura followed him, one eyebrow raised at the sight of seeing him shove on his shoes. "Right now?"

"Why not? The faster you give the okay the faster I can get a mission." Kakashi would never tap his foot in impatience, but his entire stance looked as if he was itching to do so. Sakura sighed and gathered her things.

She wanted to ask why it was so important that he was sent out as soon as possible. A small part of her twinged at the thought of only seeing him for a day before he left again. She sometimes missed the days when her little family of Team 7 were still together. Not that she isn't happy to be an equal now in Kakashi's eyes, rather than a student. He would have never agreed to train with her a few years ago, at least not without taking it easy on her.

If there was one thing Kakashi knew about her was that she hated the idea of someone taking it easy while fighting her. And knowing that Kakashi knew that, Sakura prepared herself for the next few hours of sore muscles and pain.

Sakura groaned, watching Kakashi dash off in the direction of the training grounds. She shook her head before leaping after him. I'm gonna need another relaxing bath sooner than I thought.

Kakashi held back a laugh as he watched Sakura fling herself onto her back with a dramatic sigh.

"How is it that you lost ten years of training and yet you still crush me?" Sakura moaned, her hands waving in the air before wiping a hand across her shining forehead. "And how does it look like you've barely broken a sweat?"

He stood over her with his arms crossed. "Well, you have been spending more time at the hospital. When was the last time you trained?"

"About three seconds ago," she grumbled, peering up at him through narrowed eyes. As she struggled to pull herself into a sitting position, Kakashi briefly wondered if he overdid it with his attacks. She held up surprisingly well, though, considering he doubted she conditioned her body much these days.

He squatted, lowering himself to eye level. Sakura's expression was pensive and Kakashi waited patiently for her to voice her thoughts.

"You know, besides your supply being slightly lower, you don't seem to be all that different." Her eyes quickly scanned his body and she smirked. "On the inside, of course."

Kakashi chuckled. "It's more difficult to wield my chakra, and the hand signs for most of my justus don't come as naturally. But my body is technically back to my ANBU days, so physically I've never felt better."

"You were turning into an old man, weren't you?" Sakura teased, lifting herself from the ground. "Ugh, I'm going to need to shower before I go to my shift." She pulled her drenched shirt away from her chest.

Kakashi's eye followed her movements, his gaze lingering a touch longer than it should have. Sakura wasn't paying attention though, she was too lost in thought. Kakashi scratched the side of his mask as he attempted to push her from his mind.

"When you accept your mission, I want you to use less chakra than you normally do. You don't want your supply to run out, especially if you can physically keep going. You have to play to your strengths." Sakura slightly bent her knees, placing her body in a fighting stance. Kakashi's eyebrow disappeared above his mask. He didn't think Sakura could go another round.

Kakashi coughed, struggling to fight back dirty meanings from his seemingly innocent enough thought.

"One more round," she said with determination, "and you can't use any jutsus."

Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets, putting himself in his signature leisure posture. He leaned against a thick oak that was placed near the edge of the field. "Just me? What about you?"

Sakura gave him a wicked smile. "I'm only going to use enough to make my punches really hurt." She charged at him quickly, not giving him time to make a smart remark. Sakura raised her fist and threw it at him full force.

Kakashi barely ducked out of the way as Sakura's fist slammed into the tree behind him. The oak exploded on impact, tiny splinters flinging every which way and the length of the tree tumbled to the ground with a loud crash. Kakashi stared at the wreckage with wide eyes. She's really not holding back. What if that was my face? He gulped.

The attacks were fast and savage, and Sakura continued to push him back across the length of the field. Her face was a hard mask of concentration. He couldn't get close enough to her to use his combat moves, and with the rule of no jutsus, he just had to wait for the right opening. Until then, he settled for nimbly dodging each strike, his eyes attempting to figure out her next move before she could do it.

Kakashi felt her growing frustration at her lack of successful hits. While she was able to land a few, he never let on how badly they hurt (though inwardly he knew that he was gonna leave training today with more than his fair share of bruises).

Finally, Sakura left herself wide open. With a daring punch, she extended her arm too far ahead, leaving her midsection exposed.

Realizing her mistake, she tried to pull back, but it was too late. Kakashi sprung forward, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and tugging her forward. The momentum caught her off guard and she stumbled forward, struggling to regain her balance. His grip slid up her arm and he twisted his body in an attempt to fling her over his shoulder.

Halfway in the air, Sakura's other hand grabbed onto his shoulder in a crushing grip. He grimaced at her strength and reached up to secure her other arm but never got the chance. Before she hit the ground, Sakura used her grip and chakra-filled power to pull him down with her. She landed hard on her back, planted her feet firmly against his stomach, and kicked up until he soared past her onto the ground. He was in her exact position, their heads almost touching.

Kakashi let out a soft groan and placed one hand against his chest. He was pretty sure he cracked a rib on the impact, but he wasn't about to let Sakura in on that. They both stayed sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.

Sakura laughed and rolled over closer to him, crouching. Their reversed positioning was so similar to Sakura's earlier defeat that Kakashi couldn't help but smile.

"I beat you," Sakura said, matching his grin.

"I know," he responded. Kakashi rose, trying to keep his painful grunting as soft as possible. "I was there."

Nothing ever got past a well trained medic ninja, though. She frowned at his expression and moved closer, her hands almost absently running down his chest as they searched for injuries. Her fingers sent a small shiver through him without his permission. Since when did that happen when she touched him? Kakashi forced his intrusive thoughts down before he had to think too deeply about them.

"You're hurt, Kakashi." She frowned at him, gesturing for him to sit. He complied, only because he knew Sakura would just force him onto the ground if he refused. She sat on her knees in front of him, her face relaxing into a trance. She rested her hands on his ribs and sent her chakra into his body. He could feel his rib slowly mend, the feeling not uncomfortable.

He observed her carefully, and when she finally pulled her hand back, he could see them shake slightly.

"There," she said with a gentle smile, "you're all set." She leaned back and closed her eyes briefly. He could sense her exhaustion and he shook his head.

"You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard. Don't you work in the hospital tonight?"

"I'm fine. And speaking of work, I should start heading back to my apartment to get changed." She slowly got to her feet. Kakashi readied himself to catch her if she stumbled, but Sakura was steady on her feet.

"I'll walk with you, then," he responded, mostly to watch her in case she couldn't make it home. Sakura rolled her eyes, surely guessing his intentions.

"I told you I'm fine. But I can't stop you from joining me." She turned and marched away, stretching her arms as she went. Kakashi smiled as he followed her.

A dull ache thumped in Sakura's head in time with her soft footsteps, which she supposed was from her extra use of chakra. It was one of the early signs that she was using more than what her body was used to, so she wasn't worried in the slightest. In fact, a small thrum of energy continuously coursed through her. She had beaten Kakashi. Granted he wasn't as strong as he usually was, but Kakashi was Kakashi. It had definitely been worth it to tap into her reserves.

They walked in comfortable silence, deciding early on to take a more normal route home rather than to jump across rooftops. Sakura assumed because Kakashi was worried about her chakra levels. She had to stop herself from scoffing. She was a big girl and could take care of herself.

A small flutter whispered in her stomach at the thought that Kakashi was worried about her. She shook her pink hair. He cares because I'm a friend, that's all.

Her eyes peeked up at his relaxed form. His eye was fixed on something in the far distance, his hands shoved into his pockets. It still struck her when he saw his younger features. He is very handsome. Not that he wasn't handsome before, but it's a lot easier to appreciate it now that he doesn't feel like my instructor and mentor. Maybe because we are almost the same age? Sakura's cheeks flushed pink and she rubbed her forehead. What the hell am I thinking? This is still Kakashi! Jeez, I really need to get a good night's sleep.

They were almost to her apartment when Sakura finally noticed the whisperings coming from around them. Pulling herself from her inner mind, she glanced around. People were staring at them, pointing and whispering to each other. Crowding around the outside of shops, but not getting any closer to them. She was about to tell them off when she realized with a twitch that they weren't staring at both of them, just Kakashi.

Sakura inwardly smacked herself when she remembered what Kakashi said last night. How he wanted to avoid civilians at all costs. How he wanted to avoid this exact situation at all costs.

"Kakashi…" Sakura started uneasily.

"They were bound to find out eventually," Kakashi interrupted with a sigh. He didn't seem upset, more resigned. While shinobi were famous in Konoha, they didn't get more than an appreciative nod or a quick conversation from civilians. It was obvious to Sakura that the extra attention wasn't sitting well with him. Within hours the whole village would know.

It was a relief when they made it to her apartment, away from prying eyes. Sakura's headache was gone as well and she could feel her chakra amount slowly filling back up. She'd have to remember to take it easy for the first few hours of her shift while she waited for her chakra to refill completely. She always prided herself on her well-trained and controlled chakra. She wasn't about to show anyone that she hadn't fully mastered it.

"Thank you for breakfast and training. If I can, I'll stop by and say goodbye before I head out for my mission. Hopefully it won't be a long one." Kakashi leaned against the railing opposite of her apartment door while she unlocked her apartment.

The thought of Kakashi being gone for another few months caused a knot to form in her stomach, but she turned around and smiled at him.

"You're welcome. I officially give my approval for your mission, just please be careful with your chakra. Promise me you'll only use your big chakra-draining jutsus if it's absolutely necessary." Kakashi promised, which eased her tense muscles. If he gave his word, Sakura knew he would keep it. Her biggest fear was that he would attempt his chidori and run out of chakra without knowing it, which would cause his death. Sakura didn't even want to think about what would happen if he died.

Their eyes locked in a silent goodbye before Kakashi disappeared. Sakura let out a long exhale before entering her apartment. She glanced at the time and sadness filled her. Why do I never have time for baths when I need them? She trudged into the bathroom and took a quick shower, lathering her body with enough soap to wash away the dirt and sweat coating her skin.

Sakura felt ten times better after garnering fresh clothes. She hustled around her apartment, gathering her things before jumping from her balcony. She didn't want to be late.

She strode through the front doors right on time, heading straight for her office. Sakura was stopped by the receptionist, a small blonde haired teen with wide, brown eyes.

"Miss Haruno," she said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "were you with that handsome grey haired man? They are saying he's the Copy Ninja's son!"

Sakura snorted. His son? Kakashi would have been ten for that to happen. She stared amusedly at the young girl whose hands were clasped together. The rumors this village comes up with.

"No, that wasn't his son." She struggled with how to explain, and decided the best thing to do is just let the rumor take its course. They were hard to stop once they got going. I doubt anyone would believe the truth anyway. Stopping her internal dialogue, she smiled patiently at the confused girl before sliding by her.

Unfortunately, Sakura was halted by no more than five other people asking the same question in the first hour of her shift. Every patient that came in, whether for a dislocated shoulder or deep splinter, had to know who the mysterious relative to the Hatake was.

Sakura knew that this shift was going to be a test of her patience, something she was not known for having. She heaved a sigh as the next patient came in cradling a swollen wrist, her eyes probing. It's going to be a long night.