Well here's a good man and a pretty young girl,

Trying to play together somehow…

When Ayume, Sakura's cousin twice removed, came to visit, she more or less always stayed in Sakura's room since there was no place for her anywhere else. And since Ayume was older, she often went to bed later on. She always promised she'd be quiet when she came up, but she inevitably wound up crashing into at least three walls and a vacuum cleaner on way to bed.

Granted, cousin Ayume was not a ninja.

But Kakashi was. And when he said he'd be quiet, he seriously meant it.

Sakura had been rolling around beneath the sheets for almost an hour after she'd turned the lights off, unable to get to sleep and idly wondering when Kakashi would come up to bed. It was deeply disturbing how uncannily she felt like her mother waiting up for her father on one of the nights he was off pub-crawling with his friends. But she was sure that the bar had closed by now. So where was he?

She flopped onto her side and peered across the dark room to the unoccupied futon on the floor. She wondered if Kakashi would be upset that she'd pinched his bed. But even if he was, no force in heaven or hell could make her swap.

Sakura let out another aggrieved sigh as she rolled back to the cooler side of the bed. She couldn't seem to find a comfortable position anywhere on this remarkably comfy bed, even though it was a major upgrade from sleeping against a rock, à la last night. Whenever she closed her eyes, she thought of Kakashi. Whenever she opened her eyes, she thought of Kakashi. Her mind played out the feel of his lips against her thumb, picking apart the memory and dissecting it for missed details before rewinding it and playing it over again.

Perhaps she was reading too far into things again. Perhaps he liked milk more than he cared to admit and honestly couldn't let her steal that tasty little morsel from him. Looking at it one way, Sakura couldn't really differentiate the way he'd sucked her thumb to the way she had sucked it when she'd got mitarashi sauce from her dango on it earlier. A quick, casual and inattentive action – nothing more, nothing less.

Looking at it another way, it was the most erotic thing anyone had ever done to her.

Admittedly, her total experience was appallingly limited in these areas, but she wasn't naïve enough to miss the way he'd looked at her, even if she wasn't sure what it meant. That look could have implied anything. It could have been a perfectly innocent 'What are you looking at?' type of stare. Or it could have meant 'Yeah, I just gave your thumb oral sex. What of it?'

Sakura had often wondered what kind of thoughts ran through the heads of men – it came from working alongside so many of them in a male-dominated profession. She imagined that the only things going on in Naruto's head would be something along the lines of ramen-ramen-ramen-girls-ramen-ramen-Sasuke-ramen.

Sasuke's head would be full of unhealthy dwellings on retribution, power, and hair-care products.

But if Sakura was allowed one glimpse into the thoughts of the infamous copy ninja, she wasn't at all sure what she would find there. At times the man seemed so listless that she could almost hear the wind whistling through the empty cavern that occupied the space between his ears. Then he'd do or say something so incredibly deep that she would realize that there were more layers to this man than she would ever be able to fathom.

Then he'd do something so inanely stupid that she'd have to reevaluate that stance yet again.

The man mystified her. He'd mystified her from the very first moment she'd met him, and not at all in a good way. Ino said that enigmatic men were always more interesting than the norm, but Sakura didn't find Kakashi enigmatic. Just annoying and confusing. Especially now, when she needed to understand him more than at any other point in her life.

Sakura flopped over again and shot the futon another distracted glance.

This time she nearly had heart failure when she spotted the Kakashi-shaped lump under the cover.

How long had he been there? How come Sakura hadn't sensed him coming in? Was he already asleep?

Man… he really meant it when he said he'd try not to wake her…

Sakura began to relax, safe in the knowledge that her teammate hadn't been set upon by Matsura's cronies while she wasn't there to keep an eye on him. She gave a great yawn and settled down with the sheets pulled up to her chin.

Really, she was probably just imagining things. It was best to just not talk about it and pretend it had never happened. Like the way he'd touched her in the forest. Or the way he'd kissed her in the gallery.

Just pretend it didn't happen.

Sakura didn't know when she drifted off, but it felt like someone way shaking her awake no sooner had she finally found solace for her crowded head. Kakashi was there above her with his mask pulled down to his chin. "Sakura, wake up," he was whispering.

"What?" she responded muggily. "What is it?"

"I need you."

And then he was kissing her, deeply and hungrily. Sakura sighed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck as he moved over her. No looking this gift horse in the mouth. She made no attempt to stop him from pulling off her clothes and settling between her legs. She didn't even complain when he didn't ask permission before entering her.

But she was beginning to take issue with the fact that he was starting to gain weight. His beard was getting in the way, scratching at her throat, and his hands were moving a little too roughly for comfort.

"No," she began, frowning. "No – get off. I don't like this."

But she felt half-asleep, and her attempts to push him away were pitifully weak and futile. There was no pain, but she knew it hurt. Her skin prickled with fear and mounting panic as she began to realize how helpless she was. "Get off! Please, get off! Please stop this!"

His weight was crushing her now, squeezing the air from her lungs and making her breathing labored. Vile grunts and groans echoed in her ears and her whole body jarred with each motion. Sakura felt like she was dying, and her choking sobs tore freely from her throat as she continued to beat uselessly against the enormous man bearing down on her.

"Stop it!" she begged. "Stop it, please! Kakashi! I want Kakashi-sensei! Please help me! Mom! Mommy!"

"Sakura."

"Get off me! Please!"

"Sakura."

The man above her was squeezing her shoulder tightly. Sakura tried to beat the arm away and the pressure left for a moment, only to return, pressing down hard on both her arms. he was shaking her.

"Sakura, you need to wake up."

It was Kakashi's voice. He was there. She'd called him and he had come. Sakura stopped fighting and began to relax.

The nightmare faded in spots. The hideous man above her melted, draining away through the holes of reality opening up in her confused vision. The only sensations that didn't fade were the steel-like grips on her arms. She became aware that she was still in bed, fully clothed, though the sheets were twisted awkwardly around her ankles and her pants were somewhere on the floor, leaving her incredibly exposed in her panties..

There was another dip in the mattress where Kakashi sat next to her hip. It was him who held her arms down so tightly. Sakura looked up at him apprehensively, painfully aware that her cheeks were cold and wet.

For a moment, she didn't think she could trust this man.

But Sakura was a genjutsu type. She knew the difference between reality and illusion, and this Kakashi was perfectly real. He would never hurt her.

The moment his grip slackened on her arms, Sakura threw herself upright and into his chest with a strangled sound. Her arms clamped around his neck with no intention of ever letting go, and she pressed her hot face into his shoulder. She knew she was depositing a lot of snot and tears onto his shirt, but right then she didn't care. She shook with silent sobs, clinging to him so tightly her arms ached.

Kakashi seemed to be at a loss. She felt his hand touch lightly, almost uncertainly against her back a few times before it finally settled there. He didn't whisper any comforting nonsense in her ear or try to cheer her up any other way. He simply let her take what she needed without interfering. He was waiting for her to sort it out herself.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered against his shoulder, loathing herself completely. "I'm g-getting your shirt a-a-all messsy and gross."

"It doesn't matter," he said flatly.

Sakura trembled wretchedly, trying hard to contain all the turbulence within her. But she was out of control. It was like building a wall of twigs up in an attempt to hold back a tsunami. Her restraint was hanging by the barest of threads.

"Rule t-twenty-five," she whimpered. "Shinobi must keep emo-emotions to them-mm-selves."

"You're off duty for now."

"Rule four… a shinobi is nn-never off duty."

"Fuck the rules, Sakura," he said sharply.

His curse caught her off guard and she hiccupped against his shoulder in surprise.

He went on a bit more softly. "You can show me, Sakura," he said gently. "I won't think any less of you."

Those words were her undoing. The tidal wave smashed through the twigs and all the loose emotions within her bubbled over. She rocked against him and sobbed freely against his shoulder. Words fell from her lips in a tangled mess, falling over one another and running together as she began to tell him everything.

She told him how terrified she'd been with Matsura. How he'd made her massage his feet and take off his pants. How she'd had to stroke his dick and work up the courage to put it in her mouth. She'd told him about the way he'd squeezed her breasts too hard and pinched too tightly. And how he'd broken something when he'd thrust his fingers into her.

Not all of it was intelligible, even to Sakura's ears. She doubted Kakashi understood half of it. But he listened without comment and let it pour out of her until there was nothing left. He didn't sneer at her naivety the way Sasuke would. And he didn't vow vengeance and run off the way Naruto usually did.

He just understood.

"I'm sorry," she choked out, her voice having long since broken into nothing more than squeaks and rasps. "I tried. I really, really tried and I'm so sorry. I couldn't handle it. I never should have agreed to this!"

"You did well. You didn't fail at all."

Sakura sniffed loudly. "If I hadn't had the drug – if I'd washed it off – I would have been raped!"

"But you weren't," Kakashi said evenly, maintaining the level of calm she needed to anchor herself with. "It worked, and you're ok. You're completely safe now. It's all over."

"I know," she whimpered. "But it still hurts."

"That's just because of the nightmare," he said. "It'll get easier if you give it some time."

"Really?" God, she felt pathetic.

"It's just like a scar," he told her. "The pain will fade but the memory will remain. It's a bad experience, one you shouldn't have had to experience so soon, but it will fade."

Sakura pulled back, easing her arms from around his neck. She nodded in understanding and kept her face turned down. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

His hand touched the top of her head, as if about to ruffle her hair the way he always did to cheer her up and/or tick her off. Only this time, his fingers smoothed over her disheveled locks, stroking her as his thumb tucked her bangs behind her ear. Sakura felt the heat of his palm through her hair and leaned into his touch unconsciously.

He promptly dropped it away. "You're alright," he said, like a doctor making a diagnosis. "But you should try and get some sleep. We're traveling hard tomorrow, and I want you ready and refreshed."

Sakura nodded glumly.

"Good girl," he murmured, patting one of her fisted hands as he started to rise.

But Sakura's fingers snagged in his sleeve. He paused, half-straightened, looking slowly from her fingers to her down-turned face. His question was silent, but clearly audible.

"Please stay," she said in a small voice.

Kakashi said nothing, but after a moment he sank back down to his seat on the edge of the mattress. "What's wrong?"

She twiddled the soft cloth of his sleeve between her fingers, staring hard at the bed. "I don't want you to leave me alone again."

"But I'll be just over there-"

"Can't you sleep here?" she asked, and immediately scooted to the other side of the bed to make room for him. "Please…? I feel like he's here. It's stupid, I know, but I'd feel better if you were next to me."

He was giving her a long hard look. "I would have thought the idea of another man in your bed would make you more uncomfortable," he drawled.

Sakura would have thought the same thing too, but she couldn't explain it. Kakashi's presence chased Matsura's away – just having him around alleviated the weight on her shoulders. When he'd kissed her in the gallery, he'd unknowingly put something right that had been broken. And now, she almost wished that she could kiss him again, just to feel good again. "I'd feel safer," she began honestly, "because it's you."

Kakashi's silent deliberation was near unbearable. She wondered if she'd overstepped one of those strong, invisible lines that defined their relationship. He was her superior on many, many levels, and she was his ward. But then he sighed loudly and shrugged. "Ah… well, who am I to turn down a comfy bed?" he said pleasantly. He pulled back the covers and slipped in next to her. He tugged a pillow into place beneath his head and folded his hands across his chest.

Sakura knew he wouldn't move from that position until it was time to get up. Kakashi slept like a corpse. It had been a source of great amusement to the younger members of Team Seven back in the old days, when they'd been able to manipulate his arms and legs into any position they wanted by the light of the dying campfire. In retrospect, he'd probably been awake for those occasions and was merely humoring his three protégés. (Or rather, just Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke rarely joined in, unless he was in the mood to supervise. 'Make him pick his nose,' was his favourite tip.)

But nevertheless, Kakashi was a motionless sleeper. He never tossed, nor turned, and Sakura was pretty confident that she wouldn't wake in the middle of the night to find herself being unwittingly spooned by her old teacher. (The last person to do this to her had been Naruto, taking advantage of closely situated sleeping bags. He'd woken up with a cracked rib for his trouble.)

Although… she really wouldn't have minded.

Not if it was Kakashi.

Shifting a little closer, Sakura was vaguely aware that this really was quite an indecent arrangement. She was in her panties, for crying out loud! But why worry now? She'd probably flashed Kakashi a considerable amount of thigh when she'd thrown her arms around him, not to mention a good glimpse of her underwear, which were embarrassingly pink and frilly. Had he seen? Did he like what he saw? Did he even care?

Sakura really had to stop thinking about these things…

Rolling over, she turned to face him, gazing at the silhouette of his masked profile against the moonlit window. She sighed deeply, just close enough to breathe in his warmth and personal smell.

"Kakashi-sensei…?"

"Mm?"

"Why do you smell like strawberries?"

"…it's easy to confuse soaps in a unisex bathhouse…"

"Likely excuse," she muttered.

Kakashi sighed. "Go to sleep, Sakura. It'll be a long boring day tomorrow."

She chewed her lip and buried her face against the mattress. "I'll just have another nightmare," she said miserably.

Kakashi said nothing for a long time, leading her to think he was going to leave it at that and just nod off. Then with a resigned noise in the back of his throat, he sat up, leant over to the nightstand and flipped on the light. Sakura blinked against the pain, shielding her eyes against the lamp as she squinted at Kakashi. "What?" she asked, when he rolled to face her.

"I can put you to sleep with the sharingan if you'd like."

Sakura eyed him skeptically. "But won't I still have-"

"No REM sleep with the sharingan," he said, cutting her off with a shake of the head. "I've used it on myself enough times to know."

Sakura's frown deepened. "Uh… how?"

"Mirror."

"Oh…" The idea of Kakashi knocking himself out by staring at his own reflection was… well, Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or seriously worry about him.

"It's perfectly safe," he told her, giving a carefree shrug. "It's just hypnotism."

"I know, I know…" Sakura trailed off, thinking hard. "Um… ok, I think."

"Alright, lie back."

Sakura settled back down against the pillow, feeling both apprehensive and a little excited. Only the exceedingly troublesome and powerful had the honor of being subjected to the sharingan. The most she'd ever been dealt by a sharingan was extraordinarily close scrutiny. Kakashi had sometimes watched her with it during sparring sessions years ago to keep track of her movements and criticize her techniques. The only one to ever use it against her in battle was Sasuke, but he had never made her do more than fall on her ass when he'd anticipated her moves and knocked her flying.

This would be the first time she'd be exposed to an actual technique. But it was good to start small.

Kakashi leaned over her, bracing his weight on one elbow near her shoulder. For a heart-pounding moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. But instead he flipped up his eyepatch up and blinked his sharingan at her as it adjusted to the light. It was spinning slowly clockwise, until it suddenly snapped into focus and began rapidly turning widdershins. Sakura drew in a shallow breath, transfixed by the whirling flecks of black against blood red. A feeling not dissimilar to being anaesthetized crept over her. It was like something was dragging her into a dark pool, and she was helpless to do nothing but feel herself sink. Her limbs went numb, her chest grew heavy and her head rolled back, unable to maintain eye contact as the darkness welled up and pulled her under completely.

She did dream, despite what Kakashi had said. Only it was more like reliving a gentle memory of stolen kisses between priceless paintings and sculptures.

She forgot it before she ever woke up.

Sakura had discovered quite early on in life that she disliked sleeping with other people. It stemmed from long, hot summer nights during cousin Ayume's visits in which she learnt how hard it was to sleep with a human tractor rumbling at the foot of her bed.

She'd only just managed to tolerate the overnight missions with Team Seven by bringing a pair of earplugs whenever they were forced to camp together. Naruto's snores were incredible for such a small boy. Not only did he always manage to wriggle free of his sleeping bag to half sprawl across his teammates, but the force of his snores could sometimes shake the trees.

Sasuke's snoring was a little more reserved, but (she had to grudgingly accept) no less annoying. The boy practically purred in his sleep, rattling as he both exhaled and inhaled. Quite an accomplishment, really, and sort of impressive. But Sakura still found it very distracting. Some nights she'd lain awake listening to him and despairing, because she knew she'd never be able to marry and share a bed with a man who snored so persistently. Oh well, at least they had surgery for that sort of thing these days…

Kakashi was the only one who didn't make a sound when he slept, although this could have been because he was actually awake most nights. He was their guardian after all. If he fell asleep on watch and woke up to three slaughtered munchkins, he would be in for a serious whipping from the hokage. But even then, it seemed that Kakashi only ever snored when he was deeply under, and he was only ever deeply under when he was either sick or unconscious. The rest of the time he slept like a perfect gentlemen. Really, he was quite considerate of her sensitive disposition.

(Although all this was quite hypocritical, as Sakura herself snored like a bear with the flu on hot nights.)

So Sakura was pleasantly surprised when she woke up in the early hours of the morning and discovered she didn't have the urge to choke her roommate to death with a pillow for simply breathing. In fact it was quite nice actually, waking up beside another large, warm body who smelled faintly of dessert. He was turned on his side, back to her with one hand grasping the edge of his pillow and the other fisting the cover to his chest. His arms were bare since he'd removed the compound's uniform jacket and his own Anbu sleeves at some point during the night, leaving him in only a black nylon vest and mask. An old, slightly dulled tattoo stood out starkly on the pale skin of his upper arm. An Anbu insignia.

He didn't talk about those days much. But perhaps there wasn't a lot to tell; Anbu missions were infamous for being incredibly tedious and unpleasant. Most of them were classified too, so even if you did something cool, you could never take credit for it. This was part of the reason why Naruto claimed he had no intention whatsoever of joining up. When he saved the world and kicked bad guy ass, he wanted to be acknowledged for it.

Sasuke would probably join up… but he'd probably quit if ever Naruto fulfilled his dream of becoming hokage. He just wouldn't be able to stomach the idea of being ordered around by his 'dobe'. Although, he'd probably suit being in Anbu. They said that it always helped to be a little unhinged in that division… and judging by Sasuke's weekly psychoanalysis tests, he had plenty of that going on.

Sakura wondered why Kakashi had joined. To be honest, he seemed too lazy to keep up with the high-octane life of an Anbu operative. And he was way too recognizable to be incognito - he'd be the only Anbu in the line-up reading Icha Icha, for a start.

Perhaps that was why he'd quit?

But according to Yamato, he'd been quite the rising star in Anbu. He'd been going all the way to the top when he'd suddenly sold himself short and handed in his resignation. From then on he'd just started taking the regular missions and discreetly failing all the academy graduates sent his way in an attempt to be free from the responsibilities. "He didn't have the ambition," Yamato had said. "I think gaining that kind of power scared him. There was talk of him being signed to take over from the Sandaime at one point. You should have seen his face! He looked like he'd been stabbed in the gut."

There was something oddly refreshing about someone whose highest ambition in life was to find a quiet spot on a sunny afternoon in which to read a book. It made a change from power-mad teenagers. If it wasn't Naruto dying to be Hokage, it was Sasuke dying to die for a chance to kill his own kin. To know someone who liked to sit back and enjoy the simple pleasures in life put things in better perspective for Sakura.

Life was nothing without simple pleasures. Even Sasuke, for all his brooding and avenger talk, couldn't deny that sometimes just a nicely brewed cup of green tea could make his day. Or that Naruto's dirty jokes and pervy jutsu made him glad he hadn't killed his best friend after all.

Sakura already had many simply pleasures. But she had a feeling she'd just discovered a new one…

Sighing in warmth and contentment, she sidled a little closer to Kakashi's back till her forehead almost rested between his shoulder blades and her knee bumped his thigh. Had she been more awake, she probably would have been mortified at their proximity. But it still wasn't time to get up and Kakashi smelt virtually edible. And he was asleep… so what did it matter?

Sakura drifted off again, feeling impossibly at ease with the world and criminally comfy.

She was vaguely aware on some level that her hand came up at one point to rest lightly against Kakashi's waist… and that a few seconds later, Kakashi's hand picked it off just as gently and set it down on the mattress between them. Sakura was too sleepy to notice or care.

But when she finally roused properly, Kakashi was gone.

She sat up with a sniff and a yawn and stretched an arm towards the ceiling as she looked out the window. The sky was red with first light and the birds were beginning their overture. She could hear a few people out and about on the street below… but where was Kakashi?

A soft thump from the direction of the small adjoining bathroom clued her in. She turned towards the door and frowned in concern when she heard a muffled groan. "Kakashi-sensei?"

A rather long pause.

"…yeah?" His voice was badly muffled.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah… just stubbed my toe…"

Sakura snorted. "You're not crying are you?"

"…I'm in floods," he responded dryly.

He emerged a few moments later, a towel draped over his head. Wet hair hung in dark gray spikes around his face. Sakura had to look away. Seriously, that vest had to be illegal.

Hatake Kakashi was a walking hazard to the opposite sex.

Not for the first time, she was kind of glad that he covered himself up so conservatively. It wouldn't do to be constantly fighting their way through throngs of salivating hormonal women during missions. Mostly because Sakura would have right in there with them.

Without speaking, Kakashi moved to sit on the edge of the bed as he proceeded to pull on the rest of his clothes (much to Sakura's relief). As he was adjusting the arm guards around his wrists, Sakura began chewing her lip.

"Kakashi-sensei…?"

"Mm?" He didn't look up from his adjustments.

"I'm sorry about last night," she said quietly. She didn't particularly want to bring it up, but she felt the need to apologize. "It wasn't very professional of me."

Kakashi slid her a hooded look with one eye shut and both eyebrows tilted in a mild form of 'whatever'. "I like to think we've known each other long enough to relax around one another," he said nonchalantly.

Sakura wasn't sure she could agree. Before the mission, he hadn't really spoken to her much at all. It had forced her to reevaluate their standing with one another. He'd been close… he'd been her mentor for crying out loud, but with the distance he'd put between them, she'd had to wonder if they were just fated to be casual acquaintances. The kind of guy she would spot in the street and think 'Hey, I know him! He used to teach me stuff!'

She felt like she was still trying to relearn their dynamic; trying to recover the chemistry they'd once had, and trying to figure out which small nuances had changed in its absence.

Something was different, she knew that much. She knew from the way his lips felt against her thumb that some small piece in their connection had shifted sideways. And from the way he'd cupped her bottom and squeezed her breast while he kissed her until she was a nonsensical wreck. From the way he'd touched her between her legs…

Something had changed all right.

And yet… despite all that had happened between them, they still spoke like nothing was different at all.

Kakashi stood and moved towards the door where he stomped into his sandals. "You can get dressed," he said distractedly as he picked up the blue and gold vase sitting on the nightstand. "I'm going to go see about getting that diamond back. Meet me at the entrance downstairs in fifteen minutes."

He probably meant half an hour.

His hand began reaching for the door. Sakura lurched forward slightly. "Sensei?"

Kakashi paused, looking back at her impassively. "Yeah?"

Dammit… what the hell had she been about to say? She searched her strangely blank mind for the question, but came up with nothing. "Um…" she hedged, realizing that perhaps she just wanted him to stay and talk to her and sort out this strange jumble of thoughts and feelings in her heart and head. "Take care, ok?"

He smiled suddenly, as if someone had just pinned the expression on his face. "See you in a bit."

Whoosh, slam, and he was gone.

Sakura pulled a tragic face at her own idiocy and flopped down into the badly rumpled covers to crush a small scream into her pillow.

No… not her pillow. Kakashi's.

She caught the faint lingering scent of flowery shampoo (he hadn't mixed up just his soap apparently) and the underlying musk that she knew so well. A deep scent of masculinity, that made her want to just lie there in the groove he'd left on the mattress and go back to sleep with her nose pressed to his pillow.

It struck Sakura after a few moments of basking in this delicious smell that it was one of the most bizarre and ridiculous things she'd ever done. Sitting up, she began to worry. Really, this crush was getting out of hand.

It probably wasn't healthy being interested in a man who was practically twice her age. A man who'd obtained jonin rank before she'd ever been born, who'd been in service for Konoha while her parents were still playing on seesaws and swings in the park.

But when he took off that mask and smiled in that lazy way that set off his good looks with the kind of accuracy that could normally only be obtained by practicing in from of a mirror for hours on end, Sakura could only too easily forget all these things. Forget that he was older, stronger and more experienced. That he'd been her teacher and superior. That he'd often set her grueling punishments whenever she'd overslept and managed to turn up to training even later than him. Forget that he'd killed her goldfish.

All she saw was a rather good-looking man smiling at her.

It would probably be best to just go back to the village and start avoiding him for another year. Perhaps pick up a boyfriend, discover sex and forgot about this short period in her life when she'd had the hots for her teacher. Maybe then her feelings would cool a little, and she'd go back to seeing him as plain old Kakashi-sensei – that guy who used to teach her stuff.

Rolling into the bathroom, Sakura began washing her face with the harsh complimentary inn soap. It would probably dry her skin out, but it was better than nothing. She combed fingers through her hair and fixed it with the green bandana as she watched her face critically in the mirror. The sharingan-induced sleep had gotten rid of the developing bags under her eyes. How useful. She'd have to see about getting Sasuke to give her one of his eyeballs when she got back.

When fifteen minutes was up, Sakura tightened the shuriken holster around her thigh and went downstairs to wait by the entrance. She knew she'd probably be sitting around for a while, but someone had to be on time at least.

Which was why Sakura was a little surprised to find Kakashi waiting for her in the doorway of the inn. When he spotted her, he smiled. "Ready to go, Rin-chan?"

Right then, Sakura knew something was terribly wrong for three things.

Kakashi wouldn't call her Rin-chan, not even as a joke.

Kakashi was never on time.

And Kakashi wasn't holding the vase.

Taking a sharp breath, Sakura began backing further into the empty street, staring at him. Her hand went to the shuriken on her leg; her only weapons. "You're not-"

Her back collided with a hard body, and a cold blade curved around her neck, making her still. She hadn't sensed anyone there before… but she could tell from the sake-laden stench alone that it was Matsura.

Her stomach turned upside down.

"Right now you're probably wishing you'd killed me while you had the chance," a voice rumbled in her ear, making her shudder as disgust and nausea roiled through her. She swallowed against her fear and let her hand fall away from her holster. She was no match for this man.

"Where is he?" Her voice came out weak and trembling, enough so to feel a jab of self-loathing.

The Kakashi-look-alike promptly dropped his jutsu and became the man she'd seen outlined in the doorway of the gallery; Matsura's son, Jin. He looked away up the deserted street and Sakura followed his gaze curiously. Her eyes widened when she spotted the group of ninjas gathered in a line further away.

Sitting in front of them with his hands tied in his lap was her useless teammate. When their eyes met, he lifted his conjoined hands and gave her a little wave. "Yo," he called. The mask covering his throat had been sliced open and there was a considerable amount of blood soaked into his jacket. Sakura's heart leapt into her throat.

"Are you ok?" she shouted, ignoring Matsura's tightening blade.

"Great," Kakashi called back loftily. "But this is a little embarrassing…"

Even though his hands were tied, there was nothing to stop him breaking free and ramming a few kunai into the chests of the men behind him. But he was obviously holding back. With Matsura and Jin there, it probably wasn't wise to do anything drastic. One wrong move and it could all be game over.

Sakura found herself dragged through the street to where Kakashi sat. It was too early in the morning for many people to be around, but Sakura saw the odd terrified face peering out a window or hanging at a street corner. No one moved to help her though, and that was probably best. If Kakashi had been subdued so painfully easily, what chance did these ordinary civilians have?

She found herself forced to her knees beside her cool-headed teacher and ownership of the knife on her neck passed to one of the low-level goons behind them. That was a start at least. Matsura paced before them, slowly unsheathing a plain wakizashi from over his shoulder. His grace and steady hand surprised Sakura somewhat. Back in the compound it had been hard to believe such a buffoon could be considered elite. Now it was all too easy to see…

"So… Umino Iruka," Matsura pressed the square tip of the blade to Kakashi's shoulder. "Or should I say… Hatake Kakashi!"

Apparently being elite also meant you had to have a flair for melodrama. Kakashi looked up at the big man coolly. "Oh, no fooling you was there? Yes, you've got me. I am that man. I am… Hitake Takashi."

Sakura suppressed a smirk. "Hatake Kakashi," she corrected.

"Right," Kakashi nodded. "What she said. I am him. Make no mistake."

A small glimmer of doubt entered Matsura's face. People didn't readily give away their identities under interrogation unless it was the wrong information. He looked questioningly to his son standing a few meters away, but Jin only shrugged in typically unhelpful offspring fashion.

"If you don't believe me," Kakashi went on airily, "why don't you just take off my eyepatch? Have a look at my sharingan?"

But no one was going to fall for that. On the off-chance that he was the infamous copy ninja, no one wanted to go unveiling his greatest weapon.

"Not important…" Matsura said eventually, turning back to Kakashi. "Just tell me where the vase is," he moved his sword from Kakashi's shoulder to Sakura's forehead, "or I shove this blade through your little girl's brain."

Sakura nearly huffed indignantly. Wasn't she the one who'd orchestrated this mission? Wasn't she mission leader? How come Kakashi was the one being interrogated and she was just the 'little girl' bargaining chip? Really, how chauvinistic…

And what the hell had Kakashi done with the vase?

At Kakashi's reluctance to respond, Matsura smirked. "You think I won't do it? That I'll miss?" he scoffed, increasing the pressure behind the blade. Sakura winced in pain as she felt something warm dribble down over her nose. "I won't miss. It's a big enough target."

"Hey!" The only thing stopping Sakura from lunging for his throat at that point was the fact that she'd wind up skewering her head in the process. But Matsura was going to pay for that forehead crack!

"You care about this girl, don't you?" he directed to Kakashi. "What is she to you? Really? Is she your subordinate? Your lover? You sister? Maybe she's your daughter?"

Strike three.

"She's not my daughter."

The whole line of crony ninja behind them took half a step back. Sakura didn't blame them. Kakashi's patience was really beginning to wear thin on this sensitive subject. He could be quite scary sometimes.

"Not important," Matsura drawled, unimpressed. "Either way, if you don't tell me where my vase is, I'll kill her in ten seconds."

Sakura's stomach lurched again and fear prickled across her skin.

"Ten… nine…"

She twitched her gaze to look at Kakashi, but he was looking intensely at the dusty ground before him.

"Eight… seven… six…"

Duty before honor. A mission always comes before anything else, even the well-being of a teammate. It was a textbook scenario, and the guidelines were clear. Kakashi was well within his rights to let Sakura die for the sake of his silence. Sakura shouldn't blame him… only…

My god, I'll haunt you to death if you let me die, you asshole-

"Four… three… two-"

"If you kill her," Kakashi interrupted smoothly. "I won't tell you a thing. Spare her and you'll still have your bargaining chip."

Ahh… saved by logic. Sakura sighed in relief as the angular tip of the blade left her forehead, leaving a fresh trickle of blood in its wake.

"Yes," said Matsura, sneering at Kakashi nastily. "Death is a bit too final, isn't it? I'd hate to think how stubborn you'd get if she snuffed it. And you don't seem the type to buckle under your own duress, so there's no point torturing you."

"Glad you think so," Kakashi said pleasantly.

Matsura sneered again and slowly sheathed his blade. Sakura was about to release the air she'd been holding hostage in her lungs when Matsura's hand snapped out and grabbed her arm. She was yanked to her feet so fast she stumbled and nearly fell, but his tight grip refused to let her go. She glimpsed a crease form between Kakashi's eyebrows.

"Don't worry, I shan't kill her," Matsura assured him. "At least not yet – it would be a waste. Especially when there's so much liveliness to sample from her first."

Sakura didn't like the way he was looking at her – the same way he'd looked at her back in the compound. A dark hunger was glinting in his eyes as they raked over her form. Sakura wished she'd bought a big brown sack to wear instead of these practical, tight-fitting clothes. Sure she didn't have to worry about being weighed down or snagged on door handles, but it did nothing to protect her from the repulsive gaze of a pervert.

Then he was dragging her back towards the inn. Sakura shot Kakashi a startled, pleading look and saw the shock and anger rise visibly throughout his whole body. He was stiffening, wrists straining against his bonds. He looked ready to leap up at any moment.

Faster than the eye could follow, Jin was at his side, kunai digging into his throat. "Don't make me cut you again, Kakashi-san." But already there was blood welling liberally under the blade. He was cutting far too deeply, Sakura realized. Kakashi's face contorted with pain. She had to go back and heal him.

"Let me go!" she growled at Matsura as he dragged her into the shadow of the inn. "He's hurting him!"

Apparently Matsura had little tolerance for mouthy little kunoichi who drugged him at inopportune moments. No sooner had the words left her mouth than his fist came flying towards her face. Sakura had only the barest hint of a warning to throw herself back, but his grip on her arm halted her evasion and stars burst behind her eyes as something akin to a sledgehammer connected with her cheek.

Sakura slumped, mouth agape in a silent cry of pain.

"Women should know their place," he spat at her. "Kunoichi are an abomination. They shouldn't be. The world of battle is reserved only for those who have the strength to handle it-"

Sakura's coiled fist drew back and whipped forward to embed itself against his mouth, cutting off his misogynistic rant. She didn't hold back, measuring the perfect amount of chakra to enhance the punch to its fullest potential. It was worth it just to feel a tooth give beneath her knuckles. "What was that about strength?" she muttered round her own swollen cheek.

But Matsura's shock didn't last long, and it quickly turned to anger. "You little bitch – you need to be taught your place! Perhaps then your friend will be a little more talkative."

His hand snagged her hair and he resumed dragging her towards the inn. Sakura gasped and staggered after him or else suffer being scalped.

"Wait!"

That was Kakashi. Matsura stopped abruptly and looked back at him distastefully. Sakura looked at him through narrowed eyes, her breath coming in pants. She saw he was still held at bay by Jin's knife.

"The vase… I'll tell you where it is," Kakashi said flatly.

Sakura's eyes widened. "No – you idiot – don't be stupid-"

"You have to promise to leave her alone and let us go in peace," Kakashi interrupted, ignoring her. "Then I'll tell you where I hid it."

You fool, Sakura thought, closing her eyes in despair, but also in intense relief. She couldn't deny she was grateful to be saved. But to hand over the vase would render the whole mission effort so far useless. Having to put up with the sight of Matsura's dick would have been pointless.

Matsura turned, still gripping Sakura's hair too tightly. "Then speak. Tell us where it is."

Kakashi wasn't in a position to argue his demands. He'd have to just trust Matsura kept his word. "My pouch… there's a throwing kunai in my hip pouch."

Jin eased his blade away from Kakashi's throat and stooped to cautiously pop open said pouch. He withdrew the kunai in question and held it up curiously. "And?" he said.

Kakashi shrugged. "Perform a release seal and you'll see, Jin-san."

Jin did just that and quickly found himself holding the stolen vase, sans one blue diamond. But he didn't seem to notice this as he looked to his father. "We have it."

Matsura nodded, apparently pleased with this development. He looked to Kakashi with a benevolent smile, like one warrior admiring the integrity of another. Then he turned that same smile on his son and said, "Kill him."

TBC...