A/N: I apologize if you received multiple alerts. I was having technical difficulties.

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Medic Nin

Kakashi poked aimlessly at the bowl in front of him, moving the rice from right to left, left to right, up the bowl's side, and anywhere else it would go. There wasn't ever much to do in the morning.

"Why don't you just eat it?" Pakkun finally asked from his seat on top of the table.

"It's cold," he replied grimly.

Pakkun blinked at the jonin. What was wrong with cold food?

"If you really don't want it you can give it ta me," he said hopefully.

"You'll get fat."

Kakashi kept at it, ignoring Pakkun's hungry stare. The dog had his own food, and Kakashi wasn't about to hand over his bowl of cold, tasteless rice.

Just because he didn't want it didn't mean it wasn't his.

The jonin wasn't in the best of moods that morning, what with a random girl laying there stretched all over his couch. What in heaven's name had compelled him to let her stay? It wouldn't have been at all difficult to force her out, despite how stubborn she seemed to be. Perhaps he was being overworked at ANBU, and it was finally starting to affect him. He had been taking up a lot of those interrogation missions lately. But if anything, the only thing those missions seemed to do was to put him an a more sadistic mood than usual, in which case he wouldn't have minded giving the girl more trouble.

Whatever the case, he regretted not kicking her out.

Now Kakashi was faced with the problem of figuring out what she was after. She claimed to have time-traveled, and had even managed to point Kakashi in the direction of someone who appeared to be a younger version of her. It had been very easy to track her down, and her scent, chakra signature, and even the hair color had matched up perfectly. Kakashi had detected no genjutsu up to that point, and neither had Bisuke. There were plenty of other ways the kunoichi could have planted up some sort of evidence, but even Pakkun, who was excellent with getting a feel for people's true intentions, had seemed perfectly at ease around the pink-haired kunoichi.

Kakashi had decided since the previous night that he would take her straight to the Hokage this morning. The problem would be out of his hands, though he was still uncertain of how exactly he was supposed to approach the Third about this matter. Mission reports were one thing, but time-travel rumors were ridiculous.

The girl stirred from her place on the couch, apparently still fast asleep. Pakkun glanced at her. Kakashi kept his eyes firmly focused on his food, having no desire to look at the intruder. If it weren't for her, he'd have been at the memorial right about now. Or sleeping, more likely.

Pakkun stopped studying the kunoichi once he determined she was not about to get up anytime soon. He turned his head back to his master's breakfast.

"Why'd ya let her stay?" he asked, shamelessly ogling the food. The ninja's decision had seemed a bit out of character the previous night, but he had known better than to question him when he was so obviously annoyed.

"Hm," he grunted unhappily, still not quite sure himself. "That's what she was after, wasn't she? You saw those horrible bags under her eyes."

As Kakashi said this he decided this probably wasn't why he'd agreed to it, but now that he thought about it, she had looked like something had chewed her up and spit her back out. Had he had a heart he might have even pitied her.

"Looked almost like a raccoon," Pakkun agreed.

In an instant a tight bundle connected with the back of Pakkun's head and exploded into a mess of green blanket. Kakashi had, of course, seen it coming, but had felt no need to defend the ninken. The dog had looked a little too comfortable sleeping next to the girl that morning. That was what he got for getting too friendly with people.

"How rude!" Sakura shrieked.

Pakkun, who had been thrown to the floor by the force, struggled to disentangle himself from the bedding-turned-weapon. He shook the stars from his head and turned to face her with betrayed eyes.

Kakashi continued playing with his food.

"Weren't you sleepin' just a second ago?" The pug asked, deeming it wise to pretend he hadn't just been assaulted.

"I was sleeping until mop-head here started slamming cupboard doors in the kitchen!"

"Ah, so it worked then," he answered. He place his chopsticks on the table and proceeded to stare at the wall unhappily.

As a ninja Kakashi had been specially trained in concealment and stealth throughout his entire life, and that morning he had chosen to swiftly thrown everything he knew about being a shinobi out the window. He had taken the time to carefully smash and slam everything he could get his hands out, making as much noise as possible in an attempt to wake her up.

Sakura, being the kind girl she was, had chosen to feign unconsciousness throughout the whole ordeal, knowing her lack of a reaction would piss him off.

"You shoulda gotten up when he started doin' that. Look how irritable he's gotten."

"Then maybe he oughta pull that stick out of his-"

"We shouldn't be gettin' all grouchy this early in the mornin'," Pakkun interrupted miserably, sensing vicious feelings emitting from both parties.

Sakura glared at Kakashi but said no more. She knew she'd be pissy too if someone just barged into her home claiming to know her and demanding shelter, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed at how openly he was demonstrating his aggravation. Maybe there was something she could do to make him hate her less...

"Let's go," Kakashi suddenly said, standing up and abandoning his rice.

"What?" Sakura squawked, caught off-guard. "Where?"

"To the Hokage."

"But... right now? Why?" Sakura wasn't ready to see the old man, yet. In her mind he was still as dead as could be.

"What exactly do you expect to gain by staying here?" Kakashi demanded.

"Well aren't you going to at least finish your breakfast?" she stalled. She needed time to mentally prepare, damn it!

"What I eat is none of your concern." Kakashi had already made his way to his bedroom.

"What's the big hurry? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know..."

Should she just flat out tell him the Third was supposed to be dead? Would that help him slow things down? Knowing Kakashi she doubted it. He'd probably recite some rule about shinobi and their emotions.

The older jonin walked out of his room, Sakura's weapon pouch in hand, his own already attached to his thigh. He really meant business.

Pakkun wondered if this would be a bad time to ask for the leftovers.

"Don't I at least get a chance to shower first? I've been wearing these clothes for days!" Sakura protested.

"Do you always get all washed up for the Hokage before reporting your missions?"

"No, but..."

"Then let's get moving," he said with a hint of finality.

Sakura opened her mouth ready to object, but closed it again. She really had no right to demand anything more from him. The simple act of having allowed her to stay the night was already showing a lot of kindness on Kakashi's part. Sakura couldn't criticize his current choice of action, either. He was properly doing his job as a shinobi of Konoha and reporting all oddities straight to the Hokage, which was what she should have done the moment she stepped foot in the village, just as Kakashi had told her last night. There was no point in using him as a middleman. The right thing to do would be to report to the Hokage on her own. It would make Kakashi's life less miserable. But she couldn't and wouldn't do it. Even if he hated her guts at the moment, Sakura needed his support, even if all he had to offer was a familiar face.

Or mask in his case.

Kakashi was at the door, wiggling the broken doorknob around as if it'd become fixed with enough shaking. He was having no such luck.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Sakura said softly from behind him.

He didn't respond. Her sorry wouldn't fix his door. He waited for more, expecting her to use her apology as a lead-in to a speech to try to convince him to let her stay longer. Instead he heard her coming towards him. She was finally ready to leave.

Kakashi gave the flimsy doorknob one last hit before he pulled the door open. He was met with the sight of a man in a porcelain mask, his hand ready to knock on the door.

"Hatake Kakashi. You have a mission from the Hokage," he said, handing Kakashi a scroll.

Kakashi looked at the ANBU expectantly, waiting for him to continue. The ANBU shifted his head slightly to motion at Sakura.

Oh, right.

The jonin stepped through the door and closed it behind him using a little more force than necessary, leaving Sakura inside with an indignant look on her face.

"Hey!" she cried, beginning to stomp toward the door.

Pakkun stepped in front of her to block her path.

"If he doesn't want you ta hear then stay away."

"He didn't have to slam the door like that! It's not like I would have followed him!"

"You're trying ta follow him now, aren't you?"

"But-urgh!" Sakura ran a hand through her hair in frustration and threw herself on the couch.

Kakashi, on the other side of the door, now sure she wasn't listening, turned his attention back to the ANBU. The two took a few steps away from the door before talking.

"Matsuda Hideo has escaped from the Detention Center. You are to go after him immediately."

"Matsuda? He was just interrogated yesterday. He shouldn't be in any condition to run."

"He was well enough to dispose of the two ANBU guarding him. It seems he was wounded in the leg before he got away. That should slow him down and buy you enough time to catch up. He was reported to have left the Detention Center about an hour ago."

Kakashi opened the scroll to find the Third's hastily written instructions. An assassination mission. That made sense enough. If he was good enough to get away even once, he would be too much of a threat if he stayed alive.

"There is no time to gather a squad, nor is it necessary," said the ANBU. "Matsuda has been weakened enough by the interrogation and the earlier fight."

Kakashi nodded.

"Understood." Kakashi pocketed the scroll.

Now that business was out of the way, they could move on to other matters.

"Tenzou, would you mind doing me a favor?"

Said shinobi gave a soft groan behind his mask. Trust Kakashi to break one of the most important rules of ANBU. The man would just not respect the uniform.

"Would you mind taking that girl to the Hokage?" he asked. "It seems she's involved in something that the Third needs to hear about."

So that was what it was. For a moment Tenzou had believed that Kakashi had finally taken an interest in women.

He should have known better.

"My apologies, sempai," he replied with a slight bow. "I'm expected back at headquarters within five minutes. Good luck with your mission," Tenzou hastily bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke before Kakashi could guilt trip him into doing his bidding.

The jonin sighed. Would it be so terrible to make them wait for a few minutes at headquarters? The punctual types were so unreliable.

With Matsuda's untimely escape, Kakashi now had no sure way of getting the girl to the Hokage. But that wasn't important at the moment. For now he had to get going. This guy was dangerous, and if Kakashi let him get away, he would be the next shinobi on the Third's list of people to kill.

The milk wasn't expired, surprisingly, but there was a plastic container of moldy something staring back at Sakura from the back of the fridge. Some vegetables were there to accompany it, not looking exactly rotten, but not in the freshest of states either. She could have probably used them to make herself a decent meal, but Kakashi might just rip his hair out of his head if he found her messing around in his kitchen. She would settle for eating part of his untouched breakfast.

Said jonin had left for a mission not all too happily. He had asked Sakura to report to the Hokage on her own, and she had obviously refused. Kakashi had fought against letting her stay, but in the end left with a resigned look that suggested he had known all along what the end result would be. Whatever his mission had been, it obviously took priority over whatever danger was posed by leaving a stranger in his apartment. But he had still left Pakkun behind, just in case.

It wasn't like she was planning on doing anything in there anyway. No one in their right minds would consciously try to make an enemy out of Hatake Kakashi. But by now, Sakura was probably getting pretty close...

He had changed into his ANBU gear before departing. The identity of ANBU members was supposed to be kept secret, but it was a ridiculous rule that few people followed. Everyone knew who was and wasn't in ANBU. The masks really only ever helped in missions outside of Fire Country. There were few who managed to keep their identities unknown, and they were usually the ones that had normal colored, non-gravity defying hair. He hadn't even bothered trying to hide himself.

There was very little to do in the apartment aside from staring at the wall and watching the moving clouds in the sky outside the window. Sakura didn't want to go outside, either. It probably wouldn't be wise to walk openly around the village. Who knew what damage she could do when time-travel was involved, and what rules she was already breaking by coming to her teacher. Or if there were any rules at all. Was there some sort of governing system for this kind of stuff?

Sakura spent a great portion of her day walking back and forth from one end of the apartment to the other. She would avoid getting too close to Kakashi's room, as it would make Pakkun sit up straight and give Sakura an uneasy stare. Unfortunately for the kunoichi, that was the one place she might have been able to find entertainment. His entire collection of books was in there, and with the state of boredom she was in, even porn was better than nothing.

Instead she spent the day agonizing over how she would ever get home, and what she was going to do when she saw the Third again. She really needed Kakashi to be there to do all of the explaining for her. She had to keep her talking to a minimum, unless she wanted to blurt out something inappropriate to the old man. "It's good to see you're not dead anymore, sir!" would probably not blow over too well.

The entire day went by completely eventless, and after she got tired of pacing she laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't much more interesting than the wall.

It wasn't until she heard Pakkun's stomach growl that she realized how hungry she was. But she wasn't so concerned about herself. Upon hearing the sound she shot straight up and turned to look at the dog with an apologetic look. He hadn't eaten all day, having been so busy watching after her.

"There's still some rice left, if you want it," she told him. "There's not much, but it should be enough to get you through until Kakashi gets back."

Pakkun quickly turned to look hopefully at the bowl sitting on the table, but just as fast his excitement went away and he sighed.

"No, he's right. I'll get fat," he said glumly. "And he'll kill me if he finds out."

"I won't tell anyone," she offered. He didn't reply. "Does he have food for you around here somewhere?"

The ninken shook his head.

Kakashi, that bastard.

"But you have to eat something. You'll starve."

Pakkun looked out the window and thought for a moment. The sun was beginning to set. Kakashi would probably be getting back soon. The mission wouldn't last until tomorrow. There was no way he would have left the girl alone there that long if he knew it would take him more than that. So Pakkun just had to hold out a bit longer. He'd been through worse.

But then his stomach growled.

"Just eat the rice, Pakkun. Just this once won't kill you."

Maybe the rice wouldn't, but Kakashi would.

He had fully intended to decline the offer before Sakura stuck the bowl right under his nose.

"Eat it."

Pakkun hesitated only a second longer before giving in.

Meanwhile, Sakura let herself collapse on the couch. Her boredom turned into tiredness, and soon enough she drifted off into sleep.

He frowned.

"What are you still doing here?"

That woke Sakura up. She had subconsciously registered that he had returned when she heard the door open and close, but hadn't cared enough to wake up properly. Now she slowly pushed herself upright and stared at him through droopy eyes. Judging by the stiffness of her neck, she'd been asleep for a few hours. The sky outside the window hinted it was well after midnight.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" she grumbled. The temptation to turn around and fall back asleep was strong.

"How difficult can it be to report to the Hokage without an escort?"

"Very."

Kakashi just stood there.

Sakura yawned.

Perhaps he was planning on dragging her to the Hokage at that very moment, but rather than saying anything about it she waited for him to make the next move. Luckily for her he turned away from her and made his way to his room.

Perfect.

Sakura rolled around and wrapped the blanket around her. She would go with him to the Hokage without resistance in the morning, but for now she only wanted to sleep.

The kunoichi began to take note of Kakashi's irregular footsteps right as Pakkun approached him and asked, "You alright?"

Now Sakura really woke up. She leaped up from the couch, throwing the blanket on the ground, and barged into the room right after him.

"Get out."

That was his pissed off voice.

"Why the hell aren't you at the hospital?"

"Out!"

Now even Pakkun flinched.

How had she not smelled all the blood on him? Granted, half of it probably wasn't his, but he was very obviously wounded.

"Were you planning on getting this fixed in the morning?" she snapped. "You do realize you could die from blood loss by then, right?"

Was she not listening to him?

"The bleeding stopped. This is none of your busin-"

"It is my business if I'm here to blame when you die!" she said. "Are you going to let me help you or not?"

Kakashi pushed the wolf mask off his face and ran a hand through his hair. She really needed to go. He knew he could take her on, even in his condition. And he would dispose of the body, and no one would ever need to know.

"First aid is in the bathroom," he said tiredly.

Sakura ignored him, accepting the statement as permission to start healing. She placed her hands over his hip and began letting her chakra seep into his system. But of course, things were not allowed to run all that smoothly, so Kakashi's hands snapped over her wrists to stop her.

"Gee, and I was this close to killing you, too," she said dryly.

He let her go.

Sakura found the most serious-looking wound and placed her hands over it.

"You're a medic nin." he stated.

"Trained by the Hokage herself," she said proudly, paying more attention to her work than to her words.

Kakashi registered the statement for future reference.

"I fix up idiots like you. Actually, you're one of my most frequent patients since you seem to think you're too good for the hospital."

He ignored the reference to her knowing him.

"I can take care of myself," he said defensively. "The last thing I need after a long mission is to sleep in a hospital bed."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, focusing on fixing everything he'd broken. "Better to masochistically endure the pain and sleep in your own bed, right? Just leave the hospital until morning." she grumbled.

It made perfect sense to Kakashi.

The jonin refrained from making any reply. He had no wish to make any sort of conversation with her. Instead he sat in silence, wondering how long the healing process would take. The pain from the wound on his hip was rapidly subsiding, but now his focus was shifting over to his fractured ribs.

This was a lot faster than going to the hospital.

Sakura's current usefulness only served to further irritate Kakashi, so he made a point to let her know he still didn't want her around.

"You're still leaving first thing in the morning."

Sakura gave an unladylike snort. "That's assuming you're in well enough shape to get up."

Kakashi didn't reply. He was too tired to try to keep up with her, so he let himself accept relief from the pain. Maybe waiting hadn't been a good idea, not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

Matsuda had put up a better fight than expected. A wounded leg and a bad mental state hadn't been enough to weaken him, and as if getting rid of the guy hadn't been enough, Kakashi still had to go through the trouble of bringing the body back for investigation.

He was worn out. The cool feeling of the healing chakra in his body was quickly taking down his defenses. He couldn't stay awake much longer. If he was destined to die at the hands of Pinky here, so be it. He half-trustingly put his life in her hands and gave in to sleep, thinking that if anything went wrong, Pakkun sure as hell better put up a good fight for him.