Chapter 3: Flux
Author's Note: Revised, as of 2/20/10.
The first rays of morning sunlight began peeking through the window of Sakura's room, bathing the bed where she and Naruto lay in a warm glow. They lay cuddled in each other's arms, in mostly the same position as they had been when they fell asleep the night before. The warmth of the morning light on Sakura's body caused her to slowly stir, and finally open her eyes to the sight of a snoring, spiky blond-haired shinobi lying next to her. She smiled, and starting running her fingers through his shoulder length blond locks. Naruto had always slept like a rock, and she didn't have to worry about disturbing his sleep.
She had never really realized it before, but right now it hit her like one of Tsunade's punches: Naruto looked a lot like the Yondaime Hokage. It wasn't as apparent before, but now that he was eighteen, the similarity was striking. "It's like they were brothers. Or maybe even father and son," she thought, "Come to think of it, the Yondaime was Kakashi's sensei. If Naruto really is related, then who better to teach him? I'll have to ask Kakashi-sensei about it. But, right now, I don't want to get up! This is heaven…"
Naruto started to slowly stir, but Sakura didn't notice that he had started waking up. She kept stroking his hair and reveling in the bliss comfort of intimacy. "Hmm, I love it when you play with my hair, Sakura-chan," he mumbled, nearly causing her to start.
"Well, that's a good thing, because I love playing with your hair," she replied, and then kissed him softly on the lips. "I had a wonderful time last night, Naruto," she continued, "I'm glad to be with you."
Naruto didn't know what to say. He was utterly in awe of this girl, and had been for as long as he could remember. All he could do was just hug her close, and pray that this feeling would last.
Unfortunately, it couldn't. The two very reluctantly pulled themselves out of bed and started getting dressed. Kakashi had planned for them to leave bright and early in the morning, and they didn't want to give him any cause for alarm. They hurriedly went through their morning routine. Naruto soon dashed off to his room and collected together all of his things, exchanging his normal uniform for a set of unassuming civilian clothes: khaki slacks and black rock band tee shirt. They'd all be disguised in civilian dress for this next part of the mission. The less attention they'd attract, the better.
Meanwhile, Sakura hurriedly combed through her slightly tangled hair, hoping to tame it enough to look presentable. She fussed over her hair and eyes a bit, applying a little bit of eye shadow and mascara. She got a little bit of mascara in her eye; for the past six years she'd never had much use for makeup. "If I'm going to hide as a civilian, then I might as well look good while doing it," she thought, rationalizing falling back into some of her old habits. Habits that she hadn't indulged in since Sasuke left.
She put on an elegant, low cut red blouse and a pair of white, low-rise jeans that fit just a little too tightly. She regretted bringing them very quickly; if by some chance they got into a fight, they'd restrict her movement. Uncomfortable thoughts of cutting her pants off and fighting in her underwear flashed through her head. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. She finished packing up and then stepped out the door.
Team Kakashi walked fairly briskly down the dirt road leading them towards the border of the Fire Country. This part of the mission would be the easiest; it simply involved staying unnoticed while rendezvousing with the Suna mole planted in Orochimaru's inner fold. They would meet him in the central market of a large fishing town near the border of the Fire Country. The trip would take another two days to reach their, travelling at their walking pace.
Discretion being the better part of valor, everyone was travelling in civilian clothes. Kakashi had somehow managed to make himself look normal. His normally unruly gray hair combed back into a Shikamaru style pony-tail, and he wore a small patch over his left eye. His slightly disheveled shirt and slacks completed the look of banality that he was striving for.
Sai too had managed to look semi normal. He captured the air of young, starving artist with his disguise. Loose fitting shirts and baggy pants, all with slight smudges and stains on them, provided a perfect way of hiding weapons on his person while remaining in cognito.
As they walked along, Naruto and Sakura slowly drifted a bit behind Kakashi and Sai, all the while gaily chatting about whatever took their fancy. They held hands as they walked; forming the picture of a perfect young couple. When Sai noticed, he remarked, "I didn't know Naruto-kun and Sakura-san where that close," discretely motioning towards the happy couple. Though tact was still not one of his strong points, Sai had learned a lot about being human in the past three years. Holding hands meant something.
"Well, they've been best friends and companions for almost three years now, so I guess it's only natural…" Kakashi replied, trailing off with a lingering uncertainty. Something had changed overnight. It was a small change, but noticeable nonetheless. "Is it more than just that? Kakashi wondered, "Could their bond have grown romantic? As long as it doesn't get in the way of the mission, I guess it really doesn't matter."
"Kakashi-senpai?" Sai asked, puzzled at Kakashi's sudden silence and distant expression.
"Oh, it's nothing, Sai. I was just thinking about Naruto and Sakura. I think it would be best to not dwell on this issue until we complete this mission. Try to remain focused, Sai. I'll talk to them about remaining focused when we stop tonight."
"Understood, Kakashi-senpai."
The road snaked onwards, carving its path in an elegant contour to the rolling hills of the Fire Country's interior. The morning air was a bit chilly, but the march of spring was inexorable. Everywhere, live was springing forth into new bloom. The pine forests surrounding the road flavored the air with their sweet and pungent scent. As the sun moved higher in the sky, the air began to warm slowly, making the travel a bit more pleasant. Throughout most of the day, the temperature would hang in that comfortable zone just below normal room temperature, allowing for brisk travel without much discomfort.
The team passed by a number of other travelers on their march towards the coast, cautiously eyeing them for any suspicious activity. For the most part, they were just merchants, and no one took any particular notice of Team Kakashi. A little bit after noon, they stopped for a quick lunch of warm tea and rice cakes. The tea was refreshing and a welcome luxury on the road. Sakura took her time in savoring the warm beverage, reminiscing on fond memories of the past.
"It seems like just yesterday that we were just hapless young Genin, having a hard time just getting along, let alone completing a mission," the pink haired kunoichi mused.
"But, I wasn't on your Genin team, Sakura," Sai reminded her.
"Oh, you're right. I guess I've just become so used to you that I sometimes forget that you haven't always been here," she replied as she absent-mindedly brushed some soot off her bamboo tea flask.
"Those were the days," Naruto cried, "back when you were always fawning over Sasuke-teme, and I was always challenging him, and he was…well, he was just Sasuke, the angsty Uchiha clan genius. Those were the days."
"Oh, don't tease, Naruto-kun. We were just twelve then; all of us were young and dumb," Sakura chided.
"Don't get me wrong, Sakura-chan. I was foolishly trying to prove myself by trying to outdo Sasuke. Sasuke was being, well, Sasuke. 'Unbearably hip' is what Gai-sensei would call it—just how did he attract the attention of so many girls? I mean, he was my best friend, but I still don't see what was so appealing about him."
"I really don't know either, Naruto-kun. He was just, well, cool, and the more I got to know him, the more enamored with him I became. Sure, he ticked me off at times, but when I really got to know him, I couldn't help but love him."
"Well, I guess that's true, but so many other girls like him without really getting to know him. And the competition over him was just brutal. You and Ino were ready to kill each other over him." Naruto began to fidget a bit in uneasiness. Ino was still a slightly touchy subject with Sakura. "I mean," he continued, "you went from best friends to worst enemies practically overnight."
"I know, that was stupid of us. We're friends again now, but I don't think we'll ever be as close as we were before Sasuke-kun entered into the equation."
"Time heals all wounds, Sakura," Kakashi interjected in his characteristic tone of slight apathy. "It won't be long before it will be hard to remember what you even fought with each other for."
"I hope you're right, Kakashi-sempai. I hope you're right…"
"I just wish things could go back to the way things were before," Naruto sighed, "Everything was simple then. Sometimes I don't know up from down anymore, but back then life was good. The heartaches were small, and we got over them in time. We didn't have to wonder if we could trust our friends. I would give almost anything to see things get set right finally." But deep down, he knew that he wanted the impossible. Innocence, once lost, could never be regained. In time, all must say their last goodbye to paradise.
Sakura finished the last of her tea, and waited patiently for the rest of the group to finish. Kakashi smothered the small cooking fire with dirt while Sai and Naruto cleaned up the remnants of their small meal. When he was sure the fire was completely out, Kakashi motioned for them to pick up their packs and get ready to head out. The road ahead would be long, but if they kept their pace, they'd be in a small way station by around eight o'clock, where they'd have a late dinner and a real bed to sleep in.