Chapter 4

AN: ^.^ I made up Rin's last name. I did look it up, and was torn between throwing her in the Inuzuka clan (which people have suspected) or making my own one. But when I was researching the markings are quite different.

unaffectionate

She thoroughly enjoyed staring at his back all the time. She was quite accustomed to it. She used to accept that even if all he would ever give her was his back, then she would happily take it with a smile. But that was almost two years ago, and both of them had been through too much with each other. Now, she hated his back. They had been travelling at a non-stop pace, despite her recommendation that he at least rest another day, but she never expected for him to listen to her. He was in charge, he had rank, he was the genius prodigy, and yet from these recent events her faith in him had become almost non-existent.

Musing with her begrudged thoughts, she was swept with a feeling of fatigue causing her to suddenly stop and grab her chest. Feeling her heart palpitate, her eyes shut as she fell back towards the ground. Internally, she braced herself for the impact. Perhaps the fall would kill her? To her utmost dismay, the thought of never seeing his back caused an ironic pain to form in her heart. As fast as that thought occurred, she was swept up in mid air. Tiredly, she opened her eyes and stared straight at his concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" His question caused a sigh to fall from her lips. She nodded tiredly, took her arms, and wrapped them around his shoulders. His body stiffen at her unexpected embrace. She only snuggled further; not willing to pass up such a rare opportunity. Especially, since he had been avoiding her since their 'incident' over a year ago. Hearing him give a sigh she smiled when she felt him adjust her so she was hugging his back. She breathed in deeply, savouring his sandalwood smell, before nuzzling her head against his neck. He turned his head slightly in her direction before adjusting her legs in his arm. After that, he began to move amongst the trees again. She only had one thought before she drifted off asleep. "Maybe his back isn't so bad."

Hoshino Rin. Sakura couldn't get the name out of her mind. Even as she crushed the ground before her feet to slow down Sai's ink beasts. What was your connection to Kakashi?

It was bad enough that said man was watching their spar with a confused look as he watched Sakura get trapped in Sai's ink bindings for the seventh time that morning. He observed as her battered and bruised body panted from exertion trying to free herself again. Kakashi hadn't seen her take a beating like that since she was a genin.

Hoshino. Sakura fell to her knees. Rin. Sai quickly drew his katana and ran towards her. Kakashi poofed in front of him and held up his hand. Sai immediately stopped.

"Alright I think that's enough for today. Good work Sai." Sai nodded, and then went to go stand next to Yamato on the other side of the field to watch Sasuke and Naruto. Kakashi turned to Sakura. She was bent over on all fours holding a healing hand to her, most likely, badly bruised ribs. Sighing and scratching the back of his neck, Kakashi leaned down on one knee beside her.

"Everything okay Sakura-chan?" He asked.

"Yeah, just some bruises that's all. I don't think anything is broken." She answered before sitting up on her knees. A pained look crossed her face before she turned to look at him. "Kakashi-kun I'm so sorry." Shaking her head, Sakura ran a head through her dirty hair.

Kakashi brought his hand up and flicked her in the head. "Is everything okay up there?" He asked giving her an inquisitive look. Sakura glared at him and ran a gloved hand over her forehead.

"Yes. I'm fine." She reassured before rising to her feet, and attempting to hobble away from the infuriating man.

Kakashi rose to his feet and pulled out his book. "Are you getting your period early Sakura?" Kakashi grinned slyly when he saw her immediately stop, "Because if my calculations are correct, it shouldn't come for at least another fourteen days. In fact you should just be finished ovulating and if you want my opinion I don't think it's good for a girl your age to be getting such irregular periods. In fact, now that I think about it, weren't you late two months ago? That must have been quite stressful." Eyes wide and mouth open Sakura turned around, stunned. Kakashi grinned behind his book.

Silence filled the training grounds as a breeze tickled Sakura's blood stained medical apron. I should probably take it to the cleaner. Sakura pondered, her mind beginning to reboot. Blinking a few times to rehydrate her eyes, Sakura then closed her mouth and sloshed her saliva around in her mouth.

Memories of what just occurred began going through her mind. Her first thought was out of pure curiosity. Hm, I wonder how he knew that. The second thought wasn't as pleasant. In fact the second thought caused her eye to twitch ever so sporadically. Then, beyond her control, her hands squeezed together into fists. And before Sakura knew it, she was already throwing herself at her ex-sensei and destroying the land behind him. Lifting her head up, her vision seeing red, she saw her ex-sensei reading on a fallen tree amongst the rubble.

"So, I'm guessing that's a yes?" He asked, eyes never leaving the page. Her mouth rippled into an ugly and un-lady like snarl. Forgetting all her previous bruises, she moved into for the kill.

Kakashi's eyes widened as she rushed him. Putting his book away, he pulled out a kunai and blocked the brigade shuriken she sent his way. Smiling and preparing himself for one hell of spar, Kakashi rushed past her towards where the boys were practicing. Bursting past a confused Yamato and Sai, Kakashi cleared the field where the boys were fighting and headed towards the forest. He only knew one good place to fight a raging bull.

Kakashi was very much aware what he said to her was beyond stupid, if not suicidal, but seeing her pitiful performance in training these past few weeks, today being the worst, it would appear he would have to take this situation into his own hands. Dodging a few senbon being thrown his way, Kakashi glanced behind him and caught a glimpse of the horrified expressions of Naruto and Sasuke as Sakura all but trampled them. "Perhaps the ovulation comment was a bit too much." Kakashi spoke to himself before turning around and lifting up his hitae to reveal his sharingan. He would definitely need it today.

_______

Naruto slowly got up from the rock he crashed into. Brushing off his pants, he approached Sasuke, who seemed to have met a similar fate with the tree. Naruto held out a helping hand to Sasuke. He took it, rose to his feet, and turned around. Scanning the wreckage, Sasuke pulled a twig from his hair and looked at it.

"Ne teme, Sakura is scary." Naruto stated, scratching the back of his bruised head.

"Yeah, and Kakashi-sensei is dead." Sasuke flicked the twig away and put his hands in his pockets.

"Hai." Naruto agreed.

______

"Kakashi you're dead!" Sakura yelled as she uprooted a tree and chucked it at him. Sighing at the large object heading towards him, Kakashi used a quick replacement jutsu before running towards the rather large pond he knew was in the vicinity. Dodging a couple kunai, he made his way to the waterfall cliff edge and jumped off. Time to cool her off a bit. Doing a couple hand seals Kakashi shouted, "Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" A large water dragon sprung up from the cliff and headed directly for the hot headed girl running right to it.

When I catch up to that gross and disgusting bastard I am going to ring his neck. Sakura thought breaching the tree line, scanning her vision she looked up just in time to barely dodge the water dragon. Tumbling on the ground near the edge of the cliff, Sakura got on her feet just in time for the dragon to hit her directly. The dragon threw her down the cliff into the pond. Sakura came up instantly sputtering and coughing up pond water. Swimming to the shallow end, Sakura stood up and looked around, only to stare at the two pairs of legs right in front of her. Looking up at the infuriating male before her, she gave him her best death glare. He knelt down next to her for the second time that day, and pealed the pond sewage off her head.

"Feeling better Sakura?" His said with his innocent eye crease. Staring up at him, an evil smile crossed Sakura's lips. It was at that moment that Kakashi knew he was screwed. The Sakura in the water poofed away, and the last thing Kakashi heard before he went immobile was "Ranshinshou!"

Sakura dragged Kakashi to the shore line of the pond before flopping down on the beach next to him in exhaustion.

"I wasn't aware Tsunade taught you that jutsu." Kakashi spoke while looking at Sakura's rough appearance out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, last year." Sakura answered closing her eyes.

"Ah." Kakashi began looking intently at Sakura's wet chest up and down.

"Kakashi?" Her voice snapped his gaze to her face.

"Hai?" Sakura opened her eyes and turned her head towards him.

"I don't think I can move either." Kakashi smiled at her words, and their newly created situation.

"Well luckily for you I can probably break this jutsu, but it will use up all my chakra reserves. So it will be a long walk back home. I hope you don't have a hot date tonight."

"Sadly no, men find me intimidating. I have no idea why?" Sakura grinned at Kakashi when she heard him let out chuckle.

Kakashi closed both his eyes in concentration. Several long moments passed before he struggled to lift up both hands to do the release seals. Her eyes spotted a lone bead of sweat as it trickled down his exposed and scarred cheek. She was startled at the urge to trace its turned her head immediately to stare at the afternoon sky. Where the hell did that come from?

His sudden movement startled Sakura out of her musing. Looking over at him, she saw him stretch the numbness out of his appendages. He took off his jounin vest, and began ringing it out checking to see if his belongings were all there. Sakura couldn't help but admire the physique of an elite jounin. 'Naruto and Sasuke really have nothing on him.' Inner Sakura chimed in her head. Sakura couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face.

"Ready to go?" Kakashi asked as he put his vest back on. Sakura turned away, hiding her blush.

Shaking the rubbish out of her head, she sighed in irritation, "I was serious when I said I couldn't move. Every muscle in my body hurts, and I'm pretty sure I sprained my ankle dodging your water dragon."

Kakashi turned his back towards her. Taking the hint, Sakura struggled to sit up and wrapped her bruised and beaten arms around his shoulders. Kakashi hoisted her on his back, and began walking towards Konoha.

"Thank you Kakashi."

Hearing Sakura's thank you, Kakashi made the mental note that she hadn't used the suffix all day. Not knowing what to make of it, Kakashi walked into the forest.

"Kakashi?" A grunt was his only response.

"Where are we anyway?"

"An abandoned ANBU training ground."

Sakura wrapped her arms around him tighter and raised her head to lie on his shoulder. His back stiffened for a moment before he quietly sighed and walked on.

"Kakashi?" Sakura mumbled tiredly.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"How do you know when my period is?" A grin appeared on Kakashi's face, he turned his head to tell her that when she was pmsing she tended to have explosive and almost unbearable pms, but before he could spout more suicidal nonsense he heard her soft snores brushing against his ear. His grip tightened on her bare legs, he shook his head at the feeling of, what he could only assume was, drool on his neck.