Butterflies jolted in her stomach as she headed to Tsunade's office. It had been two weeks since the ANBU tests and today she would find out her results. Sakura gave her usual polite knock before entering the office and saw Tsunade seated behind her desk.
"Good morning." She called out curtly and pointed to a chair in front of her. Sakura sat down and shifted nervously waiting for her to continue. "Well let's not waste any time seeing as we are both busy people. You passed and have already been assigned your first mission." Sakura's mouth dropped open from shock.
"You're serious?" She asked disbelief ringing in her voice. Tsunade gave her a sharp look before continuing on.
"You're to go with a team to help track down the killers of Uchiha Sasuke as the medic-nin. You leave tomorrow at six. You can pick up your uniform today or tomorrow at the headquarters. Rest of the information is in that file." Tsunade concluded pointing to the corner of her desk.
"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked quietly and saw Tsunade scrunch her face in anger.
"Seeing as you said you would do this with or without permission I decided to save you the trouble of becoming a missing nin." Tsunade replied harshly. "And because I would have done the same thing for Dan." She concluded her voice a little softer than before. "Next door you will get your tattoo and if you wouldn't mind could you stay late? Chargo called in sick." Sakura nodded and pushed herself from the chair grabbing the file. "These ninja's are extremely dangerous considering they killed Sasuke. I expect you to return here alive." Her voice was flat and conveyed no emotion as she shuffled papers on her desk. "Now get out I have six other people to see." Sakura chuckled inwardly knowing Tsunade was never good at showing her true feelings. She paused just before leaving the office.
"Thank you." Sakura heard Tsunade scoff slightly and she left with a small smile. She entered the next room timidly seeing a girl give her a toothy grin.
"Don't be shy my dear." She said cheerfully and patted the stool in front of her. Sakura nodded and sat down stiffening her body when she heard the buzz of the needle. "First tattoo?" She asked cleaning Sakura's upper shoulder. She only nodded her reply. "Well then nothing to worry about. Only hurts for the first few seconds, but considering you're apart of ANBU now it should only feel like a tickle." She concluded laughing heartily. The girl continued to talk, but Sakura was lost in the bittersweet emotions that swept over her. What would you say to me now Sasuke? She asked herself sadly. "All right you're finished. What do you think?" The girl asked holding a mirror up so Sakura could see the curly tattoo on her arm. Sakura let a smile escape from her lips.
"Last patient for the day. Male 34 years old with a broken arm and some ribs and probable concussion. Last examining room on the second floor." A nurse said hurriedly to Sakura as she took off down the hallway. Sakura climbed the stairs taking two at time excited at the prospect of leaving the hospital after her long day. She entered the second floor and gave the nurses a nod.
"Why did you stick him in the last room when all the others are empty?" Sakura asked puzzled at the peculiarity of it. The nurse giggled to her.
"That's the room we always stick him in when he gets hurt. Hey seeing as the rest of the floor is empty mind if I take a small break?" She asked sweetly to her.
"No go ahead." Sakura replied already travelling down the hallway. She entered the room seeing the three other beds empty and pulled back the curtain to the fourth one. Sakura dropped the chart in shock. "Kakashi?" She stuttered before shaking herself. "What happened?" She asked giving him a quizzical look as she picked up the chart from the floor.
"I thought your shift ended at two." He said quickly avoiding her gaze.
"It usually does, but I was covering for someone." She answered waiting for him to continue with his explanation. "Well." She said exasperated when Kakashi made no move to say anything.
"Well what?"
"What happened?" Sakura's voice rang out laced with annoyance.
"I fell."
"You fell?" She replied in disbelief. Kakashi nodded his head slightly. "The great Hatake Kakashi, Copy-nin of over a thousand jutsu fell." She repeated incredulously. "Fine don't tell me." Sakura said haughtily while picking up a pair of scissors from the metal tray.
"You're going to have to do better than that Genma." Kakashi smirked while he recovered his breath. Genma clutched his chest in pain and gave Kakashi a glare.
"Shut up." He growled to him before pulling himself to stand up straight and delivering a brutal attack. Their fighting forced them into the trees above leaping from branch to branch with an extreme speed. Genma ran beside Kakashi and let a malevolent grin escape from his lips. "So how long have you been in love with Sakura?" He asked in mid jump. Kakashi turned looking at him stunned, missing the tree branch from underneath his feet and began to feel himself fall. Before he could recover his senses Kakashi's head hit a thick branch with a resounding crack and everything faded from his sight. He felt every blow to his body, but was unable to stop himself. He came to a rest with the earth beneath his chest and vision slowly coming back. Each breath pained Kakashi and he rolled over onto his back ignoring the hysterical laughter coming from Genma as he tried to focus his vision. A searing pain ran up his left arm and his head throbbed from a sharp ache. Kakashi's vision slowly came back to reveal Genma rolling on the ground still laughing madly and he gingerly pushed himself up into a sitting position.
"How did you know?" Kakashi prompted when Genma finally sat up wiping the tears away from his eyes.
"I had an inkling, but that reaction confirmed all of my suspicions." He replied panting slightly from his fit of laughter.
"An inkling?" Kakashi groaned slightly.
"Yeah. I was her examiner for the ANBU tests and I noticed she was wearing your shirt, but I didn't think much of it. But man your reaction was priceless." Genma said chuckling. "So you've been tapping.."
"Don't." Kakashi interrupted him dangerously while rubbing the side of his head.
"Oh so you are sleeping with her. I understand she's hot and all, but Kakashi your ex student?" He said with emphasis on the student. Kakashi groaned slightly. "Not to mention she's...14 years your junior and the Hokage's apprentice. Oh man is she going to flip when she finds out." He concluded giddily.
"I know." Kakashi yelled out angrily flinching from the pain it caused to his head.
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing. Enjoy it while it lasts." Kakashi concluded somewhat bitterly.
"Oh. She only came to you after." Genma paused slightly.
"Yeah."
"Well lets get you to the hospital." Genma said breaking the silence between them.
"So I passed the tests." Sakura said casually while concentrating her chakra on Kakashi's rib.
"Good."
"And I'm leaving for my first mission tomorrow. We're going after Sasuke's killers. " She paused slightly. "Thank you for helping me. I wouldn't have accomplished this with out you." Her voice wavered slightly and she felt a twinge of grief clutch her heart. "Any more injuries?" Sakura asked stepping back. Kakashi shook his head. "Good." She muttered giving him a mischievous grin and pulled the curtain closed.
"Could you tell me where Haruno Sakura is?" Ino asked interrupting the flirting between the receptionist and Genma. The woman immediately busied herself by flipping through a dishevelled stack of papers on her desk.
"I believe the second floor since he's been the only patient admitted in the last few hours. Unusually quiet day today." She mumbled before returning her attention back to Genma and giving him a seductive smile. Ino nodded her thanks and found her feet carrying her to the second floor as anxiety ran through her. She hadn't seen or heard from Sakura for almost two weeks and worry began to set in her. She at least had other people to turn to for comfort, but with Naruto being gone Ino worried that Sakura was all alone drowning in her grief.
Ino came to a halt when she saw the empty nurses station and tapped her foot impatiently waiting. She let out an exasperated sigh being the person who doesn't like to wait and casually leaned over the counter to look at the chart laying on the desk. Hmm lets see Hatake, Kakashi...oh what did he do now? Room 28 D. Perfect he won't mind if I corner Sakura and might even back me up to. Ino thought happily to herself as she walked down the quiet corridor. She glanced at all the rooms to see that they were indeed deserted and a little grin escaped from her lips. It only seemed like yesterday when the hospital was littered with injured people and casualties from the war, but Ino was relieved to know that the village was peaceful again. She came up to the room seeing the curtain was closed and was about to yell Sakura's name when she heard a bitten back moan followed by Kakashi's name. Ino froze and stood there in shock until she quietly slipped out of the room upon deciding that she didn't want to listen to their activities. She chose the room furthest from them slipping inside and cursing under her breath from the shock.
She's killing me. Kakashi groaned inwardly to himself as he saw Genma flirting shamelessly with the attractive receptionist. He cleared his throat slightly and the receptionist tore her gaze from Genma with a slight blush on her face.
"Mr. Hatake you're all healed I see." She said a little breathlessly eyeing his muscular arms. Sakura had cut off his shirt earlier saying it would be easier then trying to pull it off with a broken arm. He finally conceded and now only wore his green vest. Kakashi only nodded while she busied herself with the paper work.
"I see you're still here." Kakashi said coolly to Genma, who let out a large grin.
"Well we still have to finish our training session. You took a little longer then I expected." He said pausing slightly. "But I had this beautiful lady to keep me company." Genma replied with a slight smirk. The receptionists blushed deepened.
"Um can you sign here?" She asked shyly while pushing a stack of papers to him.
"You'll never guess who I saw come in here." Genma muttered casually while leaning against the desk watching Kakashi flip through the various papers lazily. "Yamanaka, Ino." A grin slipped from his lips when he saw Kakashi stop briefly. "Yeah about fifteen minutes ago looking for Miss. Haruno and she made her way up to the second floor." Genma swore he heard a slight groan as Kakashi handed the stack of papers back to the receptionist.
"Do you have your slip confirming that it was an injury from training?" She asked and continued when Kakashi made no reply. "If the doctor does not sign and confirm that it was indeed due to training then you will have to cover for the expenses yourself." She finished quietly.
"I forgot it." Kakashi finally muttered.
"Oh well Sakura can give."
"I'll get it." Kakashi interrupted her and scowled at the smirk on Genma's face before leaving. His heart was beating faster than usual as he saw the nurses station still empty and quietly slipped down the hall to the last room.
"Oh Ino you scared me." Sakura's voice called out when Kakashi heard the curtain being pulled back. "Um something I can help you with?" She asked puzzled after the long silence.
"Here I am all worried that you're pushing everyone away making yourself isolated and going to slit your wrists or something stupid while wallowing in your grief for Sasuke's death." Ino finally hissed. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked desperately.
"Tell you what?" Kakashi could hear the confusion in Sakura's voice.
"About you and Kakashi." Ino finally muttered quietly. Kakashi's breath caught in his throat as he cursed to himself.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura blurted out a little to quickly.
"Don't lie to me. I saw you together in this very room." Ino yelled harshly to her. Kakashi could feel the tension slipping out of the room in the long silence that followed. "How long?" She muttered quietly.
"The night of Sasuke's death." Sakura mumbled bleakly. Kakashi heard a sharp intake of breath.
"Oh."
"No it's not like that." Sakura muttered quickly to Ino. "I needed someone to comfort me as dumb as that sounds and he was the first person I turned to." She paused and Kakashi could hear the hint of grief in her tone. "He helps me to forget and dulls the pain." Sakura finally finished.
"Do you." Ino paused and Kakashi held his breath anticipating her next question. "Do you love him?"
"No." He heard Sakura's voice ring out immediately after the question with a finality in it. Kakashi exhaled the breath he had been holding as he felt disappointment tickle the back of his mind. He wouldn't wholly admit it to himself, but he had hoped Sakura felt something for him other than the need to stop her pain. He slipped away quietly hearing all that he needed to.
"Did you get what you needed?" Genma asked while brushing a blond lock of hair away from the receptionists face while she giggled. Kakashi gave him a slight nod.
"I'll just need you to sign it quickly." She mumbled quietly to Kakashi not taking her eyes of off Genma.
"I didn't get it. Couldn't find her." Kakashi muttered. His voice was blank and flat as he saw Genma nod his head in understanding.
"Oh I'll just leave a note for Elise since I'm off in five." She replied trying to stifle the giggles. Kakashi gave a slight nod to Genma as he brushed passed him heading towards the exit.
"What we aren't going to finish our training session?" Genma asked with a mock disappointment. Kakashi ignored him. "Perfect. Now I can take this little lady out for drinks." He finished devilishly. Kakashi ignored the giggles from the receptionist as he left the building.
Sakura shifted nervously in the dark outside Kakashi's apartment door as her hand gripped the cool steel of the door handle. She turned it and a small wave of relief flooded her senses as she stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind her. It was about one in the morning and she had just finished memorizing all the details to her mission when she found herself outside his door. Sakura silently crept into Kakashi's room noting his heavy breathing and slipped off her clothes before crawling into bed with him. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips when he did not stir and she settled beside him resting her head on his smooth chest. Her mind raced and Sakura closed her eyes seeing her friends harsh face in her mind.
"Do you...Do you love him?"
"No." Sakura immediately replied and halted when she saw Ino's face. She crossed her arms defiantly while narrowing her eyes dangerously at Sakura. She shuddered slightly and knew that Ino would see through any untruthful answers. She often wondered how Ino was always able to decipher her feelings before she would even come to realize them. After a long silence Sakura continued. "I don't know. Maybe." She concluded dejectedly.
"Well what's the problem?" Ino asked surprised and softened her features. Sakura kept her eyes glued to the floor. "You feel that you're betraying Sasuke don't you?" Ino finally asked. "Almost guilty if you found that your heart was able to move on so easily. Sakura let me give you a piece of advice. Sasuke's dead. You can't keep holding yourself back, because you're going to wake up one day an old lady and wonder where your life went." Sakura could feel Ino's arms wrapping around her as she was pulled into a hug with hot tears running down her cheeks.
"I know, but I just keep thinking if I hold on he will appear around the corner as if nothing ever happened. It's silly I know. But I don't know how I feel about Kakashi. It's different from anything I've ever felt before. I don't know if any of it's real." Sakura muttered quietly while pulling out of the embrace and wiping the tears from her face. "And he is my ex-sensei not to mention...14 years older than me. It's so taboo." She finally finished. Ino scoffed loudly.
"So what. Go to him tonight and don't put up any barriers around yourself. Figure out what you truly feel for him Sakura." Ino concluded confidently before a sly grin graced her face. "So how is he...you know."
"Ino." Sakura shouted in disbelief.
"Oh come on. I've always wondered what it would be like to sleep with him. What does he look like?" She asked excitement twitching in her voice.
"I don't know." Sakura continued when she saw the confused look on Ino's face. "I always have a blindfold on." She finished somewhat sheepishly.
"Oh, kind of kinky I guess. So how would you rate him?" Ino prompted rather harshly.
"Well I've only slept with one man, but he's" Sakura paused feeling a blush stain her cheeks. "He's good. Really really good." She mumbled quietly and giggled at the look of glee on Ino's face.
"That's one of the perks of sleeping with a man and not some fumbling twenty year old." Ino finished darkly before returning to giggling with Sakura.
The giggles echoed in Sakura's mind as she debated with herself. Ok no barriers. She finally concluded to herself and placed the familiar black cloth over her eyes. She only had one desire coursing through her veins and that was to feel his lips against hers. Her hands trembled slightly as they found their way to Kakashi's mask and slowly slid it down. Sakura tried to quell her anxiety, but they hadn't kissed since her first night there. Her finger lightly traced his upper lip as she tried to sort through the overwhelming emotions she finally decided to acknowledge. Sakura didn't know what she was feeling, butall she wanted was one kiss from him. She held her breath, hoping she wouldn't wake him and gently pressed her lips against his. Something soothed inside of her and she felt a peace settle over her heart for a moment. She smiled lightly against Kakashi's lips and drew back slowly hands already sliding the mask back up to its regular place. Sakura gasped slightly as she felt herself being rolled onto the bed hand pressed firmly into the mattress and his weight settling comfortably on top of her. Her breath quickened with anticipation yearning for another kiss. It was sweet and gentle and Kakashi ran his calloused fingers over her smooth cheek causing her to shiver.
"I want to see those beautiful green eyes." Kakashi whispered into her ear and she could feel the cloth slipping from her eyes. Sakura opened her eyes slowly focusing on Kakashi's intense gaze and she let her finger trace the long scar on his left eye while letting her gaze wander over the rest of his face. He certainly was handsome and the scar was the only thing that marred his beautiful face, but it's presence gave him an undeniable strength she admitted to herself. Sakura traced that scar with light butterfly kisses and lingered in front of Kakashi's lips. If she continued, she knew she would be crossing an invisible boundary within herself never able to go back, but Sakura looked at him feeling an insatiable craving. She kissed Kakashi pouring all of her unspoken and hidden emotions into the kiss and he returned it.
Sakura awoke to being clutched tightly in Kakashi's arms and she let a small smile grace her lips. She slipped from his grasp slowly and turned to study his beautiful face and body. He was sleeping peacefully and she was mesmerized by his expression. It was calm yet seemed to hold a devilish smirk to it even while he slept. Sakura's eyes slipped over every muscle and she fought the urge to trace over every scar she came across. He was lean and muscular designed for both agility and strength and Sakura found herself blushing with all the thoughts of what she had done to that body. She slipped out of the bed rather unwillingly and began to bury all emotions feeling her doubts and worries flood back to her. She had to settle everything with Sasuke first, before she would allow herself to move on. Sakura gave him one last look her chest tightening slightly and left racing to the front gates to meet her new team.
I got inspired to write this while avoiding my studying. Hope you like it.
Cance