A Mission

Sakura woke up to a ray of sunlight streaming in her window and a killer headache. For a moment she wondered where she was, as her living room wasn't exactly what she woke up to see every morning.

A soft snore at her ear made her twist her head around. Coming face-to-face with silver hair and a black mask, she was abruptly reminded of last night's events.

She was drinking, she fell down…. That was about all she could remember. So why the hell was she lying on the sofa with Hatake Kakashi?

Gently, as not to wake him, she disentangled herself from his arms and stood up. He looked so serene and so vulnerable asleep. Inadvertently her eyes went to his mask. She touched it, wondering whether to pull it down, and drew back. He trusted her, should she betray his trust by revealing him without his consent?

Curiosity warred with doubt, and Sakura touched the rim of his mask several times in uncertainty. Making up her mind, her fingers slid into his mask, and she began to pull it down.

A sudden movement made her jerk her hand back in fright. Kakashi was yawning and stretching sleepily. Sakura laughed at herself inwardly for her guilt, and set about preparing breakfast.

"Where am I?" Blearily Kakasi sat up and took in his surroundings.

"You're in my home, on my sofa and if you don't get up in five minutes you don't get breakfast," replied Sakura tartly. Kakashi rubbed his head.

"I don't remember how I came to be sleeping on your sofa." He looked around uncertainly and stood up, stretching again. "I need a bath. Can I?" He nodded in the direction of her toilet.

Sakura blushed. "Of course," she said hurriedly. As Kakashi disappeared into the toilet, she wrestled with the conflicting emotions in her head.

My, my, feeling a bit like a housewife, aren't we? Snickered Inner Sakura. Preparing breakfast while your man has a wash.

He's not my man, Sakura thought hotly. He's my teacher and supervisor, for heaven's sake.

You never know, murmured Inner Sakura. Watch the eggs.

With a shocked exclamation she noticed the eggs start to sizzle. Sliding it out of the pan and onto a plate, she heard the toilet door opening and instinctively looked up.

"You have any spare clothes?" asked Kakashi. He was dressed in only a towel around his waist, one hand covering his nose and mouth and the other holding his black ANBU shirt and trousers. His lean torso was an impressive sight.

Averting her eyes, Sakura nodded. Going to her bedroom, she fished out a set of clothes that had once belonged to her father. Tossing them to Kakashi, she went back to preparing breakfast.

After Kakashi had went home, Shizune came to see Sakura. "The Hokage wants to assign you to a mission," she said simply before departing. Unfazed, she dressed herself and went to the Hokage tower.

Arriving outside Tsunade's office, she knocked. "Come in," said a voice from within. Sakura entered, and surprisingly, Kakashi was also there.

"A rich man in the Stone country requested for our best medic. His daughter is badly sick with a disease which I think is the yellow fever. I cannot leave, so as you are the next in rank, you have to go." Tsunade grimaced.

Sakura nodded. But that didn't explain why Kakashi was here too.

"And as you are still considered an ANBU newbie," continued Tsunade, "your supervisor shall accompany you there." She glanced at Kakashi, who was all accepting indifference.

"Here is the address of our client. You can depart immediately." She handed the duo a scroll. Sakura glanced at Kakashi, who shrugged.

Stowing the scroll in her bag, she departed with him. As he headed home, she went over to Naruto's and Ino's homes respectively to say her goodbyes.

An hour later, she met Kakashi at the gates and they began their journey. Starting from the first few hours, the silence between them grew from tolerable to downright unbearable. The silence was deafening.

"How did you get your Sharingan?" Sakura asked, trying to break the silence. Kakashi's shoulders tensed and she realized she had hit a nerve.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she said, hurriedly withdrawing her question. He glanced at her, his posture retuning to one of relaxed boredom. He couldn't blame her for not knowing his emotional scars.

"My… friend gave it to me," he said, revealing the tip of the iceberg. Immediately he shut up again, having already revealed all he felt comfortable with.

Sakura watched him with unveiled curiosity. The six words he said raised another two questions in her mind. Was his friend an Uchiha, and if so, why did he give away his precious family heirloom to a friend, of all things?

But she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to cause Kakashi more discomfort. Maybe she should ask him about other things.

"What do you think about Sasuke now that he has turned to Orochimaru?" she asked. His expression turned to one of great sadness.

"Sasuke was a promising student," he murmured. "If it wasn't for the darkness in his heart, he would have been one of Konoha's best. It was a terrible pity."

Sakura nodded. Sasuke must be so consumed with hate that his road led to nowhere but power. She shuddered to think that she once loved him.

"Sasuke reminded me so much about my younger self. Cool, cold and indifferent," Kakashi said. "The best in everything, yet haunted by a terrible past."

Sakura was thoroughly interested now, and she bit back her questions with effort. Kakashi, finding nothing else to say, lapsed back into silence.

Sakura felt she was going to go crazy with curiosity.

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A/N:

Sorry if this is a little short, I couldn't really find much to elaborate on. Review please!