WHY IS THIS SO LONG? GAWD. This seriously was killing me, but I had to get it down. It was one of the first ideas I had for this fic, but I wanted to wait for an appropriate time. That time is apparently now.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chappie! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that another one of my random parings, KibaHana, has started to grow on people. Now, to find a way to get LeeAyame to work. *author plots*

Okay, random Naruto spoilerific comments time! First of all, I would like to once again point out how much I was enjoying the Uchiha Reunion. It gave me hope that Sasuke isn't completely a lost cause; he just misses his big bro! Secondly, I am sad that it has apparently ended. Thirdly, for the first time ever, I felt bad for Kabuto. For most of Naruto, I had a Sasuke/Sakura relationship with him ("Kabuto, go away! You're annoying!") However, after hearing his backstory, dude can't help but be annoying, especially with a childhood like that. Also for the first time, I wished for Orochimaru to come back, if only so he could give Kabuto a pedo-hug so the weirdo would stop injecting himself with his genes. (Seriously, what the fuck? If you wanted Oro inside you so bad, I'm sure you could have just asked. Weirdo.)

And now my ranting has made the chapter even longer. Lucky you guys!

I don't own Naruto.

She made the incision carefully, the body yielding like butter under her sharp scalpel. Already, she could see the effects of the poison—the skin was flaky and dry, and despite the body being dead for over a day, the blood still ran freely.

"Look a little lower," Shizune advised, tapping the preferred spot with a finger.

Sakura obliged, cutting a little lower and moving the flap of skin.

"Hmm." Shizune placed her hands into the cadaver, cradling an organ. "The liver's inflamed."

"Fatty too," Sakura remarked. "That means the poison was strong, right?"

"Right," Shizune murmured deep in thought. "It's going to be hard to combat this one."

The roseate-haired girl sighed, looking at her blood-stained gloves thoughtfully. If the poison was strong, it meant she was going to have a hell of a time attempting to gain an immunity to it. She soured, realizing days full of vomiting and cold sweats were likely.

"Sakura."

She looked up at the new voice, annoyed to see her old teammate Sai smiling at her. Well, she wasn't annoyed at him, per se, but at what his sudden appearance meant. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I've got a week off missions."

Sai shrugged, but didn't look very sympathetic. "I was told to come get you," he responded. "You are to report to the Hokage immediately."

Sakura groaned. "Now?" She motioned to the cadaver. "I'm kind of in the middle of something. Can't it wait a few hours?"

"Immediately." Sakura wanted to smack that smile off his face. "And I suggest you hurry. She can't find her sake and is in a really foul mood."

Sakura bit her lip, looking at the dead body longingly. In her studies, the one thing she wasn't well-versed in was poison, and Shizune had offered to teach her a few things. This had been the only time that fit both of their schedules...and it was being ruined.

"Go ahead, Sakura," Shizune urged, gesturing to the cadaver. "It's not like he's going anywhere. Go see what she wants."

Mumbling to herself, Sakura took off her latex gloves with a snap. "Fine," she growled, marching over to Sai. "If she's sending me on a sake run, I'm kicking your ass."

Sai held up his hands. "Don't kill the messenger."

"Yeah, whatever."

She was still irked when she made her way to Hokage Tower, and even more so when she walked into the office and the Hokage didn't acknowledge her right away. She was in no way presentable to be seen by the public—her long pink hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head, she wearing the sensible flats that Ino dubbed her "Granny Shoes" as well as her ratty lab coat that was one size too big, and she had to reek of formaldehyde—yet Tsunade had made her trek across the village on her day off!

"Shishou," she prompted, a vein popping in her head.

Tsunade lifted her head off of the desk, bags under her eyes. "Sakura." She sighed, rubbing her temples. She obviously had a headache. "You have a mission."

Sakura blinked. "This is my week off. You've been pushing me to take it for forever, remember?"

"I know," Tsunade snapped. Sake withdrawal was obviously not agreeing with her. "But something just came up."

This was insane. For the first time in years, Sakura was taking a much-needed vacation, and she was off-duty for both missions and her hospital shifts. She was enjoying having time for herself. "You couldn't get anyone else? Shishou."

"Don't 'shishou' me," Tsunade barked. "You know I wouldn't do this unless I had no other choice. He wouldn't do it without you, and the client specifically asked for him."

"Who?" Sakura asked curiously. If it was Naruto again, she was going to kill him. He knew how much she had been looking forward to this vacation!

"Kakashi," the Hokage mumbled, rubbing her temples again before sitting up completely.

Emerald eyes widened in surprise. "Kakashi-sensei?"

"This mission is in fact two," Tsunade began to explain. "Officially, the wife of the Earth daimyo has commissioned us to find out if her husband is cheating."

"Why does that need two people?" Sakura demanded. "Kakashi-sensei could handle it just fine on his own."

Tsunade rummaged around in her desk. Sakura didn't doubt she was looking for her hidden sake. "Because the daimyo is suspicious as well. He has done everything in his power to try to keep his infidelities from his wife, including surrounding himself with Iwa-nin. Fortunately, Iwa's harvest festival is coming up, and that gives us an in."

"Harvest festival?"

"Originally, it was to celebrate the harvest—being thankful for the bounty the gods had given them." Her shishou sighed, giving up on her sake for the moment. "Nowadays, it's grown into being more about couples and fertility."

Sakura blanched, slowly realizing what the Hokage wanted from her. "You interrupted my vacation," she said slowly, her teeth beginning to grind, "so that I could play trophy wife?"

Tsunade's honey eyes flashed a warning. "Volume, Sakura."

The medic nin exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. "You do realize that I'm nineteen," she said incredulously, "and he's at least eighty. No one will believe that."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, but the slight quirk to her lips showed she was amused. "He's not eighty. And you two work well together, so you'll be convincing. That's one of the reasons I think you'll be a good fit for this mission."

A pink eyebrow raised. "You have more?"

"Yes, and it involves the other part of the mission. The one not on the books." The blonde laced her fingers together. "There have been reports that Iwa has been creating drugs."

"Drugs," Sakura repeated blankly.

"Pharmaceutical drugs," Tsunade clarified. "Ones that can possibly be used against us. This is your second mission. While you're there proving the infidelity of the Earth daimyo, see if you can find any intel on the drug ring."

This was news to Sakura. New drugs could mean anything from antidotes to poisons to strength enhancers, and it was no wonder Tsunade wanted to keep an eye on it.

Tsunade seemed to notice Sakura's sudden interest. "I'll give you two weeks' paid leave," she wheedled.

Sakura's eyes widened. Even her current vacation wasn't paid! Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of being manipulated. "Fine," she sighed, resigned. "I'll take the mission."

Tsunade smiled. "Good. Because of our current relationship with Earth, you are not to draw any attention to you being shinobi. You are merely civilians, passing through Iwa. You are not to use any jutsu that will say otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes, Shishou."

"Good." She tossed a small box to Sakura, who caught it deftly. "You will meet outside the village gates at seven sharp. Kakashi will fill you in on the rest. Now, unless you're going to tell me where Shizune hid my sake, get out of my office."

"Ouch," Ino said sympathetically, scrutinizing the box. "This is really going to wash out your complexion."

"I know," Sakura groaned. Of all the colors Tsunade could have picked, the mousey-brown did nothing for her. Even the model on the box couldn't sell the horrid color.

"At least it's semi-permanent," Ino consoled. "It'll be gone in a few weeks."

That didn't make Sakura feel any better. The Hokage had made it clear that the Leaf was not to be implicated in anything, so it made sense that she had to mask her identity. She had just always used genjutsu to do that, and had never had to physically change her appearance.

Her hair was such an unusual color that it was very likely it would blow her cover, so it definitely had to be taken care of. It was just...through most of her childhood, she had hated her hair, been picked on for looking different, and now that she was finally in a place where she was comfortable with how she looked, she was being told to conform!

She grimaced as she felt Ino brush the muddy dye onto her hair.

"Think of it as the small price you have to pay to hang all over Kakashi," Ino chattered. "Yum."

Sakura rolled her eyes, but didn't rise to the bait. She shifted in her chair.

Ino frowned. "Forehead, you need to stop messing with boys and learn how to appreciate an older man."

"Like you?" the medic-nin retorted. She had noticed all the eye-flirting her friend had been doing with a certain chuunin examiner.

She could feel rather than see the blonde stick her tongue out at her. "I'm just saying, you need to keep your options open." At this, Ino leaned to the side so that they could be eye to eye. She winked. "You can use this mission as a practice run—see if you like it."

Sakura was not happy. It was early—much too early for a girl who was supposed to be on vacation—and she looked like she had fallen headfirst into a puddle of mud. She ran her hands through her shoulder-length hair forlornly. Man, it made her skin look pale.

She practically stomped to the gate, her anger growing. This was not the first time that Kakashi had requested she join him on a mission—they did work well together, after all. It was, however, the first time that Sakura had been coerced into a mission with him.

Stupid mission. Stupid shishou. "Stupid sensei," she growled, tapping her foot impatiently. She had purposefully come twenty minutes late and the man still was nowhere to be seen! "I haven't even had my—"

Something tapped her forehead, right between her eyes. Instinctively, she looked up, cross-eyed.

"Coffee!" she finished in awe, looking at the cup as if it were a gift from the gods. She hurriedly took it, turning to look at the person who had hung it over her head.

Her emerald eyes widened as she looked appreciatively at her new best friend. He was tall, a good head taller than her, with unruly black hair and dark eyes. She felt her skin flush involuntarily. Why would such a gorgeous stranger buy her coffee? Was it Be Nice To Sakura Day?

It was probably roofied.

That would be unnecessary, Inner Sakura purred in her head. All he had to do was ask.

Hey now, slow your roll, Sakura bit back. We're spoken for.

Doesn't mean we can't look. Inner Sakura slowly licked her lips. Or touch…

Throughout her inner monologue, the man watched her strangely, head tilting to the side.

It was then that Sakura realized that she had never thanked him. "Thanks," she said hurriedly.

He smiled crookedly, eyes crinkling. Inner Sakura profusely approved of his dimples. "You're welcome, Sakura."

Her reaction was immediate. She knew that voice! She knew that eye crinkle! Comically, she jumped back a few feet, jaw unhinged. "Kakashi-sensei?" she gasped dramatically.

Hot damn! Inner Sakura yelled.

He smiled again, forcing her eyes to gaze once more at those damn dimples. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Still shocked, she dazedly closed the distance between them, grabbing his face with both hands and bringing it down to her level, openly staring. It was a boyish face, one that seemed too young for a man that was supposedly thirty-three years old. It had a strong, clean-shaven jaw, a Greek nose, and full lips that covered white teeth. As he smiled, Sakura noticed a slightly crooked canine.

Sweet kami, was someone playing a trick on her? She peered closer, and two obsidian eyes looked back amusedly. It was certainly his chakra signature. How had she missed it before? "Is this a henge?"

He chuckled, and her eyes were drawn to the source of the sound, entranced by the lips and the dimples and the canine. "No, Sakura-chan. This is my face."

That seemed to bring her back to her senses. "Face?" she repeated, snatching her hands back faster than he could blink.

He stood back to full height, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

Sakura looked around in amazement, wondering if anyone else was seeing what she was, but found them alone, save the guards, who were asleep at their posts. "But your hair..."

"Dyed," he responded.

"Your eye—"

"Contact."

"Your mask!"

"Would kind of blow my cover, don't you think?"

She couldn't believe this. Her brain was in danger of exploding, and he had the nerve to stand there with that crooked smile of his and find this all funny. Sakura turned away from him, running a hand through her hair agitatedly. "I think I need a moment."

Kakashi laughed. "Please, take two."

Sakura glared at him over her shoulder, attempting to regain her dignity. "Are you going to fill me in on the rest of the mission or what?"

"With pleasure," he replied, pulling two objects out of the pocket of his flack vest. He tossed one to her, and she caught it deftly.

She looked down, recognizing it to be her new passport. The picture was horrible—she had just taken it that morning, and from the expression on her face, it was quite obvious that Sakura was not a morning person. She scanned through the details. Hatta Sayuri, 23. Hair, brown. Eyes, green. "Sayuri."

Kakashi shrugged. "I figured it would be easier to remember our codenames if they were similar to our real ones." He held out his for her to view: Hatta Kaishi, 25. Hair, black. Eyes, black.

Sakura snickered. "Twenty-five?"

He looked slightly put out. "What, you think I can't pass for twenty-five?"

Oh, he definitely could. With that face...Sakura wasn't going to tell him that, though. She stuck her tongue out. "You're pushing it, Kaka-sensei."

Kakashi didn't respond, instead turning to walk away from the village and forcing her to do the same. She had to walk twice as fast to match his long strides, and she peered up at him curiously. Had she hit a nerve? "Kakashi-sensei?"

"We are newlyweds," he said, his face indifferent. "It's just easier to explain why we traveled all the way to Earth Country for a festival."

"Of course," Sakura agreed. In order to even enter Earth country, they had to travel through Waterfall, as Grass had too many mountains for it to be plausible for two civilians to trek through it.

"We'll cut through Waterfall," he confirmed, rubbing his chin absentmindedly. It seemed he wasn't quite used to going bare-faced. "We can run to the Fire border, but once we cross that, we'll have to travel the rest of the way like normal people."

Sakura blanched. Normally, the trip to Iwa was four days, tops—three if you didn't stop for many breaks. But walking normally after Fire… "That'll take us a week to even get there!" she groaned.

"Yup," he replied cheerfully. "Aren't you glad you have me to keep you company?"

"Heaven help me," Sakura muttered. But the corners of her lips twitched, dispelling any notion of her irritation. She couldn't help it; he was good company.

He chuckled, and Sakura found herself staring at his mouth. It was the weirdest thing, to finally see the other half of his face after seven long years. Suddenly, she gasped. "I won!"

"Won what?" Kakashi asked curiously.

Sakura laughed. "The bet. About what you look like! Oooh, Naruto is going to be so mad!"

Kakashi looked at her blankly. "You guys bet. Over what I look like."

"Of course we did," Sakura retorted. "Why do you think we spent most of our genin years trying to get that stupid mask off of you? There were some high stakes in that bet."

The Copy Nin shook his head in disbelief. "Care to explain?"

Jade eyes brightened at the memory. "Well, Naruto and Sasuke both thought you were ugly," she answered bluntly. "Naruto was convinced you had a harelip and Sasuke thought you had jacked up teeth. Me, I took the logical route and bet that you were attractive."

Kakashi chuckled. "What were the stakes?"

"If Naruto won, Sasuke would have to treat him ramen for a week. All he can eat. And you know how much that boy eats." Her checkbook shuddered just thinking about it. "And I would have to go on a date with him."

A sense of nostalgia passed over both of them as they remembered Naruto's Sakura-chasing days. Thinking back on it, it was kind of cute, Sakura mused. Still, she was happy that her blond friend had found the right tree to bark up.

"What would you get?" her former sensei asked.

"Me?" She smiled softly. "If I won, Naruto would have to be my slave for a week, and Sasuke would have to go on a date with me. And Sasuke...if he won, we would both have to stop bothering him for a week."

Kakashi must have noticed the longing in her eyes, because he suddenly winked at her, breaking the melancholy mood. "Attractive, huh?" He reached over, ruffling her hair with a hand. "You always were my favorite. Now, let's get going."

Sakura gaped at him as he started to run. He hadn't ruffled her hair since she was thirteen! "Liar!" she yelled at his retreating back, her face red. "And from the way Ayame-san acted when she saw your face, I just assumed—are you listening to me?"

By the time they made it to Iwa, they had both changed into civilian clothes and thrown on their new personas. Hand in hand, they walked into a small inn.

An elderly woman looked up at them from the desk. "May I help you?"

Kakashi smiled at her, and the woman involuntarily smiled back, a little color in her cheeks. "My wife and I would like a room, if available."

"Wife?" Her beady gaze shifted to Sakura questioningly, a look of surprise flitting across her face.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. She knew she looked pretty plain, especially next to a fine specimen such as Kakashi. But who did this old lady think she was, insinuating she couldn't get someone attractive to marry her? She was a great catch, damnit!

Instead of giving the innkeeper a piece of her mind, Sakura merely detached her hand from Kakashi's, holding it up so the woman could see the wedding band on her ring finger. "Newlyweds!" she gushed. Ha! Take that, lady!

"That's nice, dear," she said uninterestedly, her eyes flicking back to Kakashi's. "Your accent. Are you from…"

"Fire," he confirmed, placing a hand on a pouting Sakura's hip and moving her closer to his side. He smiled again, hoping his devilish good looks would get them a room. The festival started in a few days, and inns would all be booked soon. "We heard about the festival you guys have this time of year and thought it would make a great honeymoon."

The smile seemed to work; while the woman had seemed wary of them before, she was now smiling toothlessly at him. "How romantic!" she cooed.

Sakura fought the urge to smash Kakashi's head concave when the hand on her hip suddenly went lower, cupping her ass. Instead, she giggled. "Anata," she chastised, grasping the hand in her own and discreetly breaking two of his fingers, "Not in public!"

Pervert.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head bashfully, hiding a wince.

This little display only intensified the innkeeper's fluffy feelings as she reminisced about her yonder years. "Here." She placed a set of keys into Sakura's awaiting palm, patting her wrist gently. "Stay as long as you like, dear. First night's free."

Sakura reddened as the old lady winked at her. Feeling the need to immediately leave, she thanked the woman, leading Kakashi upstairs by his broken fingers.

"Sakura-chan."

"What."

"When do you plan on fixing my fingers?"

"When you learn to keep your hands to yourself."

"Now, that's not fair. I was just keeping in character."

"Yeah, well so was I. Sayuri doesn't like to be touched inappropriately in public."

A smirk. "But she likes it in private? Is she a bad, bad girl?"

She wasn't going to take the bait. "Got any threes?"

"Go fish."

"Damn." She really sucked at this game. She was starting to think he was cheating.

"Sakura-chan…"

Sakura rolled her eyes, slapping her cards face-down on the table. "Oh fine, you big baby! You do realize we're not supposed to use chakra on this mission."

"There are no cameras or bugs in the room. I already checked." He smiled as she took his hand in hers. "And you used chakra when you broke my fingers."

"No I didn't." With a swift tug, she snapped one of his bones back into place.

The Copy Nin paled. This girl was scary.

One by one, she manually forced the bones of his fingers to line up correctly, using her chakra to combat the bruising and swelling. When she was finished, his hand felt good as new.

Sakura sighed, picking up her deck again. For the umpteenth time that night, she asked herself what she was doing playing Go Fish with Hatake Kakashi in an inn in a foreign country. Especially since he seemed to know exactly which cards were in her hand.

"Got any sevens?"

Sakura scowled, briefly considering lying just so she could wipe that smug look off that beautiful face. She handed over the card, irritated when he put down his last pair.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled. "You lose."

"You're cheating!" Sakura accused, glaring.

The Copy Nin bit back a snicker. She looked adorable, getting so worked up over a children's game! She had put her brown hair into a messy bun on top of her head, and had changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. Said t-shirt was too big for her—from the obnoxious color, he could conclude that it used to belong to Naruto—and it completely enveloped her small frame. As she glowered at him, he was briefly reminded of the little girl he had met all those years ago.

But then a bare shoulder flashed through the neck of her shirt and the little girl was gone.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the medic-nin growled.

He blinked, thrown out of his thoughts. "Hmm?"

Sakura exhaled slowly, wondering why she voluntarily hung out with someone so infuriating. "Stop cheating!"

"I'm not cheating," he assured, tapping his Sharingan eye. "The contact completely blocks my vision. You just happen to suck."

"Whatever!" she sputtered. She could perform complicated surgeries in her sleep, but ask her to play Go Fish…

She threw the cards back onto the table.

"Now now, Sakura-chan," Kakashi chastised. "No need to be a sore loser."

"I'm going to bed," she moped, making her way over to the double bed. She belly-flopped onto it.

"Yes, dear." He was amused again. Was she really that damn amusing?

"I'm going to steal all the covers!" she huffed spitefully.

"Yes, dear."

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up."

It wasn't strange for them to share a bed. Being the only kunoichi on her team meant that she had shared a bed with almost all of her boys.

When they were younger, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke would share a room, allowing her to have her own. As they got older—and consequently more frugal—they all agreed that Sakura having her own room was not cost efficient. As a result, she had shared sleeping space with Sai and Naruto countless times, and even Yamato a few times on partner missions. But never Kakashi, because Naruto, as immature as he was, refused to sleep in the same bed as Sai.

So imagine her surprise when she woke up the next morning to find her ex-sensei spooning her.

Surprise probably wasn't the best word, as she knew about Kakashi's sleeping quirks. Sasuke used to snore, Naruto managed to hog the whole bed, Sai talked in his sleep, and, as they had all found out one morning, Kakashi was a spooner. Naruto had moaned all morning about feeling violated, but Sakura had found it hilarious.

Now that she was the spoonee, however, she could admit that the feeling was strange.

Not bad, per se, but she wasn't used to this much bodily contact. His breath was stirring the hairs on the back of her neck and his arm was wrapped around her middle, keeping her in place. He even had a leg hooked over hers, making sure her body was flush against his.

Sakura cleared her throat nervously. "Um…"

He was awake instantly. Slowly, he retrieved his appendages, sitting up and ruffling his hair. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No problem," she replied easily, smiling.

She hoped he didn't hear her rapid heartbeat.

The first part of the mission was easy.

The night of the festival, they dressed in their yukata and roamed, eating dango, catching goldfish, and acting lovey-dovey. By the time the fireworks display started, they had already acquired many photos of the Earth daimyo kissing a woman that was certainly not his wife.

As they sat, watching colors explode in the sky, Kakashi leaned over, nuzzling her neck affectionately. "We should check his office," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura giggled, giving him a nod imperceptible to anyone who wasn't looking for it. They stood, hand in hand, and walked inconspicuously to the building.

Everyone was watching the fireworks display, so there was no one around to see when Kakashi began picking the lock to the small administrative building. Even so, Sakura covered him, keeping watch for any rogue drunkards.

"Got it," Kakashi murmured, and the lock opened with a click. Looking around one last time, they slipped through the door.

The building was small, only one-story. Sakura rolled her eyes. Iwa was a ninja village headed by the Tsuchikage, but Earth was technically controlled by the Earth daimyo. From the size of his administrative office, it was clear that the daimyo didn't do much governing, enjoying the perks of his title and partaking in none of the responsibility.

Kakashi, wary of any cameras, wrapped an arm around her, tugging her to his side. "It's this one," he whispered in her hair, leading her to a door and turning the knob. It yielded easily, making Sakura want to roll her eyes. Would there even be anything useful in there if the idiot didn't even bother to lock his door?

As soon as the door shut behind them, they split up, hoping to find something as quickly as possible.

Sakura began ruffling through papers left on the desk. Annoyed when she found nothing but candy wrappers and receipts, she opened a drawer with more force than necessary.

"In a hurry?" Kakashi asked conversationally, looking through the bookshelf.

"Yes, actually," she replied, filtering through more receipts. "I'd like to make it home before my hair grows back. Yours grows in, you look distinguished. Mine grows in, I look like I'm twelve and cut myself."

He chuckled, but didn't turn to face her, too busy flipping through the pages of a book.

"Receipt, receipt, coupon," she mumbled to herself. Honestly, how many times did this guy eat out a week? It was no wonder he was a little on the heavier side. She scoffed, about to disregard a takeout receipt, when something caught her eye.

She had seen this receipt before.

Confused, she moved back to the top of the desk, ruffling through the various receipts until she found the one she was looking for. Just as she suspected, the restaurant, date, and purchases were identical.

Jade eyes narrowed as the receipt from the drawer made her hand tingle. "Genjutsu," she said aloud.

Kakashi stopped what he was doing and made his way over, taking the receipt from her. "A strong one, too," he commented.

As he dispelled the jutsu, Sakura thanked her lucky stars that she was a genjutsu-type. What used to be a receipt for noodles morphed itself into a list of things Sakura immediately recognized. "This is it," she confirmed. "They've created a new type poison."

"Sweating, vomiting, paralysis, then cardiac arrest and death." Kakashi whistled low. "This one's a doozy."

Sakura agreed. The poison was so complex that if any shinobi had come into the hospital with it in their system, she wouldn't have been able to help them. She was grateful someone had kindly remembered to write the antidote on the bottom.

Suddenly, the door to the building slammed. They both froze, immediately searching for ways out of the room. Unfortunately, the room had no windows, and the air vent on the ceiling was too high up for them both to scramble through quickly.

They were stuck.

Footsteps were getting closer. Sakura hurriedly shut drawers, putting everything back the way she had found it.

Her back hit the wall before she could even blink. Stunned, she met Kakashi's gaze, going a little cross-eyed due to his close proximity.

"Trust me," he whispered before crashing his lips down onto hers.

To say she was shocked was an understatement; she went rigid, eyes wide and hands at her sides. Of all people, Kakashi was the last she ever would consider kissing. He was her friend, her training partner, her team leader. What he was not was Sasuke.

Kakashi growled lightly against her mouth, annoyed at her inability of cooperate. He lifted her chin, giving himself better access, and reached for the top of her yukata.

Normally, Sakura would have knocked him into next week, but she found herself unable to move. She just couldn't comprehend what was happening, couldn't understand why she wasn't doing anything to stop it.

When she felt him slip something into her bra, it all clicked into place. Whatever spell had been cast on her was broken. She wound her fingers through his dark hair, pulling him closer until his body was flush against hers.

A new feeling began to bubble within her. To her surprise, she began to enjoy it. Unlike herself, Kakashi clearly knew what he was doing, and she quickly found herself panting into his mouth, every nerve-ending in her body tingling. Unconsciously, her grip on his hair tightened, and in response, his hands grabbed her ass, lifting her until she was at his eye-level. Her legs automatically locked around his waist, the yukata inching further and further up.

"What's going on in here?" a voice shouted.

At the sound, Kakashi pulled back, leaving Sakura to slide back down the wall, hair disheveled and lips bruised. She looked at the intruder dazedly.

An Iwa nin was glaring at them from the doorway.

Kakashi put up his hands apologetically. "I'm sorry. We didn't realize anyone was here."

"How did you get in here?" the enemy nin demanded, scanning the room for anything out of place.

"The door was open," Sakura said, embarrassment clear in her voice. "We just wanted to be alone…"

"Well, this isn't a love motel," the man rudely snapped. "Get out."

Kakashi placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her past the suspicious nin and out the door. They continued down the hallway, the Iwa nin following closely behind. When they finally exited the building, he slammed the door behind them.

Kakashi and Sakura shared a look. Wordlessly, they headed back to where the festival was held, walking through throngs of people, and continued on to their inn. After changing into more suitable clothing, they quickly packed up their gear and jumped out the window, leaving the room key on the bed.

Originally, the plan had been to leave in the morning. But now that they had physical proof of Iwa's drug activities, it wouldn't make sense to stick around, especially because they couldn't use jutsu to protect it or themselves. So, doing their best to blend into the darkness, they slipped through the gates and left Iwa.

As soon as her feet touched the land outside of the village, Sakura had the intense urge to flee. She just wanted to be home in her own bed and not in a place where defending herself meant possibly starting another war. She had to force her anxious limbs to slow.

It wasn't until they had been walking for an hour that the silence between them was broken.

"That was your first, wasn't it?"

Sakura jumped at the voice, a flush immediately making its way onto her face. She nodded.

Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. It was the only thing I could think of."

Sakura shook her head, meeting his eyes for the first time. "We did what we had to do," she replied. "It's okay."

It had to be. She had been saving it for Sasuke, but there had been no other choice. Besides, Sasuke's first kiss had been Naruto, so she figured he would understand. If they were ever able to bring him home, that is.

In the middle of her musings, something tickled her senses. She looked up at Kakashi, whose serious face told her that he felt it too. They were on high alert.

It was only instinct that made her duck, avoiding the shiruken aimed for her head. They thunked into a nearby tree, causing splinters to scatter in the air. Mentally preparing herself for battle, Sakura turned to face her assailant.

It didn't really surprise her to be facing the same ninja that had caught them in the office. He looked angry, his nose flaring and his teeth bared. "Give back what you stole," he growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kakashi responded, flanking her. "We were just on our way home."

The Iwa nin grit his teeth. "What do you think, I'm an idiot? Give back what you stole, or we'll take it from you."

At that moment, more chakra signatures became noticeable, and five more shinobi dropped from the trees, quickly surrounding them.

Automatically, the two members of Team Seven turned back to back, ready for attacks to come from all directions. Kakashi's eyes flashed. "I would let us go if I were you."

In response, the Iwa nin charged at Sakura, kunai in hand. With a flick of her wrist, the kunai went flying, further enraging him. Sakura avoided his attack, parrying with a jab in the sternum.

He took a step back, winded, and two other nin came at her from different sides, hoping to gang up on her. Unfortunately for them, while she wasn't great at taijutsu, she was definitely better than they were. One of them got a punch to the abdomen, breaking at least three of his ribs. The other, a woman, came at her with a kunai, and when Sakura rammed her elbow into her head, knocking her out, the kunai scratched her arm.

Immediately, her arm began to tingle. Sakura's eyes widened with realization. "Kaishi," she started to warn.

But it was too late. The original Iwa nin, from his spot on the ground, threw senbon right at him.

Kakashi was too busy incapacitating his three attackers to worry about the senbon coming his way. He didn't attempt to move.

Sakura's heart dropped when she realized that Kakashi was purposely going to take the hit without knowing the consequences. Making a split decision, she jumped, causing the senbon to embed themselves into her shoulder. She winced, running over to where the nin lay and smashing his head into the ground, knocking him unconscious.

Already starting to breathe heavily, she glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi. He stood alone, surrounded by piles of unconscious enemy nin.

Sakura smiled to herself, dropping to the ground as her knees gave out.

The Copy Nin was over in a flash, holding her up in a sitting position. "What happened?" he demanded.

She was already starting to sweat. She had to give it to whoever made the poison; it was potent, fast-acting stuff. "The weapons had poison on them," she said simply.

His dark eyes locked on the senbon in her shoulder. "Why would you…"

"I'm still learning about poisons." She coughed, wheezing as she breathed. Her airways were starting to constrict. "I wouldn't have been able to save you."

Logically, he could see she had made the right choice. Although he was bigger than she was, her body was more trained in combating poisons than his, and thus it would take longer for her to succumb to the poison. She also wouldn't have been able to carry his body all the way to Konoha in time.

However, logic was starting to fail the Copy Nin, hysteria slowly taking its place. He couldn't lose any more precious people. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked calmly. From her spot in his lap, Sakura could see the panic in his eyes.

It was getting harder to breathe. She shivered, her body temperature starting to lower. "Get...me...to...Shizune."

He nodded, opening his pack and pulling out what she recognized to be a teleportation scroll. She didn't know he had brought one.

Her vision was almost gone—she could only vaguely see the shape of his head now. She could hear him talking to her, but she couldn't concentrate on the words, slowly being pulled under by the drugs.

"No no no, stay with me. Sayuri!" Kakashi barked. She was laying there, body cold, eyes unfocused, and barely breathing, and it was scaring him. "Sakura!"

He was startled as she deliriously brought a hand up to his face, almost poking him in the eye. Her fingers brushed his chin, and she smiled. "It's okay."

No. She was dying, and she knew it. This wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't let it.

To his horror, the emerald eyes he often admired rolled back into her head. Sakura started to seize.

He activated the scroll.

When she woke up, Sakura felt like she had the biggest hangover in the history of man. Her head pounded, further irritated by the bright lights and loud yelling.

"Sakura-chan! You're okay!"

Sakura moaned, closing her eyes again. She was in the hospital. "Volume, Naruto."

"Sorry!" the rambunctious blond replied guiltily, his voice a lot quieter. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Water," Sakura croaked. Her throat felt like she had swallowed sand. "And shut the curtains."

Naruto did as he was asked, helping her sit up so she wouldn't unintentionally drown herself. After she drank one cup and refilled another, she spoke. "How long have I been out?"

"A week," he responded. "You really scared us, especially Kakashi-sensei."

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura murmured, eyes drifting over to flowers on her nightstand that could only have been from Ino.

Naruto fidgeted. He looked like he really wanted to hug her, to feel for himself that she was alright, but was afraid to touch her. "Yeah, he's been sitting with you nonstop. He didn't even read that stupid book of his."

Sakura smiled a little at the thought of Kakashi fretting over her like a mother hen. "Where is he now?"

Naruto paused. "You know, I have no idea. He was just here five minutes ago. Maybe he went to take a leak."

But the medic-nin knew that Kakashi wasn't coming back. He hated hospitals, and had probably only stayed long enough to make sure she was okay.

Like a ghost, she could suddenly feel the brush of his lips against hers, the warmth of his hand. She saw his dimples, the crooked canine.

She must have been on some strong meds.

"Naruto."

The boy halted his monologue of how her mission went well and Tsunade was giving her as much vacation time as she wanted. He blinked, unnerved by her sudden smile.

"I won."

A/N: That one sure was a doozy! -_-;;

When this idea first came to me, I obsessed long and hard about it, and through my obsessing came another idea—a KakaSaku chapter fic. And boy, have I wanted to start writing it! The only reason I haven't is because I don't think it's a good idea, especially with this fic and Rapture still needing to be finished. Add in me studying abroad (with finals coming up soon) and I just don't think I'd be able to spend an equal amount of time writing three fics. One of them would end up by the wayside, which is something I don't want. Still, would anyone read a fic with KakaSaku as the main paring if I posted it?

Anyway, let me know.