In regards to Sakura not being a good ninja. (InARealPickle, this is for you. Question: why do you continue to read this if you don't like it? Though from the reviews on your story I can see you obviously have a habit of doing things like that.)

Ninja: a member of a feudal Japanese society of mercenary agents, highly trained in martial arts and stealth (ninjutsu), who were hired for covert purposes ranging from espionage to sabotage and assassination. (Dictionary(dot)com)

To explain further: Not many of the Ninja from Naruto are actually very good ninja. The show specializes in showing how they can beat people up using cool and elaborate jutsu. From what I've seen Sai and Yamato are probably some of the better ninja (most of the characters who are or were a part of ANBU are all right). But if you think about it most of the heroes are crap. They use summons the size of small countries to fight their loud battles going at it Dragon Ball Z style (where open fields show up out of nowhere that seem to go on forever) and end up half dead by the end of it. That is not the way of a ninja. To be a ninja is to get in, get what you need, and get out, with no one the wiser. Sakura is a good medic, Sakura is strong, Sakura is good with genjutsu, Sakura is a powerful character on the show. She is not a good ninja.

But if the show was about ninja who were good at being ninja, you know just as well as I do that you wouldn't watch it. It'd just be secret meetings, quick travel, and lots of dead bodies. It'd be pretty boring actually. So, I'll let that go and admit that big battles with impossible creatures in mysterious fields are pretty cool. But I'm sticking to my guns in the fact that this does not make Sakura (or Naruto or Sauske or Kiba or many others) good ninja. I told you all this was my belief pretty much form chapter one. You're free to disagree (of course), but I'd like you to find proof behind the statement that they're good ninja before yelling at me for saying they're not. (*cough* Pickle)

Kakashi's gone when I wake up, a little note on my pillow next to the necklace. Hiro needed me for a short mission; I'll be back by tonight. Shikamaru has a message for you.

My heart sinks at what that message probably is. He's been talking with Tsunade, and someone like him would no doubt tell her about our little secret from the leaf if she asked how Kakashi and I are getting along. I don't get dressed particularly quickly, in fact I take about ten minutes to find each piece of clothing and don it. Just before I'm about to leave I glance down at the ring on my finger and pause. Going back to the side of the bed I pick up the note, finding another little smiley face on the back, this one he's without the mask, and the pupils of his eyes are hearts. It's got the crazy hair though, which makes me smile. I bite my lip and then, before I can change my mind, put the necklace on quickly, leaving the room.

As I pass Shikamaru's room he comes out, walking by my side as I go down the hall towards the kitchens. "Kakashi's on a mission," Shikamaru mutters. "Running some messages to Iwa."

"I know," I say simply. "He left a note."

"Tsunade's not happy," he says quietly.

"I'd imagine she wouldn't be," I state, "What did you tell her?"

"The truth, that I think you and Kakashi are getting carried away," he blushes a bit at that. "She wanted me to give you this." He holds out a small packet filled with herbs. I sniff at it carefully, and then roll my eyes.

"So she's making it easier for us to act on the desires she's so desperately against?" I ask sarcastically, putting the birth control tea leaves in my pouch anyways. No point in letting something so expensive go to waste.

"She said, and I quote… 'As long as they're fucking like bunnies, let's make sure they're not breeding like them,' and then she threw some things at Pakun. He'll tell you a much more colorful version of the conversation if you'd like to ask him." He shakes his head slowly, face a little more red than usual.

"Tell her I don't think I can have a litter. Never mind, I'll tell her," I say at his dismayed reaction. "Speaking of litters, how did she feel about Naruto and Hinata's news?"

"It didn't come up," he says evasively.

"You don't say?" I mutter with a smirk. "I think Kakashi loves me," I say thoughtfully, trying to move away from talk about the mission. It's coming to an end. I can feel it. Shit is going to hit the fan here pretty soon, and I really don't want it happening before the wedding. Hinata and Naruto would be screwed, and then I wouldn't have a reason to stick around Kakashi when we got back to Konoha. Besides for the obvious, of course.

"I know he does," Shikamaru mutters, glancing at my neck. "That's his mother's right?" I nod. "Then he loves you."

I sigh, touching each of my fingernails to the pad of my thumb. "It's kind of freaking me out," I say with a little laugh. "I mean, what if… what if everyone's right? What if he really is too old for me?"

"Sakura, coming from someone else who has seen Kakashi's face, who has seen him fight, who knows him," he watches me carefully. "We both know Kakashi isn't that old, physically or mentally. The issue here is that he's your teacher, and always will be."

I mull over that, ignoring the little jab at Kakashi's immaturity, and deciding he's probably right. "So what do I do?" I ask quietly.

"I don't know," he sighs. "Embrace it?"

I snicker at what my embracing it had done for us last night, making Shikamaru shoot me a dirty look. "That seems like a very bad idea," I say with a badly covered laugh.

"I get the feeling…" he scratches the back of his head cautiously, "that it might have a great out-come though…"

I elbow him in the stomach playfully. "None of that. We have to stay away from that sort of thing until people get more used to the idea of us."

"You'll be happy to know much of the ninja population in Konoha is already questioning Tsunade's choice to refuse you're marriage then." I raise my eyebrow at that. I never thought more than a few people like Genma, and Anko would be ok with it. Kurenai probably wouldn't say anything, but that was the most hope I had. "They're all feeling the spaces left by Kakashi out in the field, and the hospital really needs you. Losing a medic ninja is one of the biggest losses during war time. They figure Konoha is better off with you guys there as a couple, than you guys not there at all."

"Ha ha," I laugh happily. Shikamaru raises an eyebrow at me. "Bridge crossed!" I brag happily. "And I didn't even get my feet wet."

Shikamaru rolls his eyes. "You're being far too happy, it's weird."

"Sorry," I say with a shrug. I bite my tongue to stop the comment about my adventures last night from slipping past my lips. "Anyways," I say with a shrug. "I doubt that thought will still remain when Tsunade finally allows us to return home."

Shikamaru and I both turn to look down the hall as a loud clatter is heard, half expecting to see Naruto is the cause of it. Instead we find Saito Hitoshi, standing over a trembling Akiko. I hear him say some harsh words to her, and she whimpers back a response. I reach out to grab Shikamaru's arm when he makes a hand sign to capture the man with his shadow. Stick around. I sign against his arm, holding a finger to my lips as I start down the hall.

"Hitoshi!" I call as I jog down the hall, "What happened?"

His face is red with anger, and from Akiko's unnatural paleness save for a mark on her cheek I can guess what happened. Either he did something stupid and is blaming it on her, or he's trying to do something stupid to her. Either way, things aren't going to end nicely for him, whether he knows it or not. "This… This little klutz just ran around the corner, not caring for who else happened to be there, and ran right into me, now she insists it's my fault!" He glares at her. "Can you believe her audacity?" What an idiot.

"Well, that's not the way the help should treat people so far above them," I scold. "If I may, Hitoshi, do you think I could take care of this?" He raises an eye brow, and nods his acceptance of that solution. I turn to Akiko and grip her by the elbow, pulling her up with enough force to hurt her, but at the same time threading my healing chakra into her arm, so she won't feel it. "You think that's the way to treat people above you?" I ask, winking at her while Hitoshi can't see.

"Ah, no Haruno-san," she gasps, shaking her head while she looks down.

I pull my hand back, drawing my healing chakra to the back of my hand and with a little tilt of my head to the left, sweep the back of my hand across her cheek. The girl thankfully catches on and moves her head with my hand, allowing me to heal her as I fake the slap. "What did you call me?" I demand.

"Haruno-sama, Haruno-sama," she corrects, obviously having figure out what had pissed me off so much the first time we had met.

"And what do you have to say to, this man here?" I ask with a smirk.

"I'm so sorry, Saito-sama," she says, bowing her head. "I swear it won't happen again."

I glance back to Saito to see him bite his lip, but nod. "Be more careful in the future, Aki," he spits.

"Very well then, why don't you go inform Lord Toriyama about this?" I say, raising my eyebrow to her. 'Shinji' I mouth, making her drop her head to avoid Hitoshi from seeing her smile.

"Yes Haruno-sama," she says with a deep bow. By sending her to see Shinji I'm pretty sure I've given her the rest of the day off. Or a short conversation that ends in him asking her what she did wrong, exactly, and then saying he doesn't get it, and sending her back to work. "Saito-sama," she says with a smaller bow scurrying off quickly.

"That was handled well," he says once she's gone.

"Girls like her think they can get by on looks alone," I sneer, taking a page from Neji's book. "She needs to learn her place."

"I'm impressed, Shinji made you out to be a kinder creature."

"Shinji thinks of me what I want him to think of me," I say coldly. "Surely you can understand that." He's obviously quite a different person around Hironori, someone less entitled. Someone more trust worthy. "It was like that in Konoha, always having to hide what I thought of people. They disgusted me, always feeling they were better than anyone else. Harboring secret hatreds for those who they constantly kissed up to. Disgusting." I sincerely hope Hitoshi doesn't realize I am speaking of him.

Thankfully the man is too thick for that. He looks over me carefully. "You hate Konoha?"

"No," I say clearly, turning to look at him. "Just the people in it."

"What of Kakashi?" He asks watching me carefully.

"Kakashi is a man who does not hide his true feelings," I say, "As awful as he is; he's not like others in the leaf."

"Then we share a common hatred," he says after careful thought. What an idiot: a few words and he's already believing I'm on his side.

"I do not hate Kakashi," I say simply. "He is a welcome distraction, and very helpful at times."

"How helpful?" he asks, narrowing his eyes.

I glance around discreetly. "Is there a place we could talk?" I ask, clearly stating I have some huge secret. Hitoshi nods and beckons for me to follow. Great, now I have to create a secret.

I trail through my mind; trying to come up with something Kakashi can do for me that would be something I would want to keep hidden. Meanwhile Hitoshi leads me through a series of corridors and stairwells until we're deep underground, the halls turning into rock, and the air becoming thick. Finally he leads me into a little room with a few ninja standing around. My heart plummets at the head bands. Not just Kiri and Iwa, but also Ame and various other headbands I don't even recognize. There are several there who don't wear headbands… either mercenaries or ninja without affiliation. There's even one Konoha head band, making me start when I see who wears it.

"Sakura," she says; voice kind and pleasant. "Either our village idiot has decided it'd be a good idea to capture you or you've convinced him you're true colors are not what they seem." She smiles pleasantly, warmth in her dark eyes.

"Zen," I say pleasantly, crossing my arms. I would prefer to put them in my pockets, as Kakashi does when he wants to look relaxed, but alas I have no pockets. "I had no idea your affiliation was the leaf."

"I told you, Sakura," she says with a laugh. "I have trained all over the world. The leaf is simply my latest home, before your fiancé denied my return."

"He told me he wished you had returned with him," I say honestly.

She laughs, running her fingers absently over a kunai. "Are you insanely jealous, then?" She smiles when I don't respond. "You're a good girl, Sakura, but your future husband openly admits he loves another woman and it doesn't even rumple your feathers? I find that odd."

I stare at her for only a moment before I smirk. "I have no love for Kakashi."

Zen stares me down with a knowing look as the ninja whisper to each other, worry etched in their faces. "It would seem," she says slowly, staring up at the ceiling. "Kakashi has a habit of trusting women too quickly."

"It would," I agree surely.

"Boys," Zen says with a smile. "It seems young Saito thinks this girl to be a traitor to the leaf, and I may be tempted to agree, what do you think?"

Her 'boys' glance around nervously, before one finally speaks. "It's a lie Z-hanshi." I smile at the title he gives her, attaching it to a nickname so freely. She's gained their trust, and no doubt they will follow her. It wouldn't surprise me if she was the cause of this whole trade system.

"Probably," she says with a shrug. "But what to do about her?"

"Kill her," another man offers up.

She bites her lip in playful thought, tilting her head. "If she is indeed a spy, then Kashi-kun will surely take his revenge, and then we'll all die, no doubt. If she isn't a spy, then we've just lost a very useful resource." She reasons. "Try again."

"Just lock her up, demand ransom," another offers. "Then we'll get something from her."

Zen rolls her eyes at that one. "No, that would alert others to our existence as a group. If she's a spy, Kakashi will not give up the ransom, he'll kill us. If she isn't a spy she certainly will be once she gets out of here. I wouldn't help people who treat me like that." She shakes her head, and glances again at the ceiling. "Let her go."

"Z-hanshi!" the man who spoke first cries out. "You can't be serious! She'll go straight to Kakashi! To Konoha!"

"Of course she will," Zen says with a laugh, pulling her leaf headband down over her eye, like Kakashi keeps his. "If she's a spy. If not, then we have just gained a very valuable resource." She smiles at me. "She is, after all, practically the Hokage's daughter. And I'm sure she has many helpful secrets to tell us." The men glance at each other nervously, but one by one they agree, and it shows blatantly on their faces. "Good," Zen chirps. "Then we're all in agreement."

"It's good to know you've finally stabbed Kakashi in the back," I say softly. "I wasn't sure or not."

She smirks, winking. "Has he not shown you that scar? I tried that years ago, but he's a slippery little fish." Fish? "How do you like the symbolism, Sakura?" She continues, no longer smiling. "I was quite proud of it. An underground trade rink that's really underground, a tunnel from Kiri, to Haha, to Iwa. It's only exposed to the sun in Ame." My thoughts flicker, alarmed at her word choice. Exposed? "My boys are quite fond of this place, the hot springs above our head keep up warm, but the rock is thick enough to keep the water from breaking through." I follow her eyes to the ceiling, seeing the crack that has already formed there. "You're free to leave whenever you like, if you get lost, just remember, the best way out is simply up."

I watch her carefully as she gets up, coming towards me slowly. She holds out her hand to me and I hesitantly give her mine. "It will be a joy working with you," she says, leaning to brush her lips against my cheek. Her fingers holding my hand tap against my palm. Save Shinji.

When she releases me she flickers from the room, and I take that as my cue, building up chakra in my fist and jumping off of Hitoshi to get to the ceiling, punching a hole in it easily. I cling onto the wall as water rushes over me, filling the rooms below. I try to block out the screams of the men below me, but it's too much, it echoes in my head, and when a hand desperately grabs at my leg I don't kick him off, but reach down and grab the man by the collar. Grinding my teeth and crawl along the break in the rock, fighting against the hot water that rushes over myself and the man I have a firm grasp on. As the water begins to fill the room below me I use it to kick us through the hole, and into the emptying hot springs above us. I take a few gasping breaths of my own while I clap the enemy ninja on the back, turning away as he coughs up water.

As I scan my surroundings I widen my eyes at the sight before me. Only a few feet away from me is a stunned, buck-naked, Hironori, his eyes just as wide as mine as the water drains away from his ankles. "Sorry," I cough after a moment, blushing slightly. "Nice tattoo."

"Thank you," he says, still not moving.

"Do you… do you want me to get you a towel?" I ask hesitantly, trying not to look at the tattoo place dangerously low on his right hip. One might think I was looking at something else.

"Please," he says; voice even. I step over the ninja, from Taki, I now see (my heart sinks at that), and grab the towel on the opposite side of the now empty hot spring handing it to Hiro, careful not to look at him. "So," he mutters. "Underground tunnels?"

"Looks like it," I say, nodding as he lays the towel over his lap, not bothering to get up.

"Being used for nefarious things, no doubt," he concludes.

"Indubitably." I agree.

"Zen is behind this?"

"That's the impression I received." I say with a nod.

"And it's all against Konoha, right?" To that I just nod. "Well shit," he laughs, running one hand through his long hair. My eyes flash to the scar on his cheek, making me bite my lip. "I'd tell her to back off, but I feel like that wouldn't do much good at this point."

"Probably not," I say carefully.

"Well," he says, leaning back to look at the sky, it's already close to noon, I realize with a start. "Who is your friend? Shall he be punished?"

"Please, Sakura, no!" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion as the man looks up at me, and something pulls at my memory. "I was there, when you were at the hidden waterfall," he says hurriedly. "Lord Shibuki heard of this and ordered me to come investigate," he explains quickly. "I'm here on a mission, Taki is still with Konoha, and I am still with Taki."

"Lord Shibuki?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. He nods. I sigh, turning to look at Hiro. Save Shinji. "Where is he?" I demand, shivers running down my spine. Hiro raises an eyebrow at me, confused. "Shinji, where is he? I have to find him."

"He was out with that maid, Aiko, last time I saw him," Hiro says, scowling. "Why?"

"He's in trouble," I say easily. "Akiko," I correct as almost an afterthought.

Hiro stands up, wrapping the towel around him and quickly moves towards the house, beckoning me to follow. "How do you know?" He asks, his usual calm breaking.

"Zen, she seemed to know something, asked me to protect him," I say, turning away with a slight blush as he drops the towel to dress.

"So she's leading them but she can't control them?" he asks, puzzled.

"Maybe she's just a figure head," I suggest, shrugging. "Put a beautiful woman in power and men get distracted, don't see the grand scheme of things. She's hot; if I were a man I'd follow her."

"I know, right?" Hiro says with a grin, pulling on a pair of fingerless gloves and grabbing a sword from the wall.

"You any good with that?" I ask as I jog next to him down the hall.

"Adequate," he says with a small smirk. From the way he seems to hold the sword with such ease, as if it's an extension of his arm, I get the feeling he's severely understating his talents. There's no hesitation in Hiro's trot as he leads me through the halls. He seems to know exactly where to find his brother. Unfortunately when he throws open the door to a room he seems to think is significant there is no one there. "That maid," he says softly. "She's not one I hired, and I don't remember her being here before father died."

My heart sticks in my throat and I pause mentally, thinking back to her smile when I told her to go see Shinji, how Hitoshi called her by her name... no... a nick name. "Damn," I mutter, spinning and heading towards the doors of the castle. "Where would Shinji take a woman?" I asks, hoping Hiro knows what I mean so I don't have to say what I'm thinking.

"His private residence," Hiro says with an understanding nod. He grabs my arm as I start to head towards the door, pulling me back a few paces to a tapestry that hangs on the wall. He moves it away, showing a seal on the wall. "Short cut," he says with a grin, reaching out with our joined hands to touch it.

In a flash I find myself on my knees, bile rising in my throat and in front of a small house, three stories tall, but very narrow. Hiro is gasping a few feet away from me. A cough goes through his body, and then he's gripping the sword again, heading towards the house. I scramble to my feet to follow him, wiping moisture away from the edges of my mouth. My stomach is still churning from the teleportation without warning, and I'm feeling a little dizzy, but I ignore that as Hiro practically kicks down the door, leading me up the two flights of stairs quickly. We're both gasping the railing and short on breath by the time we reach the top, the teleport having taken most of our energy. Teleporting without knowing where you're going will do that to someone. When Hiro stops I pause as well, asking if he's ok, but a muffled cry from down the hall gets my attention, pushing both Hiro and I into action as we sprint down the hall, kicking down the door.

My jaw slackens slightly at the sight before me. Shinji had indeed brought Akiko here, and for the reason I thought. That much is obvious from their state of undress. But Akiko apparently had other plans, as one of the needles used to pin up her hair is buried in Shinji's chest, leaving him gasping for breath as she sits above him, grinning wildly. There are other holes as well, as if she had stabbed him a few times, and blood covers his chest and her hands.

"Shinji!" Hiro gasps, rushing forward. Akiko doesn't move, which at first surprises me, but then I quickly see why. The other needle from her hair is sticking out of her back, a thin trail of blood trickling down her spine. Shinji didn't miss, leaving the girl paralyzed. I pull the girl off of Shinji quickly, not caring that I could save her life if I tried. Hiro is already stroking his brother's sweaty hair, kissing his face as he cries softly. "Shinji, baby brother, please. Not yet, I can't lose you yet, not when I've worked so hard to keep you."

I pull myself next to Shinji, inspecting the wounds. Most of them are fairly shallow. The girl is no ninja, just a misguided servant, probably promised her own servants if she did this. Where the needle is now though is dangerously close to his lung. Threading my chakra through him I can see it actually punctured lung, if only slightly. If the needle was removed he'd die. But if it stays there… he'll likely die of blood loss anyway. "Shikamaru!" I yell, hoping the boy had followed me even here. No such luck. "Damn it," I hiss, threading my chakra into him to try and heal the tissue around the needle. I can at least stop the blood loss for now, if nothing else.

"What are you doing? Pull it out!" Hiro orders, tears streaming down his face.

"He'll die if I do," I spit back, annoyed at his order. What does he know? "Kami, I need help," I mutter, wishing I had Tsunade here. I don't know what to do, I can't remember any of my training, and my hands are shaking. "Hinata!" I gasp, remembering the girl had some medic training herself. "Hinata can help us," I say quickly. "Go find her."

Hiro struggles to his feet and flees the room quickly, stumbling on the stairs. "Sa-saku…"

I glance up at Shinji's face in shock, amazed he's still conscious. "Shinji," I mutter, going back to his chest. "Talk later, be quiet for now."

"No," he mutters. "Tell Hiro… he doesn't owe me," he gasps, wincing. "Tell him… he doesn't need to… we're even."

"Tell him yourself," I mutter, biting my lip. "Now shut up." Shinji complies and I move my attention to a few of the other holes, healing them to stop the blood from seeping out of his body. A glance back up at his face tells me he can't speak anymore; there's blood in his mouth, making him cough. "No," I mutter, terrified of the way the needle still stuck in his lung moves when he does so, "don't cough," Instead I reach forward and turn his head, so he can spit out the blood onto the mattress. I'm just finishing with one of the last ones when Hinata hurries into the room, Hiro a few paces behind her.

"Sakura…" She whispers. I bring my hand up to my face to brush back my hair and for the first time notice tears are streaming from my eyes.

"Help me," I whisper, my voice breaking.

Hinata is all business in a matter of seconds. She ties her hair back and comes up to Shinji's other side, following my lead and healing the empty holes in his chest. Once we've finished with those she looks at the needle, worry in her eyes. "If you pull it out I can heal while it moves," she offers.

"You can't do it quick enough," I say, shaking my head. "I'll do it, you pull." I glance over to Hiro in the corner, who's leaning against the wall, biting his thumb as he watches us with wide eyes.

"Wait," he says, "you said that'd kill him."

"We have to do something," Hinata says softly.

"If we're quick enough we can heal as it's pulled out and he might be ok," I say softly.

Hiro watches me for a moment, scowling, before he nods. "What can I do?"

I smile softly, ignoring his question to place my hands around the needle. "Hinata," I mutter, preparing to heal his lung as she moves the needle. She grips the needle carefully, waiting for my order. I thread my chakra into his body, edging it under the needle and waiting. "Ok, Shinji, this will hurt… a lot." I mutter, keeping my voice calm. "Very slowly now, Hinata."

Shinji convulses beneath my hands as Hinata pulls the needle back slowly, forcing my chakra out of his system. "Hiro," I growl, and the man immediately is at my side, holing Shinji down. I try desperately to stop the blood that got past my chakra from flowing into his lungs, but with a nudge from Hinata I return to healing the actual tissue of the lung, stitching together cells so quickly I can't even keep up with it. It's as if my chakra has a mind of its own, finding the next cell along the edge of where the hair pin had been and stitching it to another, then jumping to the next, until I've stopped the blood flow into his lungs. I take a few panting breaths, amazed at how fast I had been working, and sit back. "How much?" I ask Hinata.

She glances at me, and then activates her Byakugan, looking into the boy's chest. My heart clenches when she gives a little sigh. "It's almost too much," she whispers, closing her eyes and looking away. "But he should be ok."

I sigh happily, closing my eyes. "Ok," I mutter. "Let's get this out of him." Hinata and I finish pulling the needle out of him, healing as we go, until finally all that is left is a small pucker on his skin where it used to be. Once he's healed Hiro picks up his brother carefully, making Shinji look like a child in his arms, and carries him downstairs, and all the way back to the palace. He puts Shinji in his bed, allowing Hinata and I to pull the sheets away, and kisses the boy's forehead, pulling a chair to the side of the bed, and sitting down, watching his brother sleep.

"Lord Toriyama," Hinata whispers. "He will be asleep for quite a while."

"And I'll be here when he wakes up," Hiro says easily, not daring to look away from his brother's face. "Thank you, both, for saving my brother."

Hinata bows and leaves the room, I stay behind though. "He's going to be ok," I say softly, watching him with concern etched on my face.

"Five years ago," he mutters slowly. "Five years ago Shinji and I were swimming up at that lake, the one in the mountains. I had paid the guards off for the day, and had planned to kill him." I try very hard not to react to Hiro's confession, I fail, my jaw dropping. "I was going to drown him, say it was an accident." He laughs quietly. "But I was stupid, and not really a strong swimmer myself. I went out too far, hoping I could get him in the deep water, but I lost my footing, and hit my head. I ended up nearly drowning myself." He sighs, reaching out to stroke Shinji's face. "He saved me." He laughs dryly. "I took him out there to kill him, and the boy saves my life." He leans back in the chair, putting his feet up on the bed and looking up to me. "I couldn't kill him, not after that. So instead I had Zen kill my father. Shinji was still too young to take the title, so it would go to me. A better plan, really, since if Shinji died the family name would stop at me anyways. Of course, I didn't know that then."

"Shinji cares for you," I say softly. Not sure what else I could say.

"I never understood why," He says with a small laugh.

"You're all he has," I say softly.

He looks at me thoughtfully. "That's probably it," he agrees, looking back to Shinji. "Sakura, it would ease my mind if you would keep an eye on Shinji, in the future. To stop any further assassination attempts.

"Of course," I say with a nod. "Would you like me to stay here now?"

"No," he sighs. "Go get some sleep, Kakashi will have returned by now. I apologize for not giving him the proper warning time we agreed on, but I did try."

"That's fine," I say with a soft laugh. "Have a good night, Hiro."

"A sleepless one," he nods, turning back to Shinji.

I leave the room quietly, slipping down the hall ways and avoiding being seen by anyone. Who knows who is out to kill me now? A glance out the window tells me the hot springs are still intact, and only Hiro's were emptied. His were probably set aside from the others, being the lord of the castle's personal hot spring. I pass by the kitchens, glancing in to see someone rummaging through the cupboards. Upon closer investigation I realize it's the ninja from the land of Waterfall. I slip into the kitchen and quietly turn on the flame under the tea kettle, taking the leaves Tsunade sent me from my pouch. "What's your name?" I ask, leaning against the counter.

"Sakura-san!" He gasps, turning around.

"That's my name, what's yours?" I ask with a yawn as I move to wash Shinji's blood off my hands.

"Hideki," he says simply, bowing. "Congratulations or your engagement."

I narrow my eyes at him, then slowly shake my head. "Ok, normally I'd drill you about why you're here but I'm tired, so just… don't do anything stupid," I mutter, pouring the warm water over the tea leaves and then turning to leave. "We'll talk later, Hideki."

"Yes Sakura-san!" he chirps, waiting for me to leave before digging through the cupboards.

As I continue down the hall I sip at the tea slowly, poking at the tea bag to help it steep faster. Kakashi is waiting for me when I return, sitting in the small sitting room across from the bed, cleaning his kunai. "Hey," I mutter, falling onto the bed.

"Hey," he replies, not looking up. "Did you have a nice day?" I grunt concomitantly. "That your blood?"

I bring my hand up to my cheek, touching the blood there. "Shinji's," I say with a sigh. "A maid tried to kill him."

He silently continues to clean the metal. "You alright?" He asks after a moment.

"Fine," I sigh, getting up to go wash the blood of my face and neck. "There's a ninja here, from waterfall," I call back into the bed room.

"Hideki," Kakashi says easily. "He's clean."

"So glad you already knew about it and didn't tell me," I say sarcastically.

"I found out today," Kakashi says clearly from behind my shoulder, watching me in the mirror. "Are you ok? You don't…. hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?" I ask, expression softening. My shoulders relax at well. I feel like I've melted.

He blushes slightly, making my heart flutter. Adorable. "I though maybe… you regretted…"

I laugh, a forced laugh, but a laugh. "You're very conceited, Kakashi. Not everything is about you. I'm fine, really." I try to push him out of the way to go back to the bed but he captures me in his arms, pinning me to the door frame. One raised eyebrow makes me sigh. "I just want to go to bed, Kakashi."

He watches me for a moment, and then nods. "Sorry," he mutters, letting me go. "I didn't mean to be nosy… or conceited."

I sigh in frustration at the depressed look on his face. "Knock that off," I chide, elbowing him weekly. "You're too cute to look so sad."

"You stole my line," he says with a smirk.

"Come on, bed time," I say, patting his cheek softly.

"Bed as in sleep or bed as in-"

"-as in you get to stay on the couch if you finish that question?" I finish for him as I start to strip down to my underwear, making him smile. I crawl into bed, wondering if Akiko made this bed. Sitting up in bed I sip at the tea some more, wincing at its bitter taste.

"What's that?" he asks starting to take off his clothes as well, until he's just in his boxers.

"A gift from Tsunade," I say as I roll my eyes. "Good thing she sent it too," I muse. "Mr. Irresponsible."

He slips into bed next to me, careful not to touch me. "Sorry," he mutters with a blush to his cheeks that makes me grin. I cover the reaction by sipping at the tea. "I'll be more prepared next time."

I blush at that statement, laughing nervously. "Kami, I feel like a kid in sex-ed."

He laughs as well, lying down in the bed as I finish the tea, wincing at the taste. I lie down as well, turning off the light as I go, and in a moment Kakashi has his arms around me, kissing my neck sweetly. "It looks good on you," he whispers, running his lips over the chain of the necklace. "Thank you for wearing it."

I don't respond verbally, but simply turn my head to kiss him, and then snuggle into his arms.

Happy birthday Sayona13, hope it was a good one.

Three cheers for actually having a plot in this chapter.

Don't get mad at me, I'm not a doctor and have no idea what would happen if someone got a hair pin stabbed into their lung, I just watch scrubs, and that's the best I got. *shrug*

Sorry about the long wait with this chapter, I just couldn't write. Speaking of not writing. I'll be writing all next week, but I probably won't be able to post (vacation) so I'll have chapters for you when I get back. By the way, I do take negative reviews, I really do, just don't expect me to like you when you give them. Just learn how to insult me with compliments like my mom does and I'll like you just fine. (gee honey, your hair looks really nice today, it's not dry at all like it normally is. Yes, she said that to me yesterday… sigh) Anyhow, please review. I got like, 300(exaggeration) alerts of people adding me or this story as a favorite, but no one reviews… so please, review.