Synergic Paths
3. - Forgetting an important date

-

A worried frown adorned the mokuton user's features when he realized that the pink-haired woman he was looking for was actually huddled in a corner of the obliterated clearing, her knees drawn to her chest and her face hidden within her crossed arms.

Since that mission to Suna, she had been so withdrawn that even Naruto and Sai deemed it strange for a bubbly, happy person like Sakura. Sai had asked her what was wrong, eliciting the fakest smile he had ever seen on the medic's features. Of course, this worried other people as well.

Like Yamato, for example. He had seen almost nearly every range of emotion on Sakura's face, but the absent, wistful look she had nowadays was something he hadn't seen before on someone like her. Wanting to understand the reasons for her sudden clamming up, he had gone to the Hokage.

Tsunade herself was none the wiser regarding her pupil's sudden hermit complex. Recovering quite quickly from the trauma gained in the mission to Wind Country, Sakura had thrown herself in her hospital duties, allowing work to occupy her mind enough to keep more thoughts about her superiors away.

However, she hadn't counted on a surprise visit by none other than the silver-haired Copy Ninja, who had tried to get her to open up... earning himself quite a beating from the irate roseate medic-nin.

In truth, she hadn't wanted to explode like she did. But Kakashi's prodding only triggered the newly developed sense of self-preservation she had put up against anyone who entered her personal space. The cutting remarks that had slipped from her lips as she tried to hit him had the opposite effect: Kakashi had stilled in surprise, allowing her to connect her fists to his body.

After a frantic healing session and repetitive apologies, she had fled to her office, locking herself up once more. Little did she know that her words had opened something within the Copy Ninja, finally letting him see the truth behind her anger. He wasn't a genius for nothing.

Cornering her in the clearing had been easy for someone like him. Challenging her to one of his unorthodox bell-tests, he hadn't realized that the woman's fists were fueled with more frustration than anger. Feeling frustrated himself, it took little for him to pin her to the ground, pull down his mask and crash his mouth to hers, nearly eliciting a heart attack in the pink-haired kunoichi.

But soon she gave in to the feelings wreaking havoc on her senses and the kiss became more desperate, more passionate, frenzied even. He was only too happy to oblige to her unspoken demands, kissing her beyond oblivion, kissing her with all the desire he had been harboring for her, kissing her for the sake of kissing her, to feel her under his own body.

Then again, he hadn't foreseen her sudden withdrawal, her terrified whispers about dynamics that were damaged beyond reason and future losses that she didn't want to face. This surprised him enough for her to flee the place, taking refugee in the only place he couldn't follow: the Hokage's office.

As for Tsunade, she could only wait for her hysterical pupil to regain enough calmness to explain herself... but once again she had been surprised by Sakura's unpredictability by requesting a change of team or a sabbatical leave. The blonde knew she was running away, and what frustrated her the most was that her esteemed student wasn't providing a reasonable explanation.

She signed a vacation for Sakura, effective after the mission that she was about to assign her team. Tsunade had watched her student pale then blush in rapid succession, nailing her inner theory that something had indeed happened with one of her teammates.

And this worried her greatly.

Summoning Team Kakashi in its entirety, she dismissed Naruto's protests and sent them on a new adventure, this time back to Sunagakure, telling them cryptically that the Kazekage was going to issue them the final orders there.

Kakashi hadn't tried to talk to her about what had happened between them, and this hurt Sakura deeply. She knew that he wasn't going to explain himself; the kiss had been explanation enough of his thoughts and desires for her. Sakura also knew that her crush had developed into something that she just wasn't ready to face, especially after all the self-therapy she had induced to her own mind through a lot of pondering and meditation.

But Yamato's soft question about her changing team request was met with stunned, hurt silence. Of course he had known, he was one of the Hokage's most trusted ANBU operatives. Arriving to Suna, Gaara encountered a rather tense Team Kakashi, a Naruto that had his eyes hidden from view and a Sakura that didn't sport any light in hers.

Naruto, however, had earned an explanation. The following night she told him everything she was feeling about Kakashi and Yamato, swearing him to secrecy and also trying to cope with her own feelings, especially when the blond had showed one of his rare moments of wisdom and asked her why she was running away from her happiness.

And Sakura had been stunned into silence, breaking down once more in Naruto's arms. She was confused, very confused. Too confused to perceive Yamato's eavesdropping presence.

Gaara's orders were for them to help him renew his shinobi ranks, and for Sakura to redesign the medical practices in the Sand Village.

They had to stay in Sunagakure for the rest of the year.

This allowed Yamato to observe the kunoichi in another element, focused on her work with a passion that only a true calling can muster, teaching her colleagues with a gentle voice and a sweet smile.

But the light in her eyes didn't reappear, so Yamato promised himself to fix that.

Thinking himself beyond jealousy, Kakashi had observed his kohai taking the medic out to dinner, offering her an evening without loud yells or bland comments, coming out with a pleasant conversation about their experiences in their respective posts... finally watching how Yamato received a quick kiss on the lips for all the trouble he had gone through to cheer the medic up.

And Kakashi had burned inside with frustration.

Little did he know that Yamato knew about the stunt he had pulled back in Konoha, and he wasn't above in getting Sakura to accept and cope with the maelstrom inside her by coming clean with his own. She had been once more stunned to silence, murmuring something to the mokuton user and leaving him with a little, strained smile.

Two days later, Sakura had barged into Kakashi's room, straddling his hips in a fast movement and crashing her lips to his in a desperate attempt to make him lose control.

And to her thrilling delight, he did. Several times.

The next morning was a bit awkward, though. She had come clean with Kakashi as well, but she was an honest girl. The feelings she had for the Copy Ninja weren't the same as those she had for her former team leader. She loved them both, but the nearly violent passion that she had for Kakashi wasn't the same that the light, fluttering feeling that appeared in her stomach when Yamato was around.

Sakura thought herself a whore when she got no response from the silver-haired ninja.

But later Yamato had been sympathetic enough to accept her double feelings. He was thankful for her reciprocation of feelings, but yet he had backed away when she tried to kiss him.

And this wasn't lost on the hidden, observant Hatake Kakashi.

Getting into a suitable arrangement hadn't been easy, especially to the possessive Copy Ninja. He simply wasn't suited to share anything, especially a woman.

Especially a woman he loved dearly, to his inner fright.

But he had understood that Yamato was actually able to give her reassurings and comforts he just couldn't because of his trauma-filled past and jaded nature. He could show her his love without words; whereas his former kohai could fulfill her need for voiced support.

He knew Yamato enough to realize that he was also in love with the pink-haired medic. He would have to be obsessed with power and revenge, blind with obliviousness, or focused in other social struggles not to love that woman. Kakashi now could see that Sasuke had lost a precious opportunity to regain some humanity.

And that opportunity had turned to two world-weary, hopeless shinobi.

Yamato had been glad that the strange arrangement could be worked out. He wasn't a selfish man; his seemingly docile nature prevented him from being dragged in a vortex of vicious feelings. He had accepted Sakura's passion for Kakashi because he knew the other man needed a safe lifeline more than he did. But his acceptance of a new liaison of their pink-haired lover had been a pleasant surprise, promising to soothe the medic whenever Kakashi couldn't. It was a fair arrangement, since both of them could have her now.

Kakashi was a practical man. If she had enough heart to accommodate both of them, he wasn't going to complain as long as he had her. He had seen too much pain to allow himself be caught in a web of lies, deceit and jealousy. He simply had to accept it.

And he had told that to Yamato when they came back to Konoha at the end of their mission. Their homeland was covered with the gentle snow that was so endearing for their kunoichi, both of them watching how the light that had disappeared from her eyes had slowly returned, to their inner relief.

As for Tsunade, she had slyly asked about Sakura's earlier request, only to observe her pupil exchanging glances with her former superiors, now lovers. Or at least, one of them was a lover, and the other was going to be.

Her resolute negative had been celebrated by Naruto, and Sai to some extent, but the older men were more pleased than the two of them. And to Tsunade's cunning eye, the tender glance Yamato had sent the pink-haired kunoichi's way spoke volumes.

With this new discovery, Tsunade proceeded to gape openly in shock.

It was a good thing she didn't see the pleased smirk Kakashi had under his mask.

In the crossroad that split the paths of Team Kakashi to their respective homes and rests, they had bid goodbye to Naruto and Sai, the three of them staying back. Sakura knew they were waiting for her to pick one of them to go home with.

It was so bizarre that she couldn't help but realize how different this situation was from the harshness she had lived through trying to get close to a man that simply didn't want her. And now, two of the most brilliant shinobi of the village were waiting for a favoring word from her.

Glancing briefly at the two of them, she remembered suddenly a date she had bypassed when they were in Suna, a date she had marked in her mental calendar, a date she had always celebrated by herself. A date commemorating the day she had overcame the first of her boundaries and walls by defeating an Akatsuki member.

A date she had completely forgotten.

She smiled to herself.

"Guys, why we don't go to dinner, just the three of us? I want to tell you something."

Yes, she wanted them to know how she felt when Sasori had fallen, thanks to her combined strength with that old woman that taught her a little but precious lesson about herself.

A lesson called independence.

Maybe after dinner she would decide who'd get to go home with her, but first, she wanted them to know the real her, the real Sakura, the Sakura that unbeknownst to her, had them so enthralled.

Her smiled widened and her eyes shone with glee when both men situated themselves at her sides, walking the same strolling pace she had, patient enough and mature enough to let her do whatever she wanted, at least for the moment.

-

- Tenna' ento lye omenta -

-

AN: This theme was basically inspired in Giftwapped, by J-Pop Princess. Go read it, it's pure gold.
Much love to Cynchick to revisit and beta these! 8D