You guys all have been very patient with me and I greatly appreciate it. Thank you very much! Love you guys bunches! Sorry for the long wait, this is due for a couple of reasons but the main two as follows: the interaction between Kakashi and Sakura and the second thing was the lack of motivation and inspiration. Yah and also I had school finals to study for which totally bombed. I only had two to do anyway. Perks for being a senior. Hehe. Yah. Well if yall get pissed about this chapter, simple explanation. What better way to get two people together then split them apart. Argh! Spoilers, don't worry nothing serious will happen...as of yet. Hehe. Well read on!
Chapter 6: Finally Opening Up
Sakura tugged on her jacket a little more to bring it closer to her body. A sigh escaped her lips but it was filled with content and satisfaction.
For the first she felt like a woman, happy at the fact that she just finished a wonderful date and she got a kiss goodnight.
But on the cheek Inner Sakura pouted.
She nodded her head confirming that fact. Yes, it was on the cheek and also somewhat of a joke from Genma, but it didn't matter. A kiss was a kiss and she was content about it. Sakura looked up into the night sky till her hood fell off her head. She was still feeling a bit warm and fuzzy from the alcohol, but she knew the extent of her condition and she still could think rationally. She slipped her fingers into her jacket pockets and did a little hop in her high heels. A soft giggle escaped her lips, she felt like a girl again.
She halted in her steps.
"Like a girl." She thought. Her immediate high of euphoria went back down into the deep pits of her inner being.
Well so much for that Inner Sakura said while scuffing the ground with her foot.
Sakura pushed some escaped hair behind her ear. Her actions halted remembering Genma doing the same thing for her; she couldn't get out of her head how his eyes looked. How they read certainty and a need of trust.
A smirk rose up onto her lips. She needn't think such thoughts; she did have such a good night. She took a step forward to continue her way home when a hand fell on her shoulder. Sakura whirled around to deliver a punch but her offender just caught her wrist and whirled her back around. Due to the extra movement, one of her heels caught onto an uneven piece of pavement causing her to stumble slightly. Her offender tightened her grip on her by wrapping their other arm around her waist while their hand still held onto her wrist. This prevented her from falling. Sakura sagged somewhat in relief as she was held up from her fall.
Wait rapists don't do that Inner Sakura said regaining her bearings.
Sakura looked down and saw the metal bands on the back of the fingerless gloves her offender wore. In the light a shiny Konoha symbol glimmered, telling her that it was a Shinobi that had her.
"Students normally don't deck teachers." A voice said above her head.
Sakura's back straightened a little recognizing the voice.
"Kakashi?"
She turned her head and saw the outline of his masked jaw, his familiar scent swept over her telling her that is was in fact her ex-teacher.
"What are you doing?" she asked him. His hold on her shifted a little from the comment.
"I could be asking you the same question."
Sakura looked down to wear his arms were at. If a person happened to walk by just then, and it being 1 a.m., they would think that a happy couple were either tickling each other or teasing each other on an early morning stroll through the now deserted streets. Sakura noticed the location of his arms and instantly regained her balance. She felt her cheeks go warm.
Why are you blushing all of a sudden? Inner Sakura asked tilting her head a little. Sakura glared at her. Had a little too much to drink?
"Shut. It." she snapped at her inner self.
Once Kakashi saw that she had her feet firmly planted on the ground he let her go. Sakura stood there looking at him after she turned around to face him.
"You out for a stroll or something?" she asked tugging the jacket closure to her body. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her.
"You could say that." He replied tilting his head a little in regards to the question.
"Oh," she pushed some hair behind her ear before addressing him. "Well I was on my way home and—"
"Go anywhere?" he butted in. Sakura looked up at him with raised eyebrows noticing the way how he said that. She lowered her hand from her face in question to his reaction.
"Ah, yeah, as a matter a fact I did."
"With who?" he asked with curiosity. Sakura couldn't help but notice the very slight edge to that innocent question.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, was he angry at her? They made up yes but that still didn't mean that she had to ask his permission to do things. He wasn't talking to the 15-year-old student anymore; she was now his age and under a different person's tutelage. Sakura looked at him and noticed that the usual languid slouch that he held was a little rigid with tension? And also how his shoulders did not hunch forward as much as they usually do, she had to say that he was upset with her.
"With a friend," she replied gently while looking at him. He nodded his head at her, but she didn't miss the hardening of the jaw. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Well it was nice seeing you Kakashi but I need to get home."
She tilted her head in goodbye and turned on her heel and began walking again. She wasn't even a block away when she heard his footsteps behind her. She found it very odd that he was even out at this time of night; he stayed up late to read but not to walk around town and follow her home none the less. She felt awkward having him follow her so closely; she drew her arms up and held her elbows. She whirled back around. There he was standing there as if it was the first time that she noticed his presence.
"What are you doing?" she asked with question. He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"Walking." He replied nonchalantly. Sakura narrowed her eyebrows at the reply.
At that moment Genma's words floated into her mind.
"But give him some time Sakura, he takes his time with these kinds of things."
She would have given him plenty of time to come and talk to her, but now that he actually was right in front of her, she was irritated about what Genma said to her. Irritated at the fact that it's taking him this long.
In fact she had given him time to come talk to her and when he did actually come, she had a hunch that he was pestered into doing it and he wasn't exactly being open with her. She waited for him, in the months that she was trying to get used to being a grown up she could have really used his presence, but she was feed up with waiting. She thought that they got over this that was what she hoped last night was about; they did make up, but now it was based all on trust. Not just trust with her but trust in her decisions as an adult.
"Is that all?" she asked dropping him a slight hint of her now fueled irritation. He raised an eyebrow noticing the voice, but didn't show that it bothered him. Instead he raised a hand and scratched at the back of his neck.
"Well, you see I found this lost puppy and I went to go find—"
Sakura pursued her lips at him, he noticed her voice but he still chose to ignore it. This only made her irritation turn into anger.
"Cut the crap, Kakashi. Why are you following me?" she asked as she crossed her arms. He lowered his hand looking at her.
"Just wanted to see you home." He replied with a shrug. Sakura's jaw tensed from the statement, he must have seen her exit the bar and so he made it his duty to follow her home. In other words:
He thinks we're drunk Inner Sakura said crossing her arms in a huff.
"I can take care of myself." She said turning around and started walking away from him. To her dismay she heard his footsteps behind her. She stopped and turned to look at him. "I can walk myself home."
He huffed at her. Wait. Huffed?
"Then how was it that I caught you off guard back there?" he asked jerking his head back to where they first met up. He still used a soft tone of voice but in it read question.
"I—"
She held back her reply; she wasn't going to tell him that it was Genma that invited her to the bar. She didn't know what his reaction would be like, probably less of a reaction than that of Naruto's but Kakashi was far better than Genma as a Shinobi and she knew that he could beat Genma any day.
"I was thinking about something." She replied to the awaiting Copy Nin. Kakashi's face didn't change but she could bet that he was frowning at her under that damn mask of his.
"A real ninja is always aware of their surroundings so that—"
"I know." Sakura butted in. "It's the Rule of the Shinobi, you've cited it to me about a hundred times now."
"Then you could understand why it's important that you are aware of your surroundings." He said this as he too crossed his arms. Sakura unfolded hers and settled a hand on her hip. "If I had been someone else, you could have a kunai in you."
"But you weren't." she said. Sakura looked at him and still saw the hardened jaw. "Is this what this is about?"
His jaw slackened slightly at her question.
"What?" he asked in confusion. Sakura's eyes widened from that remark. He knew what she was talking about.
"Don't play dumb with me, Kakashi. I know you saw me leave the bar."
"Then you could understand why I'm following you home." He replied narrowing his eye.
"No, actually I don't," she said crossing her arms. "I really don't see why."
"Sakura—"
Sakura beat him to the punch. "You think I'm drunk, don't you?" she said looking right at him.
His eye expanded slightly at her remark, he now was in the position where he could not avoid her emotion behind her questions. Except he didn't say anything but uncross his arms and slip a hand into his pocket. Sakura opened her mouth at him from his lack of response.
"Do you think that I'm drunk?" she asked again a little louder and more defensive than before.
"You smell like alcohol, Sakura. Also it was your first time—"
"I know my limit Kakashi," she said waving a hand in front of her. "Also I have a clear enough mind as to knowing what I'm saying at the moment."
"Do you really?"
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He didn't trust her. He didn't trust her enough to allow her to be out and about late at night. And also for the fact that she had her first real taste of alcohol in her 28 year old life. He made it seem like she was a Genin again.
Another part of Genma's words floated to her.
"Don't worry about Kakashi, he'll warm up to you in no time"
She didn't know what to do at the moment. All she could do right now was just stare at him. She couldn't believe that he thought she was drunk.
"Look a friend asked me out to dinner and a couple of drinks were offered, nothing more happened." She said this while controlling her anger.
"Oh, really?"
Sakura only narrowed her eyes at his response.
"What's your problem Kakashi? You make it seem that I committed a crime with the way you're acting."
His eye got bigger from her remark.
"You don't get it do you?"
"No, I don't apparently."
"This is your first time ever coming out."
"Your point?"
A silver eyebrow narrowed at her smart remark.
"I just hoped that you would be mindful of your actions—"
Sakura interrupted him from that statement.
"Wait my actions?"
The Copy Nin only hardened his jaw.
"Your actions as a responsible adult Sakura, it's not every day that a fifteen year old gets turned into a twenty-eight year old." He said this to her as if she was a twelve year old.
Something in Sakura snapped from that remark. No use holding back her anger.
"You think I'm happy with this?" She instantly saw the regret in his eye as she confronted him.
"Sakura I didn't—"
"Do you think that I'm happy with the fact that I can longer talk to my childhood friends? Do you think that I'm happy with the fact that it's taking you this long to even talk to me?"
She saw Kakashi take a step back from her anger.
"I'm no longer your Genin Kakashi! I'm not a twelve and fifteen year old anymore. The Sakura Haruno that you remembered is dead, she can never come back."
Sakura just watched him stare at her. He still didn't say anything to her, nothing to counter her accusations.
"Just let it go."
Sakura's eyes widened at the words Genma said to her. She allowed an exasperated sigh escape her lips.
"God, he was right. He was absolutely right." She averted her gaze to contemplate her words.
"He was right to tell me to just let it go," she looked down at the ground. "Since I thought I could hold onto the fact that you and I could still be comrades even after the accident….But now…….. I see that we can't……. with your hanging guilt and mistrust for me and my decisions."
She flicked her eyes back over to Kakashi and saw him raise an eyebrow at her use of the word 'he'. Sakura looked up and saw the line of his jaw move telling her that was going to say something but she wasn't going to allow that to happen.
"Genma was the one that took me out."
She saw the jaw close and harden but he didn't say anything.
"Yes, Genma was the one that took me out and took me to the bar. And do you want to know why I allowed that?"
"Because he's a known flirt." Kakashi replied icily.
"No, because he's the only on in months to even come up and have an actual conversation with me. Since none of my friends are talking to me and my ex-teacher can't get the nerve to even to trust me—"
"Sakura."
"Stop!"
Both Shinobi went silent from the outburst. The night air even was silenced by its eavesdropping.
"Until you trust me Kakashi……" she looked at him and clenched her teeth. " I'm not sure if we can still be considered friends."
His eye widened at her statement. Inside Sakura was hurting because she didn't want to do this but in order for him to trust her and her decisions it had to be done this way. But on the outside Sakura was angry at him for his lack of response to her assailing questions and also his lack of emotion.
"Sakura, I—"
"It's late, I need to get home."
She turned on her heel and began walking away.
"Sakura wait."
She didn't stop or turn around to acknowledge his final response.
"Sakura will you listen to me."
That was then she felt him take hold of her arm with a firm and hard grip. It hurt her. How dare he touch her after what she said to him and not respond. She whirled back around to face him just as her open palm connected with his face.
She stood there shaking from her action. Sakura didn't know what came over her but all she could do was just look up at him. She felt like crying but her eyes held no tears just disappointment. Her gaze lingered to the side of him.
The Copy Nin's hold on her arm slackened and feel away, both from shock and from the slap. He looked at the Kunoichi in front of him.
"Do yourself a favor Kakashi," she raised her gaze to fix them on his visible eye. "Just. Let it go."
She stepped back and turned to continued her walk home.
"Sakura."
She stopped at the voice and the now sudden use of emotion. It read remorse and a want of understanding. But she wasn't going to allow that to take back what she said.
The air around them still remained silent, but a gentle and cold breeze swept between them. They both didn't say a word to each other until the pink haired woman decided to break that silence.
"Good night, Hatake."
And with that she disappeared into the night leaving behind a rather annoyed and hurt Copy Ninja.
"Report?" Tsunade said looking at the Shinobi in front of her.
"The target agreed to the engagement and I left the scene once I received the signal."
Tsunade only raised a honeyed eyebrow at the remark.
"And how did the target react?"
The Shinobi in front of her thought about the question before replying.
"The target expressed a reaction of gratitude and also contentment."
The woman next to the seated Hokage only shifted slightly stifling a giggle. The older woman glanced in her direction for a minute, thoughts mulling over in her mind. A sigh escaped her lips with relief for the report.
"And what of the suspect?" she said looking over the scroll that the Shinobi handed her earlier that late evening.
"Could only be expressed with loath and total hatred toward the interaction of the target."
A grin slowly spread on her face.
"Was he really that upset with you?" she said lifting her head to address the Shinobi. "Genma."
The brunette only twirled the replaced sendon and scratched at the back of his head.
"Yes, he couldn't hide the discomfort even with that book he's always reading but I could tell that he was annoyed at me and also Sakura."
The Hokage allowed a huff come out of her.
"How so?"
Genma tilted his head in thought as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"I guess for the fact that it was about ten o'clock and Sakura was still out and also for the fact that she was in a bar, drinking, and with me." He looked at the Hokage with a sly smile, but his attention only flicked over to the short haired girl next to her.
Shizune only blushed slightly and looked down at the pink pig in her arms.
"I see." She said noticing the interaction between the two younger Shinobi.
"He walks around with guilt but when he's in proximity of her, he acts like a jealous boyfriend." Genma continued returning his gaze to the Sannin.
"Well, you know Kakashi better than I do Genma," Tsunade shifted in her chair slightly. "He does have the tendency of hanging onto things for a while."
The man only nodded and looked down at the ground. He heard a sigh from the older woman.
"I'm just glad that she was able to get out of that hospital and be out among people."
Genma raised his head and looked at the blonde.
"So am I."
"It's good for her to be out and about and it helps her 'situation'," she rolled up the mission scroll and tossed it into the growing pile next to her desk. "But also it was good for Kakashi to see her too. I just hope that those two begin talking again."
"You think by setting Sakura up on a date they will begin talking again?"
The Hokage nodded her head in reply.
"Naruto tells me that Sakura stays up in the late hours of the night doing paperwork and Kakashi is found sulking on that old bridge that Team 7 used to use," she chuckled slightly from a thought that crossed her mind. "In fact Naruto was the one that came up with the idea."
"Lady Tsunade your evil." Shizune replied. The Sannin glanced over at the girl and returned her gaze to the man in front of her.
"Yes, Yes, I know. But it was for their own good."
She heard a disappointed sigh escape from the woman next to her.
"Is that all Lady Hokage?" asked Genma. Tsunade looked at him then slowly shook her head.
"No, that is all." She replied. "You can go Genma and thank you."
"No problem."
He turned and walked toward the double doors leading into to the large office.
"Oh, and Genma?"
The said Shinobi stopped and turned to face the Hokage.
"I appreciate what you did for Sakura."
The Sendon Wielder only smiled.
"Think nothing of it."
"Yes but," the older woman continued. "If suddenly decide to be your normal flirtatious self, I don't need to remind you that I was the one that taught Sakura that inhuman strength of hers and I won't be as gentle as I normally am when it's your soon approaching physical examination. Do I make myself clear?"
The man at the door was silent for a while till a feeble.
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Good, now leave."
The sound of a door being closed shut greeted her ears as Tsunade picked up a cold cup of tea. She heard another sigh escape from her assistant.
"Evil, just pure evil." Shizune said shaking her head.
The Hokage only smiled into her cup of cold tea.