A/N - Possibly the shortest chapter of this yet! I'll try to make up for it next chapter, honest, but this part of the fic seems likely to be big on short chapters, lots of them, and fairly quick updates. Not all bad, eh? Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock!
Kashi-Cookie-Monster
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The next few weeks were a blur of hospital shifts, kunoichi meetings and training, with glimpses of Koji and fights with Kakashi interspersed in between. She saw him out the with the brunette several more times, but the sharp sting lessened to a constant dull ache that wouldn't leave but could sometimes be forgotten in the presence of her brown haired civilian friend. He was nice to be around, as she had quickly realised, and part of her longed for more whenever her would touch her. He was mainly platonic in his touches, only a hand on her arm or leg while emphasising a point or the gently caress of him pushing her hair out of her face. Nothing he did could be construed as inappropriate, and as time went on Sakura found herself wanting him to. She was driven towards him as herself and Kakashi grew further apart. By the time that she neared the end of her training, they hardly fought at all, and the thud that hit her at the mention of her only fell down to join the rest of it. She didn't react.
It had to choose then to rear its ugly head again, Sakura thought as she hurried over to her sensei's. Her stomach was rolling uncontrollably with the impending loss as she made her way over to collect her final assignment. What would her task be? She hoped dearly that it would be nothing more than her sensei, a final session to test her skills and for them to say goodbye. She needed that final closure.
She didn't knock when she reached his door. She hadn't for the last few weeks, and he didn't appear to mind. They had their boundaries set, perhaps the same boundaries that would rule them for the rest of their lives. The pink haired woman didn't want them to narrow. She wanted to know that she was always welcomed by her sensei. As things were, he would help her through anything.
He was standing leant against the sofa when she entered, his eyes on the floor.
"Morning," He murmured, and he lifted his face to smile calmly at her, his mask around his neck to keep his face bare. Sakura's eyes fixed on it, an article of clothing that was usually absent from their encounters.
"Are we going somewhere?"
He inclined his head, the happy grin still in place. "We have a mission... you have officially passed my training. This mission will give you jonin rank." He fixed his eyes on her, both of them and his smiled widened. "I am very proud of you, Sakura."
She nodded dumbly and swallowed. "What is the mission, sensei?"
"Reconaissance. There are several crime rings circulating. They have been building up for several years, but they have never been a threat to Konoha, so we have to acted. Other villages have not asked us to, and so we have not become involved. It is apparent that they have spies in Konoha, so that is our main goal. That would of course, not be very subtle, so you are going to interrogate them in a friendlier manner while asking indirectly. If they spill information on the spies of their own accord... then that's their loss. We'll be heading West...so pack for windy weather. We will be there a few days."
"Y-yes, sensei."
"Sakura," He murmured, a pulled her into a tight hug. "I really am proud of you."
She giggled softly. "Thank you, sensei. I'm proud of you, too."
He kissed her her gently and nudged her towards the door. "Meet me at training ground three. We'll leave around four. Don't be late."
Her mind in a whirl, Sakura left.
She spent the next two hours cleaning up for when her parents got home (as they surely would soon; Tsunade had drunkenly told her so) having quickly pulled her pack together in a matter of minutes. She always had the essentials packed, and only added a few garments and some make-up that could be useful to her. She had frowned when she looked at her pile and then her already full pack, but somehow it all fit. Now she knew how Ino managed.
Koji interrupted at around half one, sheepishly knocking on her front door and politely waiting to be invited in.
"Hey," She greeted, and stood aside for him to enter. He did so, lingering in front of the living room as he waited for her to shut the door and tell him where to go. "Go into the kitchen."
He did so, nodding and leaning against the neatly polished table. He nodded to the pack sat on the floor beside it. "You're going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I mean, I only found out this morning." She told him slowly, frowning a little at his expression. "I was gonna come tell you on my way to meet my teammate. It should only take a few days hopefully." She finished quickly, and he smiled.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not sure yet." She shrugged. "Kakashi's gonna give me the details later. It's somewhere in wind country."
He smiled. "So don't forget to bring lots of layers."
She smiled back. "I've got it sorted."
He smirked shyly. "Can I ask what you're going to do?"
She sighed at his curious tone. "No, I'm sorry. Besides, I don't even know what we're doing yet anyway. I don't even know what rank the mission is, only that it will be the final mission to bring my rank up to Jonin."
Koji didn't know much about the happenings of ninja but he, like many other civilians, did have a grasp of the ninja ranks and he grinned broadly, sweeping her into a hug. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks," She murmured. She couldn't help but compare this hug with Koji to the one that she had shared with Kakashi that morning. "I've got to be successful first though, so no point celebrating just yet."
"Still... we could go for a drink when you get back?" He asked hopefully. "Either a celebratory or commiserationary drink?"
She nodded weakly. "Sure, Koji."
"Great! Can I walk you to your mission later, for luck?"
How would that give me luck? "No, Koji." She sang, smiling despite herself. "But I'll be going past the restaurant if you want me to leave you there."
"My big strong ninja, walking me home!" He murmured in a fake-girly voice, dodging the arm that she swung out quite well for a civilian. Of course, she wasn't really attempting to hit him. "You got anything left to do before hand?"
"Nope. Wanna play Scrabble?"
He looked slightly shocked and Sakura tried to force herself to believe that it was sweet. "Ninja's play civilian games?"
"Well... yeah." She forced herself not to roll her eyes. "We aren't born as adults."
He scratched his head slightly sheepishly, in a manner akin to Naruto and it didn't help his case at all. "Hahaa, right."
Sighing at his reddened face she tugged the board off its shelf among the cookery books.
She then proceeded to thrash him at it.
They walked in silence on the way to the training ground, but exchanged an easy goodbye outside of the restaurant. A smile, a hug and a promise to meet once she returned. This time however, he also gave her a peck on the cheek. He gave her the sweetest smile she'd ever seen as he turned to walk through the open door, and Sakura felt her insides melt a little. Already he had clawed his way back from the irritating place that he had put himself in that afternoon.
As such, she was rather confused when she swung herself off a tree branch to land at her sensei's feet, two minutes earlier than planned.
This is important, huh.
"Sakura, you're early."
"So are you."
His eye crinkled happily. "I couldn't be late for my favourite kunoichi's last chunin mission, could I?"
The thing was, he definitely could have been. For the entirety of her genin career, she had sworn that he deliberately told them a time earlier than they were meant to leave, just to try their patience. Of course, she thought she knew better now. She knew that Kakashi always had a reason for everything.
"Kakashi?" She asked softly. "Why were you always late for our genin missions?"
He smiled at her. "I had a teammate who was always late for everything, and yet the mission would always go as if there was never any delay at all. You see, we left later so we ran faster to get to the camping spot. We kept the same speed the next day, and so we passed the next one early and moved on to find another. We had to learn to be prepared at a moment's notice. There was no point in settling in for the long haul, because we never knew how late he would be. It is the same here. If I had said to meet here an hour after you left, you would have been here and ready to go, wouldn't you?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I usually keep a pack handy and everything."
"Exactly." His eye crinkled again. "A ninja must always be prepared. You already have the things that you truly need packed. If necessary, you could leave the village at a moment's notice and help to evacuate the civilians. You could get out of a hotel room in seconds, because you don't have dolly packed in your bag. You're a good ninja, Sakura, and like all good ninja, you know how to prioritise."
Sakura flushed as she went over his words. "Thank you, sensei."
He inclined his head. "Don't thank me for what is true."
The two stood in silent reflection for a couple of seconds before Kakashi spoke again. "We need to leave in a minute Sakura. All you need to know is that we are only two nights of camping away from our destination. I will point out to you who it is that you are to question. In fact, I have pictures of them in my pack. I will brief you fully once we are there. Alright?"
"Yes, sir."
He nodded to her once more and the two began to lead, Kakashi leading. The days had begun to lengthen and they had a few hours of sunlight before it was almost too dark to travel. They set down for the night almost as the last spark dimmed.
"You set up the tent, I'll start a fire." Kakashi's voice was gruff, and Sakura was confused as she set herself to the task that she had been given. He was gone longer than ordinary, and if it weren't for his familiar chakra signature, Sakura would have begun to worry. As it was she worked without light, making quick work of the tent and scurrying inside to unroll the sleeping bags as she waited for him to return. She was pointlessly smoothing to material when she heard him return, the crunching of sticks as he piled them to light. She heard the fire begin to crackle, but stayed in the tent a few moments longer. Her shoulders were hunched over a little, and her eyes unblinking on the perfectly smooth bedroll when Kakashi came to kneel beside her.
"You alright?"
She hid the little start that ran through her, and turned with a wide, mostly genuine smile on her face. "I'm fine." She told him. "I'm just a little tired."
And it is making me anxious.
He shrugged. "We don't really have to leave too early tomorrow to stay on schedule. We can either eat quickly and go straight to bed, or we could talk for a bit first." His voice trailed off unsurely.
For some reason, she was curious. She wanted to talk too. She wanted to know if she had done anything wrong. "Well... so long as we don't have to leave too early."
He nodded. "I've got the fire started. You brought bento?"
She nodded with a grin. "The large sized tub that I only ever use if I'm with you or Naruto." She giggled lightly, and moved through the flap in the tent that Kakashi held up for her. She sat down beside the fire and pulled it out of her pack. "You remembered yours, right?" Her tone was teasing, and his slightly triumphant when he responded.
"Absolutely." He waved the pack under her nose, allowing her to see a well cooked homemade bento, fixed into the shapes of shuriken and hearts, and her jaw fell open.
"There is no way that you made that yourself!"
"Right you are." His eye crinkled happily. "Kasumi made it."
Her eyes fell once again to the shuriken and hearts. Oh, deadly appropriate. "Things still going strongly for you two then?" She snarked, attempting to keep her voice pleasant as the words slipped out.
He looked at her strangely for a moment before nodding. "Yes, things are going well. Thanks." They were quiet a moment, Kakashi smiling down at him bento and Sakura quietly fuming. She waited a few minutes longer before faking a yawn, stretching her arms wide and dropping her chopsticks into their box.
"I think I'd better hit the sack. " She mumbled hurriedly and dropped the disposable container to her feet. "Night."
She'd gotten into the tent by the time that she heard him follow and continued as if she hadn't heard him at all. While she could hear him pushing the material of the tent aside and entering, she pulled her shirt over her head, knowing that despite the wind she wouldn't yet be able to sleep fully clothed.
And with someone who had already seen her naked already, what did it really matter?
All was silent behind her as she removed her shoes, socks and trousers, too. She was left in only her undergarments, and didn't look once at her companion as she shimmied her way into her sleeping bag. She closed her eyes as she listened to him do exactly the same, and her mind began to run wild. He'd never mentioned her name before. Kasumi. She twisted her sleeping bag in her fingers, and rubbed her feet together restlessly as she pondered it. Did it mean anything that he was saying anything now? Maybe it was just that he trusted her now to not throw a tantrum at the mere mention of her. Maybe he thought that it no longer upset her. But if that was the case, then he would've been enlightened by the way that she had immediately changed her mind and opted for an early night.
Maybe he still had no grasp, really, of how much it bothered her.
She rolled over again, onto her back. She usually slept on her left side, but the would involve turning around and facing Kakashi. She kicked her feet again.
Finally his voice broke the silence. "Sakura, is everything alright?"
"Yes, why wouldn't it be?"
She could almost feel his shrug. "You don't seem to be getting to sleep very easily." Because I'm trying to ignore you.
"I don't know. I just feel slightly restless, y'know? I'm a little too tired a think. I ought to try and get as much sleep as possible, lest I be like this tomorrow."
Feeling smug, she turned onto her right side again and effectively put an end to the conversation. "Night."
"Goodnight Sakura."
After what seemed like far too long, his breathing evened and Sakura turned over, vaguely making out his outline in the dark. She eventually drifted off into the fitful sleep.
For the first time in months, they were sleeping together but not. And for Sakura, it was awkward.
A/N Had to give Kasumi a Japanese name :P Someone mentioned earlier that I used an English name for Claire, and that it was slightly off putting, so hopefully this is a little more... authentic XD Thanks for reading!
R&R
Kashi-Cookie-Monster
xxx