Hello all! I've been terrible and neglected to thank you all for the reviews, faves and alerts for the past few chapters. So, I apologize for that oversite. THANK YOU!! They all really do make my day! Enjoy!

As always, massive thank you's go to my mahhh-velous betas, ScaryRei and Shy Tan'ith. Thank you for pointing out where my brain failed me. I swear college is sucking out some of my smarts.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

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You Gotta Go There To Come Back

Chapter 12: My Friends

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Kick back, think back, look at you

You got the look, you got the shoes

I'd like to fill your world and be with you

Your lust for life just turns me on

A star above that's shining on

Think I'd like to see the world like you

-'My Friends' by Stereophonics

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Sakura took in the eye crease and the hand raised in his traditional salute. "Kakashi."

The barely whispered word caused the Copy Ninja to open his eye and look at her. He watched her cheeks flush adorably while her smile increased in radiance. Before he could utter a 'welcome home' or any other greeting, her slender arms encircled his waist and pulled him close. Kakashi wondered briefly if he should return the gesture. After all, he had a strict 'no public displays of affection' policy. Then he decided to hell with what anyone else thinks. He wanted to embrace her and she wanted to embrace him, so he slid his arms around her waist and rested his head on the top of hers. Kakashi was surprised at how perfectly the two of them fit together. Sakura had grown quite a bit in the time she was gone, and now the top of her head was just under Kakashi's chin. The way she held on tightly, the way they were pressed close together and the way she snuggled into his chest were not ways a student and teacher greeted each other. It was intimate, sweet and affectionate, causing Kakashi to smile tenderly underneath his mask. "Welcome home, Sakura."

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Koji bit his lip and wrung his hands anxiously as he watched the exchange between Kakashi and Sakura. There was still that tiny glimmer of hope that he could make her happy and earn her love, but seeing her practically glowing in the ninja's arms was making his chest hurt. He started to make his way over to them, intent on making up an excuse to pull Sakura away, when a blonde woman blocked his path.

Ino smiled brightly and extended her hand for Koji to shake. "Hi there! I'm Yamanaka Ino, Sakura's best friend and rival." She laughed lightly at the antonyms.

Koji gave a strained smile, wanting to get to Sakura but unwilling to make a bad impression on her friends. "Tanaka Koji. It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand and then made to move past her. "I don't mean to seem rude, but I must speak with Sakura."

Ino moved to block his path again and then shook her head in a 'no' fashion, crossing her arms as she did. "I don't think so, Koji-san." She turned to regard the couple and smiled softly as she placed a friendly hand on Koji's shoulder. "That woman has had enough heartache and sorrow in her young life. And as much as it baffles me, she loves that man with everything she has. I don't really understand what she sees in him since he's so secretive all the time, but he makes her happy. She deserves to be happy, Koji-san. If you love her even a tiny bit, you'll see how Kakashi makes her face light up and calms her all at the same time. You want her to feel that joy and contentment permanently, don't you?"

As much as it pained him, Koji nodded slowly. He truly did love Sakura, everything about her seemed to draw him in and keep him glued there. However, it was becoming increasingly apparent that she had already made her choice, completely sure of her decision. The hardest part now was knowing he loved her enough to let her go.

Ino patted him on the back. "Good man." She turned him toward the bar. "Now I hear this place is dishing up free alcohol all night, so let's go get a drink! You look like you could use a strong one."

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Sakura's arms tightened briefly before she pulled back just enough to look into Kakashi's charcoal eye. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too." He noticed with a bit of a blush that one hand was resting on the bare flesh of her back between the bottom of the shirt and the top of the skirt. Kakashi quickly moved his hand up to rest over the cotton shirt, not needing any more temptations. He'd already had quite enough in his opinion. "You'll have to tell me all about your travels when you have time."

Sakura nodded happily with a bright smile that reached her eyes, ecstatic to not only be speaking to Kakashi, but to have his arms still wrapped around her waist. She felt safe, secure, and stronger just because he was with her. No one made her feel as safe as Kakashi did. Even Makoto and Shingo with their massive size, their strength and their friendship, couldn't stack up to the feelings she had whenever the elite ninja was around. "I was planning on having a smaller reunion at my house in a few nights. Just you, Naruto, Yamato, Sai and Ino over at my parents' old place. Will you be there?"

Kakashi's eye creased at her. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sakura pulled him close to briefly squeeze him again and then released her hold on him. "I hate to run, but I need to get cleaned up after that concert. Plus I think I've promised a dance to just about every man in this room...and a few girls."

"Well go on and get ready then." Kakashi chuckled as he waved her off, then froze when she scowled at him.

"Don't you dare disappear on me, Hatake! I haven't seen you in five years and I'll be damned if you poof out without spending some time with me!"

God, she was gorgeous when she was angry! The jounin contemplated leaving just so he could see those glowing green eyes and pouting lip again, but held up his hands in a placating gesture. Tonight was too special to rile her up. "I'll be here. Promise." Sakura nodded with a smile and turned to clean up and change.

Sporting a slightly dreamy smile under the mask, Kakashi sighed. There were traces of the old Sakura in there and he was grateful for it. He had always loved her spunk and her witty remarks and was glad those seemed to still be intact. The silver-haired shinobi was also thankful that he couldn't quite reconcile the image of a teenage Sakura with the beautiful adult who had just re-entered their lives. The woman who just performed was not the Sakura he remembered. Old Sakura would have never swiveled her hips the way this person had. New Sakura was a stranger to him; a beautiful, captivating, alluring, sexy as hell stranger and he desperately wanted to get to know her. If she was anything personality wise as she had been before, the idea of falling for her was not far-fetched at all. From what he could see this new Sakura was gutsy and unapologetic in her mannerisms and music and he was eager to see what other surprises awaited them all.

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Sakura emerged from the back an hour later looking more beautiful than ever. With black skinny jeans, a black lace shirt over a silky red tank top and red high-heeled boots, she looked stylish and completely sexy. Her make-up was gone and her hair was left down and straightened which emphasized the layers down her back and around her face.

Kakashi didn't get to ogle her for long since she was swept away quickly by Naruto, who was ready for his dance with her. The enthusiastic young man pulled her along to the dance floor and immediately started to twirl her around in a variation of the polka. Naruto's tempo didn't exactly match the tempo of the techno song blaring over the speakers, but he and Sakura were laughing and having a good time so it didn't matter.

Kakashi watched the two spinning around swiftly, grinning at the carefree display. It was good to see the teammates together again, laughing and giggling as they tripped over each other from going too fast. He did notice that Sakura seemed to be carrying herself differently, more confident and sure of herself than she had been before her departure. When it finally registered that she had forgone the makeup, it dawned on him what had changed. Sakura was gorgeous, she always had been. But now she knew she was beautiful instead of wondering about it. Despite the newfound knowledge, she didn't flaunt it or have any hang-ups about being herself. That made her all the more beautiful to Kakashi.

The song ended and Naruto spun Sakura one more time before hugging her tightly and scampering off to find Hinata. The pink-headed woman took in a few gulps of air while she waited for the room to quit spinning and then giggled lightly as she went to look for some water.

"Sakura sweetie!"

She turned at the sound of her mother's voice and smiled brightly. "Hey!" She noticed Grandma Aiko's yawn and frowned. "Are you guys already leaving?"

Sakura's father chuckled. "What do you mean 'already'? It's nearly 1 A.M."

Her mother added, "You don't want your old fuddy-duddy parents hanging around at your party."

Sakura hugged them all briefly. "Are we still having lunch tomorrow?"

Aiko giggled. "If you're up in time for lunch! This party looks like it's shaping up to be one hell of a shindig."

Sakura laughed at her adorable grandmother. "'Shindig'? I love you, grandma."

Her father waved his mobile phone in front of her. "Call us if you need anything."

She rolled her eyes before smiling affectionately. "Daddy, everyone here is a friend. I'd say I'm safer than most people right now."

With a nod, the three older Harunos left.

After finding and ingesting plenty of water, Sakura was blindsided by the one man who enjoyed sneaking up on her more than anyone else she had ever met. Her green eyes closed in mirth as she was spun rapidly. "KANKUROOOOO!"

Kakashi watched with an amused head shake as the puppet master pulled her onto the floor for another awkward dance. Sakura was sure to get one hell of a work out with all of her eager dance partners tonight.

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True to her word, Sakura danced with almost every man in the pub...and a few of the girls. She had even danced with Sai, Yamato and Gai. Kakashi noticed the tight smile as she danced with Gai. She was polite and friendly, but he could tell she wasn't exactly comfortable. Especially when the taijutsu master began to weep loudly about her blossoming springtime of youth while crushing her in a smothering hug.

She was currently sitting next to Kakashi at a tiny table, talking with the group of people that had pulled up more chairs than the small table could fit. Ino nudged her in the side. "So Forehead, tell us what you did once you left the village and how you got to be oh-so-famous."

Sakura giggled into the diet soda she was nursing. "Well, I went to Sand for a while and stayed with Gaara, Kankuro and Temari in the Kazekage Tower."

Temari interrupted. "This is where she saw Koji for the first time."

Sakura smiled and reached across the table to pat her manager's hand. "Oh, it was so cute! Okay, Temari heard why I left the village and declared we needed a girls' night out. So we went to this nightclub and while Temari was getting drinks, I was looking around the club and noticed this guy staring at me."

Koji blushed and Sakura continued. "I smiled at him, just being friendly, and he quickly looked away with this shy smile and I thought that was adorable. Then later on, Temari and I were dancing and I noticed him looking at me again. I didn't see any harm in some light flirting, so I gave him a teasing smile and he smiled back. I saw him a few more times around the village but thought he was just a local, until I left Wind Country and noticed him following me."

The manager groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "You knew?!"

Sakura flashed him an apologetic smile. "From the beginning. You did well at hiding, but you didn't do so great with being quiet."

As the hours passed, the group listening heard all about Sakura's decision to join Koji's agency. They heard about her first album and tour, different highlights of her absence and funny stories.

The number of ninja present dwindled as some passed out drunk and others just decided it was time to head home. Finally, Iruka asked the question that Sakura was hoping to avoid. "Why did you leave in the first place?"

Sakura bit her lip, glanced at Kakashi and sighed. "I had been planning on leaving for a while. I needed to figure out who I was. If for some reason my medic duties and ninja responsibilities were stripped away, what would I have left? I had no answer and decided leaving was the best course of action. If I remained in Konoha, I never would have broken out of the routine I had established of working to the point of exhaustion and somehow fitting in training, studying and mission work. Then I fell in love with someone, whom at that time, I had no business drooling over. I was only sixteen and a relationship between myself and someone older would have been unacceptable. But I couldn't stay here and risk seeing him with another woman or having my heart broken some other way by him. So it made the leaving idea even more desirable, and I finally gathered the courage to ask Tsunade-shishou for her blessing to leave."

It made Kakashi ache to know that she felt she had to leave partly because of him. But she was right. If he was ignorant of her feelings for him, there was no telling what he may have said or done to unintentionally hurt her.

Hiro spoke to break the tense silence. "Hey, tell them what you did with your millions."

There were gasps around the table from the shinobi. Ino grasped Sakura's hand. "Sakura, did he just say 'millions'? As in money?"

With a nervous giggle, the celebrity responded. "Yeah. I didn't even realize I had amassed a sizable fortune until an accountant informed me. I knew I was getting paid for the albums, movies, photo sessions and various appearances and endorsements. I just didn't know how much."

Kakashi recovered from his shock and spoke next. "So what did you do with your money?"

"I still have a lot of it, but I donated most of it to schools and hospitals around the world. Then there were the schools I started."

She told them about the vocational schools that she had formed for people in the destitute sections of villages and countries and every person in the vicinity felt their respect for Sakura grow. They all knew she was selfless and caring before she left. It seemed stardom hadn't dampened her generous nature in the least.

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Sakura hugged the last of the guests as they filed out of the pub. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Forehead? There's a new breakfast cafe you need to try and it should be opening up soon."

Her tired green eyes still managed to sparkle as she smiled softly at Ino, Kiba, Chouji, Naruto and Hinata. "No. I just want to clean up a little since Yamada-san was nice enough to let us use his pub. Plus, he trusted me with the key. I'd feel utterly ungrateful if I left a mess after that."

"Are you sure you don't want us to help?" Hinata offered quietly from Naruto's side.

"You guys go on. I won't be long. You're already helping by clearing out the final drunk." She motioned to the passed out Genma who was slung over Kiba's shoulder.

After another round of crushing hugs, the five left and Sakura yawned as she stumbled back into the pub. There really wasn't too much of a mess. Her friends were rowdy and loud, but they could be depended upon to pick up after themselves. If she wiped off the tables and did a quick sweep, the pub should look fine. As she moved to grab a cleaning rag, her arm was snagged gently. "I'll help you."

Her fatigue quickly diminished as she recognized the low voice behind her. She spun to face the man in the pub with her. "Kakashi. I thought you left."

"I did. But then I felt bad about leaving you with all the cleaning by yourself." He gave her an eye crinkle and she melted.

"Aww, thanks Kakashi! There really isn't much to be done so it shouldn't take long."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Do you want to sweep or wipe down tables?" She held up a rag and a broom for him to choose from.

Kakashi took the large push broom from her hands. "I'll sweep."

Sakura gave a quiet cheer. "I was hoping you'd pick that! I detest sweeping."

The silver-haired shinobi chuckled at her. "How does it feel to be home?"

"Amazing! Marvelous! Great! Magnificent! Magical! Unbelievable! Shall I continue?" Her smile was playful and teasing, drawing Kakashi in.

As much as he just wanted to hear her enchanting voice keep going, he shook his head. "I think I got it."

Sakura moved over to the radio before starting on the tables. "Mind if I turn on something quiet? Despite being exhausted, I'm still a little wound up."

Kakashi motioned for her to go ahead and then started in on the floor. The two worked in companionable silence for a while; the only sounds were the soft classical music coming from the radio and the scratch of the broom. Sakura wiped down the last table and surveyed the seemingly clean pub. "That should do it."

Kakashi took her rag and put it in the back with the broom. "Should we do something about the dishes?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "Yamada-san said he was going to bring in his staff early to get the place clean. I don't know how his dishwasher works or his method for cleaning the dishes anyway."

Kakashi moved to the radio and turned it up slightly. "I came back for another reason tonight. I seem to have forgotten something."

Sakura shook her head, fond smile in place. "I don't see any of your smutty books here, so what could you have possibly forgotten?"

"I didn't get a dance with the guest of honor."

The wide green eyes and rosy flush to her cheeks was endearing. "Oh...um...I..."

Kakashi chuckled as he took her hands and pulled her to the dance floor. "It's certainly not fair if you grace everyone else with your splendid dance skills, but neglect your poor old sensei."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "You're not old, Kakashi. You're what...thirty-four or thirty-five?"

"Thirty-four."

"See? Not old. And you don't seem like you've aged a day since I left."

She smirked victoriously and then blushed and diverted her gaze shyly when Kakashi pulled her close. The Copy Ninja stealthily breathed in her scent, reveling in the combination of lavender, jasmine, cucumber-melon and something sweet that he couldn't quite identify. When she left, she had smelled of cherries and strawberries, innocent scents fit for a teenager. Her scent now was mature and grown-up, the smell of a beautiful woman. Kakashi pulled her a tiny bit closer, making it easier to take in her intoxicating blend of fragrances. "I'm glad it's slower music playing now. I'm much better at ballroom than those noisy songs you were dancing to earlier."

Sakura's gaze shot up in astonishment. "You know ballroom? All of the ballroom dances?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I know most of them. I had to learn for a mission years ago."

Sakura's face lit up. "Could you teach me sometime?"

"You don't know how? I would have guessed from your dances with Naruto and Kankuro that you were an expert." He smiled as his teasing caused a glare from her.

"Seriously? Those two manhandled me in their own warped way of dancing." Her expression changed from scolding to pleading. "Please teach me?"

Kakashi chuckled at her reaction. "Anything for my favorite student."

The duo began to sway slowly and Sakura was certain she had died and gone to Heaven. She didn't have much experience to compare with, but her gut feeling told her Kakashi was an exceptional dancer. He spun Sakura out from him only to pull her back in closely, continuing the slow swaying they had adapted.

As the dance continued, Sakura's exhaustion began to catch up with her, robbing her of her inhibitions. The warmth of Kakashi's embrace and the gentle swaying only added to her tired state. She gently lowered her head to rest against Kakashi's shoulder and sighed in contentment.

Kakashi smiled softly as he felt her lean against him more and then smiled wider in amusement when he felt her putting more of her weight on him. "Are you sleepy, Sakura?"

His deep voice seemed to soothe her further as her weight against him increased again. She mumbled a 'yes' sleepily and then sighed again. "Kakashi, can I tell you something that's going to sound weird?"

"You can tell me anything. Go ahead." He tightened his arms around her, partly because he wanted to and partly to keep her from falling.

"You smell nice."

A goofy grin spread under his mask. "How is that weird? I happen to view that as a compliment. I think you smell nice, also."

Kakashi waited for a response and when none came he looked down at the kunoichi wrapped in his embrace. "Sakura? Are you awake?" She was smiling a tiny bit, but definitely passed out. He gave a soft huff in wonder. How the heck did someone fall asleep standing up? He supposed it just showed how comfortable she was with him and how much she trusted him. He lifted her bridal style and grabbed the pub key from the table she had set it on.

After locking up, he stood for a second wondering where to take her. Ino and her other friends would still be out at breakfast. He didn't think she felt comfortable enough with the other people at the party to stay with them. Personally, he didn't want to take her to Koji and her other Snow friends. They had hogged her long enough according to him. His apartment was filthy and he wanted to clean it before she saw it. He didn't know where her parents' old house was. Then with a little eye roll at himself he set out towards Aiko's house. "Of course her grandmother would be a logical choice, idiot."

Once in front of the familiar door, he gave a hesitant knock. He didn't want to wake anyone up, but really had no choice in the matter. Sakura's father peeked out after cracking the door open and then opened it wider, smiling fondly at his daughter who was cradled against Kakashi's chest and gripping his vest with one hand. "She fell asleep standing up." Kakashi's voice was filled with awe. He was still perplexed by the idea.

Sakura's mother giggled softly from further inside where she was setting a pillow and blanket on the couch. "Get her tired enough and she'll fall asleep anywhere. You wouldn't believe some of the places we've found her."

Kakashi didn't remember any strange sleeping areas while on missions. However, life and death situations tend to keep people awake. He brought her in and set her gently on the couch. "Here's the pub key. I don't know if Sakura had arrangements to meet Yamada-san somewhere to return it or where he lives. Otherwise I'd return it for her."

Sakura's father took the key and smiled at Kakashi. "Thank you for bringing her here."

"No problem. Please tell Sakura I'll see her later. I've got to get home and get some rest myself."

"Good night, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura's mother's cheerful voice called from where she was fussing over her daughter.

After trading farewells with Sakura's father, he finally poofed home and fell into bed, passing out instantly.

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Sakura wandered the village with the five growths she had acquired. Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Naruto and Ino had successfully suctioned themselves to her side. Ino was pointing out new buildings and reminding Sakura where things used to be, but Sakura's mind was elsewhere. Her mind was being occupied with thoughts of the previous night, and it was easy to see how she wasn't entirely focused on the present. How embarrassing could one night be after starting out so perfect?

She had revealed her new image to all of her friends, she had fun at possibly the best party she had ever been to, she had danced with everyone she had missed while away and then the man of her dreams had returned to help her clean and dance with her while they were alone. It was romantic and perfect and then...she had passed out from exhaustion.

No doubt Kakashi had brought her to her grandmother's house, an inconvenience to himself. She wanted the ground to just open up and swallow her whole. Did she drool on him? Did she snore? Did she talk in her sleep? Her mortification grew as more and more worries crept into her mind.

Sakura was thankful that Kakashi probably would not be around for the day. It was better for him to see her in moderation than to be with her constantly for a few days, only to avoid her like the plague for a month following. She knew Kakashi well enough to know how he worked. Plus, the extra time away from him gave her embarrassment at falling asleep on him time to ebb away.

Ino huffed next to her. "Earth to Forehead! Are you even listening?"

"Sorry, Ino. My mind is elsewhere."

Temari smirked wickedly. "So, tell us what happened with Kakashi to make you so spacey?"

Naruto's head swiveled to Temari, a look of confusion on his face. "What does this have to do with Kaka-sensei?"

It finally dawned on Sakura that she hadn't told anyone about Kakashi except for the Sand siblings and Tsunade. "Um...let's head to that little tea house. I think I need to talk to you two." She gestured to the Leaf shinobi with her.

Ino shook her head. "I already know, Sakura."

"What?"

With a sigh, Ino started in. "A few years ago, there was a large mission for a bunch of us to guard the birthday party of the daimyo's daughter. Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru and myself were stationed inside as guests while the rest of the group guarded the outside."

"Hey, I remember that mission! I was there, too!" Naruto interrupted.

Sakura felt her heartbeat increase. "So was I." She had sensed Kakashi's familiar chakra after the show and knew he hadn't seen her perform. If he had, he would have gotten a signal to her somehow. However, knowing others had seen her, she wondered what he knew before she returned.

Ino nodded and continued. "Hinata saw you drop your head and mouth something. So she used her Byakugan and saw you saying 'Kakashi'. The four of us on the inside knew that night, as did Neji since he saw you performing from his position outside." She noticed the discomfort radiating from Sakura and put a calming hand on her shoulder. "We're the only ones who knew or saw you that night. No one else on the outside could see you from their vantage points and the four of us agreed to not say anything. During our briefing, we did tell Hokage-sama and then she told us it was an order to keep silent. So your secret was still safe."

Sakura calmed slightly. However, her blonde teammate was full of questions. "Why were you there too, Sakura? I still want to know what this has to do with Kaka-sensei."

Her green eyes closed as she took a steadying breath. "I was the performer that night, Naruto. I was giving the concert." She paused to let the information sink in and then watched the light switch on for Naruto. She had performed some of the same songs during her homecoming concert, so she was a little stunned he hadn't put the two pieces together sooner. "As for Kakashi, you remember the older man I was in love with when I left?"

Naruto's eyes grew wide, large blue pools of shock. "No way! You're in love with Kakashi-sensei?!"

Sakura gave a slow nod. "Well, I was. I need to get to know him again. I've changed a lot during my absence so I need to see if we're compatible. But I do know that I'm terribly attracted to him and I feel deeply for him. Every time he's around my heartbeat increases, my palms sweat, my stomach flips, I want to smile like an idiot, I blush when he looks at me, I love just listening to his voice. I feel safe and comfortable with him." She sighed before continuing. "I'm in deep, Naruto. Whatever it is, if it isn't love, it's damn close."

She expected a little resistance from the blonde, knowing he saw the team as his family and liked the dynamic the way it was. But after a moment of quiet contemplation from him, she had to brace against the impact. "I'm so happy for you, Sakura-chan!" It was the star's turn to be stunned while her teammate burrowed himself into her side.

Sakura awkwardly tried to return the embrace, but Naruto's position made it difficult. "You're okay with this?"

Naruto stepped back and cocked his head to the side. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you see the team as a family, right? I thought you liked things the way they were."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I did like things the way they were, but they can also be great if they change. The way I see it, I have Hinata and I'm incredibly happy and grateful. Why wouldn't I want the same thing for two of the most important people in my life?"

Sakura had to hug him. She just couldn't stand it. "Thank you, Naruto. That really means a lot to me."

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The next day, Sakura met up with Tsunade in the Hokage Tower, wondering why she had been summoned. As far as she knew, she wasn't on active duty so she was a little bit puzzled. She noticed her team standing in the Hokage's office along with the Sand siblings and was even further confused. "You called for me, Shishou?"

Tsunade smirked at Sakura, that smirk that appeared when she knew she was about to be entertained. "Sakura, this is your third day in the village. I think it's time you showed us your skill level."

The kunoichi smirked back. "I know some people who would love to see this."

The rest of the group from Snow had headed home to enjoy the one-month reprieve during the tour, but Koji, Hajime and Hiro stayed behind. Koji stayed since Sakura had her important photo shoot in one week, Hajime due to an abundance of 'shinobi eye-candy' and Hiro stayed because he was quite enamored with the kunoichi in the village. Once the manager, stylist and producer had been situated a safe distance away next to Tsunade and Shizune, the teams squared off.

Sakura looked between the three from Sand and the four from Leaf. "To even things out, I'll be on the Sand team for this one. Is that okay with you guys?"

Kakashi, Yamato, Sai and Naruto nodded their agreement and the eight headed to opposing sides of the training field. Kakashi was having trouble keeping his eyes where they needed to be. Sakura had upgraded her wardrobe to the standard jounin ensemble and she looked damn good in it. Her headband was back in its usual spot up on her head, a reminder of the teenage girl who had left. With a shake of his head, he tried to focus again. The problem was when his eyesight focused, it was focused on Sakura's rear in the sweatpants and he had to start all over.

Sai looked at the four they were about to fight. "So, two shinobi who are usually stuck behind desks all day and two ugly kunoichi?"

Naruto, Yamato and Kakashi stared over at the Sand siblings plus Sakura in varying degrees of alarm. They weren't concerned about the two males since men threw trash talk like that all the time. However, Temari's jaw was ticking furiously and they could see the impending eruption. But when they looked at Sakura, their apprehension rose a few notches. Here was Suna's most volatile kunoichi paired with Konoha's most volatile kunoichi, but Sakura was merely adjusting her gloves with a small smile, head bowed. She placed a hand gently on Temari's arm and shook her head slightly before letting her smile widen at the older girl.

That action put the four Konoha men on high alert. Even the emotionally clueless Sai knew that was trouble. Sakura directed a blinding smile at them before it turned sinister. She punched the ground with a fierce yell at the same time that Temari let a great gust of wind go from her massive fan. Not only was the ground hard to get a footing on for the four Konoha shinobi, but now the loose bits were flying right at them. They started to retreat backwards, but were stopped by a giant wall of Gaara's sand, tendrils of the substance wrapping around their arms and legs to anchor them. The four could admit they were starting to panic. They had nowhere to go with sand surrounding them and huge chunks of earth flying at their faces. The Leaf ninja tried to break the sand ropes with chakra to no avail. They stared wide-eyed at the incoming dirt but just before the rubble smashed into them, the largest pieces were stopped by Kankuro with his puppet strings. Only tiny bits of earth and pebbles got through to tap harmlessly against the captive men.

There were four collective sighs of relief from the Leaf side of the field. Naruto looked over at the triumphant faces on the other side of the training ground. "Damn." was all he managed.

The three from Snow were staring wide-eyed at Sakura, not fully believing what they had just witnessed. They had an inkling Sakura was a good kunoichi, after all it took a lot of training and dedication to reach jounin status. That was common knowledge, even for civilians. However, they had never heard of anyone splitting the ground with their fist like that. It was beginning to sink in just how powerful their little starlet was. The realization pained Koji. Sakura was formidable, respected and now had the attention of the man she loved. She was adored here in Konoha, not for the famous singer and actress she had become, but for the talented and intelligent medic and kunoichi she had always been. She was loved because she was Haruno Sakura, plain and simple. If she had so much pure love and friendship here, why would she choose to continue the lifestyle she had maintained for the past five years?

He was snapped from his thoughts by Tsunade's quiet exclamation. "Show 'em how it's done, Sakura!"

When he glanced back onto the field, he was befuddled again. Sakura was all fluid grace and power as she dodged hits and then landed fierce blows of her own. The pink-headed woman seemed to be dog piled by numerous Naruto clones and Koji stepped forward slightly, but Tsunade placed a hand on his chest. "Just watch."

His worry mounted when she didn't reappear for a few seconds. The Naruto clones stepped back from a log and Koji sighed in relief when Sakura appeared behind the original Naruto, kunai to the front of his throat.

"Do you concede, Naruto?"

"Of course not!"

With those three words, the training fields dissolved into chaos. A sort of battle royale situation sprang up as the ninja just had fun pummeling the crap out of each other. No care to whether one was a teammate, sibling or friend; it was down to just good old-fashioned brawling.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura healed the last of Yamato's cuts with a giggle. "That was fun."

Yamato nodded and then leaned forward unexpectedly to hug the young woman. "It's good to have you home, Sakura."

"It's good to be home."

Kakashi narrowed his eye slightly before coming to his senses. Yamato was a good friend, not only to himself but to Sakura as well. There was no reason to be jealous just because the wood user hugged her. Hell, Naruto hugged her constantly and it didn't faze Kakashi in the least. With a sigh, he stepped up behind the medic and rested his forearm on her shoulder. "That was a good spar."

Sakura looked at the setting sun and nodded her agreement. "I can't remember the last time I just wanted to spar all day long. Well, here in Konoha anyway. I did have a day with the Sand siblings in Suna where we sparred from sun-up to sundown."

She looked up at the jounin next to her and her breath caught as their gazes locked. It wasn't the normal goofy eye-crease or half-asleep Kakashi look. It was alert and intense, making her heart race and her pulse thunder in her ears. As soon as it began, it was over and Kakashi was staring out at the horizon again. "Still having that get-together tomorrow night?"

Sakura was still reeling so it took a moment to process his question, but as soon as she realized what he said she grinned brightly. "Yep, it's a pajama party so bring your overnight bag!" She poked him teasingly in the side and he grinned down at her.

"A pajama party?"

Sakura's look was carefully blank. "Kakashi, I haven't been home in five years. Five." She held up an open hand for emphasis. "So yes, a pajama party. I wouldn't have allowed any of you to leave anyway. We have lots of catching up to do."

Kakashi could only shake his head with a grin. "Want me to bring anything else? I could bring a movie."

Sakura frowned. "Don't you dare bring an 'Icha Icha' tape, Kakashi. I'll burn it if you bring one into my house."

"No worries, Sakura." He grinned under his mask. Sakura left the loophole wide-open on that one. He would just have to bring the movie on DVD, not tape.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino sighed as she lit the final scented candle in Sakura's living room. "That should do it, Forehead. I think we finally got that paint smell aired out."

Sakura fluffed the throw pillows on her couch. "Or we're just used to it. Thanks for all of your help, Ino. I never would have purchased enough food to fill Naruto's stomach. Then again, I guess his appetite would have grown as he did."

Ino shook her head in disbelief. "You should see the blonde idiot in action down at Ichiraku."

"We went there day before yesterday. You were there, too." She smiled teasingly at her rival. "Going senile, Pig?"

"Hinata was there. He always cuts back when she's around. Wait until you get him there without his girlfriend." Ino shuddered and Sakura figured she really didn't want to see how much Naruto could devour. The amounts he used to consume made her stomach flop.

The doorbell rang and Sakura rushed over to answer, a bundle of excitement. She swung open the door and grinned widely at Naruto, Yamato and Sai. When her gaze landed on Kakashi, she poked her head out the door and looked around as if searching for something.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" Naruto looked at his teammate like she had lost her mind.

"Kakashi's on time. I'm making sure the sky isn't falling and the apocalypse is not upon us. Oh, wait. Did Hell freeze over? Can you fly, Ino-Pig?"

A pillow flew into the back of Sakura's head and they all laughed at the disgruntled look on the Yamanaka girl's face. Sakura stepped aside and gave a wide sweep of her arm. "Come in. Welcome to Casa de Sakura."

Naruto whistled as he entered. "Damn, Sakura-chan. It looks great in here!"

Kakashi liked her style. The muted colors and earth tones were relaxing, elegant and subdued. In contrast, the personal touches that Sakura added to the room, such as the scented candles and photos coupled with the comfort of the furniture made the room warm and welcoming. As he scanned the photos on the wall, he noted they were in chronological order and shook his head. Sakura's organizational traits were a little obsessive at times.

Sakura gave them a small tour of the downstairs and then excitedly motioned for them to follow her upstairs. "Come see my room! That one's my favorite."

She bounded into the room and then watched as the men took in the scene. Sakura had a massive four poster bed with a tiny two step stairway on each side. The bed was done up with rich gold and maroon sheets and lots of decorative pillows. It was surrounded by thick ivory netting, creating a little haven in which she could relax. The walls were painted a deep red with swirled brush strokes that softened the color. The dark wood floors and cream-colored curtains covering the French doors added an extra bit of sophistication. Her ivory chaise lounge was set up next to the doors and the dresser and night stands were decorated with lots of votive candles.

Ino whistled, not having looked at Sakura's room yet. "Damn, Forehead. This room oozes sensuality. It was made for sex!"

Sakura blushed but had to admit, only to herself, Ino was partially right. She wanted a romantic bedroom that would encourage romance from a man, preferably Kakashi. Even if it didn't work, she still loved her room.

"Alright, people! Let's head downstairs and eat. I'm starving!" The returned singer was just itching to show off her new cooking abilities.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was once again, playing 'Chopsticks' on Sakura's black, grand piano in the living room while she cooked dinner. The young woman emerged in an apron, a rolling pin gripped tightly in her fist. "I swear, Naruto. If you play that freakin' song one more time, I will shove this rolling pin so far up your ass you'll be coughing up toothpicks for months."

Kakashi covered his amused chuckle as a cough, knowing it was dangerous to attract Sakura's attention when she was riled.

Naruto slunk away from the piano, afraid to test Sakura's seriousness.

"I also came in to tell you all...dinner's ready!"

Yamato, Kakashi, Sai and Naruto all exchanged nervous glances. Sakura had been a decent cook, but the sight of her food had always been a turn-off. It was always either mutilated or discolored and they would have to close their eyes while they ate. They had always just been thankful she cared enough to give them home-cooked meals. With slow and apprehensive steps, they made their way into the dining room, worrying over what concoction would be set in front of them.

As Sakura and Ino began bringing in the food, the men found their stomachs growling and their mouths watering. Bowls of steaming hot miso were placed in front of them, followed by perfectly steamed rice and bright red lobster tails with small saucers of melted butter. Next, each was presented with a plate of steamed and seasoned vegetables, the bright and festive colors complimenting each other to create a tempting combination. Finally, a small dish of vegetarian sushi rolls was served to each. The way it was all arranged on the platters artfully and perfectly garnished told them Sakura had learned more than singing and dancing during her time away.

Yamato looked up with wide-eyes after tasting the miso. "You made all this, Sakura?"

"Yep." She beamed proudly at them, overjoyed to see them savoring the meal she cooked. "Do you like it?"

Kakashi swallowed the sushi roll he had been blissfully eating. "Anytime you feel like cooking, I'll be glad to help you eat it."

Sakura giggled at the compliments as the meal progressed.

Happily stuffed, the group moved into the living room to watch a couple of movies. Sakura and Kakashi sat next to each other on the smaller sofa while Sai, Yamato and Ino took the larger couch. Naruto was about to sink into the oversized chair when the doorbell rang.

"Naruto, would you get that? I just got situated." Sakura pouted as she gripped the throw pillow she had set in her lap.

"Sure thing, Sakura-chan."

A minute later, Hajime came bounding into the room. "I don't mean to crash your party, love. I just came to say 'good-bye'."

He moved the throw pillow out of Sakura's lap and plopped down on her. She grunted softly at his weight before asking, "Where are you going, sweetie?"

"I decided to head back to Snow during the break. I don't think any of these shinobi hotties are interested." Hajime pouted at her and she giggled.

"Whore." She shifted slightly and then whined. "Hajiime, your bony ass is digging into my thighs!"

Hajime scooted backwards until he was sitting in Kakashi's lap with his legs thrown across Sakura's. He shot his most charming smile to the wide-eyed jounin, complete with eyebrow wiggle. "Well, hello there stud muffin."

Sakura struggled not to laugh, biting her lip roughly. The others in the room were in similar situations.

Kakashi, still stunned and with his hands high in the air, took a moment to respond. "Uh, hello."

Hajime turned his torso to regard the jounin more thoroughly. "You know, if you want to have some fun..." he wiggled his eyebrows again and Kakashi's wide-eye widened even further, his arms still suspended high in the air.

Sakura at this point was laughing so hard she was crying and her stomach was starting to hurt.

Kakashi cleared his throat and spluttered out a reply. "Um...I'm sorry...Hajime-san..."

Hajime narrowed his eyes and interrupted with a moan. "I love the way you say my name."

Kakashi began to sweat. "I don't, uh...play for that team."

Hajime hopped off his lap with a wink. "You're missing out. If you change your mind, ask Sakura where you can find me."

Sakura stood and walked to the door with the stylist, giving him a tight hug and telling him to be careful before re-entering the living room. She calmly took her seat next to Kakashi again. She looked over at his traumatized expression and the barely restrained laughter burst forth again.

Kakashi looked over at the uncontrollably laughing kunoichi with a scowl. "Thanks for the rescue, Sakura."

"Oh, Kakashi. Hajime's harmless." She managed to reign in her giggles for a second, only to have them erupt again with her next statement. "Besides, that was hilarious!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura groaned as the chick-flick they were watching came to a kissing scene. She threw a piece of popcorn at the screen. "I bet you he's a terrible kisser."

Ino's eyes lit up with the prospect of a juicy story and Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly in jealousy. Ino spoke first. "What makes you say that? Experience?"

"Oh, heavens no! I've never worked with him before."

Kakashi relaxed and quirked a brow at her. "Then why do you say that?"

Sakura motioned to the screen. "Look at that! Is he kissing her or trying to eat her face?"

Yamato snickered at the question. "I can see your point."

Sai asked an innocent question. "What makes someone a good kisser then?"

Sakura and Ino traded looks before starting in.

"Teeth can be a valuable tool."

Sakura added to Ino's statement. "But no rough biting, nibbling is good. And not too much tongue. We want to be tasted, not devoured. Don't go slobbering all over us."

Ino joined in. "Ooh, and if a guy pulls on our lips with his lips, that's greatness."

Sakura spoke quietly with a dreamy expression on her face, her single word surprising the group. "Dominance."

Kakashi was thoroughly intrigued. A strong kunoichi who liked a little domination was rare and a major turn-on. Ino looked at Sakura like she was crazy. "Care to elaborate, Forehead?"

With a little blush, Sakura answered. "Just a little dominance. I just want a man to show that he is a man. We kunoichi have to be tough so often that it's nice to be a little submissive and feminine sometimes."

The conversation ended as the group turned its attention back to the movie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi laughed as Sakura buried her red face into the throw pillow again, every now and then peeping out slightly. "What's the matter, Sakura? It's just a movie."

"It's porn, Kakashi! How the hell did we wind up watching porn?"

"Well, let's see. I said, 'I have a movie we can watch.' I pulled out the movie and everyone except you agreed to watch it. So here we are."

There was a loud feminine moan from the movie, causing Sakura to fake sob into her pillow. "I'm pretty sure most women don't even sound like that."

She chanced a glance at the screen and saw the woman clearly trying to look like she was enjoying herself, but the boredom was too obvious. "And didn't I say no 'Icha Icha'?"

Kakashi raised a finger in the air. "Ah, but you said 'tape' and clearly, this is a DVD."

Sakura pouted at her own carelessness. "Damn."

Naruto laughed at the screen. "This movie is terrible, Kaka-sensei! And you like this stuff?"

"I like the books, Naruto. The 'Icha Icha' movies aren't anywhere near as good as the books."

There was another loud moan, a man this time and Sakura stopped whining to listen more closely. Everyone was concentrating on the movie, so Kakashi leaned over to whisper to Sakura. "So you like it when the man does it?"

"Kakashi, I will hurt you if you try to embarrass me again. Your stupid porn is playing so shut up." She crossed her arms and tried to sulk, but wet squelching noises and flesh slapping started to come from the movie, causing Sakura to bury her face into the pillow again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were all leisurely lounging around, enjoying the rare time off to just hang out. Yamato, ever the sensible one, thought they should be sleeping since it was the middle of the night, but was outvoted by the rest. Sai pointed over to the piano and guitar in the corner of the room. "Can you really play those? Or do your skills equate to Dickless over here?"

There was an ignored 'hey!' from Naruto as Sakura answered. "I can play."

She didn't say anything else and Yamato urged her on. "Would you play something for us?"

Sakura giggled as she looked at her apparently tone deaf friends. "Didn't you all notice when Naruto was playing the piano that it's not tuned? I can't play it until I have someone come to tune it for me."

"You don't know how?"

She shook her head again at Naruto's question. "It's not exactly an easy task."

Sai nodded to the corner again. "What about the guitar?"

"I burned the tip of my finger while cooking. I wouldn't be able to properly hold the strings down."

Ino pouted and then noticed the stack of videos next to Sakura's TV. "What about one of your videos there?" She began to shuffle through the pile. "You have concert footage, dance rehearsals, recording sessions, behind the scenes at your movies....ooooh, the movies themselves." She wiggled her eyebrows at the pink-haired singer. "Did you ever get to kiss an actor?"

Sakura blushed and then looked around her apartment, trying to find an escape route. Yamato chuckled at her. "That's a 'yes', then."

Ino was all girlish squeals as she beamed at her friend. "Who? Who?"

"Okay, listen. Movie kisses are not romantic. You basically put your lips to someone else's, close your eyes, and move your head. There's no tongue involved, you're not really alone on a mountain top or deserted street. With a whole crew filming the damn thing you can't really get into it or enjoy it. That's why it's called 'acting'." Sakura frowned at Ino's pout. "What?"

"You just know how to suck the romance out of something, don't you?"

"Shut up, Ino-pig! I wasn't going to lie and say 'oh, I've kissed so and so and I swear my feet left the ground' because it's not like that."

Ino's grin turned devilish again. "Okay, no names. But how many actors have you kissed? Better yet, give us the full count, actors and not."

Sakura wanted to refuse, but seeing four sets of eager eyes and one set of narrowed eyes, figured she better answer. "I've kissed five actors and one non-actor. So my total is six."

Ino gasped. "That's more than me!"

Sakura blushed and hurried to defend herself. "Hey, five of those didn't even mean anything! Remember, movie kisses which means it was a job. The only one that actually meant anything to me was the one non-actor I kissed."

Ino smirked again, eager to get all the juicy details. "Who was it?"

Sakura sighed. "Koji."

Ino squealed and then covered her mouth with her hands. "You kissed your manager?!"

"Dated him, actually. We were a couple for six months, but it just didn't feel right. I loved him, yes. He was sweet, affectionate, caring and funny, but I wasn't in love with him. Not in the romantic sense."

Ino smirked. "Because of your older man, right?"

Sakura glared at her best friend, knowing what she was up to. "Bite your tongue, Ino."

Ino raised her hands. "Alright, alright. I'll stop."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura and Ino emerged a few moments later in their pajamas. Sakura had on cream colored satin pants and a matching long sleeved shirt with a matching satin robe, while Ino was wearing tiny shorts and an equally tiny tank top. Even though Ino was showing much more skin than the conservative Sakura, Kakashi thought Ino couldn't even hold a candle to the Cherry Blossom.

Sakura looked over at the men and quirked an eyebrow. "Weren't you guys supposed to get into your pajamas, too?"

Naruto stood and grinned. "I'm on it, Sakura-chan." Without any thought to decency, he stripped off his jacket and flung off his pants so he was left in his boxers and t-shirt. "Done!"

Kakashi smirked. "I'm done, too."

Sakura let her eyes rove over the masked man. "The only thing that's different is your shirt. It's sleeveless."

Kakashi's eyes creased. "My forehead protector is gone."

Sakura looked at the messy hair and smiled. He was so much more attractive with his hair falling into his face. "Touche."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group had decided to camp out in Sakura's living room since it had the most space. They set up their sleeping bags and after everyone else had drifted off, Sakura turned to face Kakashi who was behind her. Sakura loved the way he looked without his forehead protector. He looked younger, more handsome, more dangerous. She thought she could ogle him for a while as he slept, but his good eye opened lazily and Sakura smiled at him.

"It really is good to have you home, Sakura."

She reached over to grasp his hand. "Thank you, Kakashi." She intended to give his hand a quick squeeze and then release it. But Kakashi laced his fingers through hers and held on.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

Stunned at his actions, but liking the results, she smiled softly at him. "Goodnight, Kakashi."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Reviews appreciated! Smooches!