Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.

Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be!

Warnings: Spoilers Chapter 352, Episode 118 (barely)

Title: Hawk

The morning air was cool and fresh. There was still some dew on the grass as she stepped around the open meadow. Sakura could tell by the clouds in the sky that today would be a breathtakingly beautiful day. She raised her arms above her head and leaned back a bit. She sighed as her back cracked and her abs were stretched.

As Sakura lowered her arms she noticed Shin was looking around the meadow as well. He was wearing his new clothes and had tied a weapons pouch to his thigh. He had his hair tied back at the nape of his neck and was wearing the mask. The overall look could be pretty in intimidating to other people his age.

"Well we should get started." Sakura pulled out a small set of bells from her pocket and started to pin it to the waist of her dress. "I thought this was the dumbest test ever when I first took it, but it's effective."

After securing the bells Sakura walked up to a small stump and placed the timer she had brought with her. "You have until noon to get the bells from me. If you fail to get them before noon…well we'll discuss that later."

"And if I get them?"

Sakura smirked at his cockiness. He had no way of knowing how much that reminded her of Sasuke. "What do you think is an appropriate reward?"

Sakura noticed Shin shifted his eyes to the side to avoid looking at her. He was embarrassed again. "Can you take me to the places you've traveled too?"

Stunned, that was how Sakura felt. She thought back to the time she sat with Hinata and briefly mentioned her travels. That was why he had looked at her funny. He wanted to travel and see things he may have only heard about.

"I can do that. But don't think for one minute I'll go easy on you because I feel sorry for you." Giving her brightest smile, Sakura turned the timer around so it faced Shin. "Time starts now."

By the time noon came around Sakura was tired, more tired than she expected. Shin took his time to analyze her moments. He adjusted accordingly and quickly to her attacks and defenses. Shin was still inexperienced and didn't have very many tricks up his sleeve though.

Unfortunately for him, Sakura was serious when she said she wasn't going to hold back. She would have to take care of his wounds before leaving the training field. She had used the poisoned senbons in her hair on him. The poison wasn't deadly; it was only supposed to make him sluggish. Sakura also put some chakra into some of her punches and kicks. She hadn't originally wanted to, but at one point Shin's fingers had brushed the bells and she had no choice.

Sakura grabbed a canteen and walked the field in search of her senbons. They were ornate and cute and she really didn't want to buy new ones. As she walked past Shin she handed him the canteen.

"Drink up. I'll heal your wounds in a second."

It didn't take long for Sakura to find her missing senbons. She remembered the general area in which she threw them. After placing them back in her hair she made her way back to Shin. As she approached him, Shin stood up and turned to her. He appeared tense.

"What's wrong?"

"You know about medicine?"

"Yes."

"So you're like Kabuto?"

"Is that what you think of me?" Sakura noted the way Shin lowered his eyes in embarrassment. She didn't take offense to what he said. She knew trust wasn't something that can be earned overnight, particularly for someone in his situation. What did she really expect? His only exposure to shinobi's before being rescued had been Kabuto. That was the measuring stick Shin used on all shinobi. She knew that would eventually change but for the time being she would have to be patient. Sakura decided that instead of defending herself with words that actions might serve her better.

"Come here and sit down."

Sakura kneeled down in the grass and waited as Shin stood in place looking at her. Sakura said nothing, just slowly drummed her fingers on her thigh. After a few moments Shin finally moved toward her and sat down cross legged in front of her.

"Is anything broken?"

"No."

"The senbons I used on you have poison on them. It's nothing life threatening so you don't have to worry, but I do have to remove it."

Sakura waited until Shin nodded in acknowledgement before gathering chakra and moving her hands to the cuts on his arm. Slowly she started to pool the poison and pull it out. She didn't need to save any of it so when she was done with one wound she tossed the poison onto the grass and moved on. It didn't escape her attention that Shin was completely focused on her.

"You have questions?"

Shin kept his eyes on her hands. "So this is what Kakashi-san meant when he said you can put someone back together again."

"Not exactly. I can heal wounds and remove poison, but not every wound can be healed. I'm not a god." Sakura watched as Shin absorbed her words. She had a pretty good idea of the thoughts going through his head.

"No one is a god, no matter how much they think they are. Kabuto was also a medic-nin and he went though some of the same training as me. But he was corrupted. You will encounter people like him. People who have gone through the same training as you but still become corrupted."

Sakura had finished healing Shin and he was rubbing his hands over his arms where the cuts had previously been. He nodded his head in understanding as he stood up and walked over to where he had left his pack. Sakura followed suit and also started to gather her things. She had started to regret her conversation. Maybe it was too heavy, too soon.

"Can a corrupted person change for the better?"

Sakura turned to Shin. He had his back to her and was looking at the pack in his hands. She could tell that this question must have been weighing heavy on him for some time. She was pretty sure that either Kabuto or the old man watching him had said something to him.

"Yes. It's not easy to do, and those people need the help of others, but it is possible." Sakura watched as the invisible weight was removed from his shoulders. It was a wonderful thing to watch and it made her all the happier. "As a matter of fact I'm taking you to meet one of those people now."

Sakura didn't wait for a response; she just started walking back toward the village. She waited until Shin jogged up next to her to continue. "I heard that you wanted to go to the library. Well this person spends a lot of his time there and he can help you find whatever book you want."

It didn't take long for Sakura to find Sai. He had a tendency to sit at the same table, which was located on the third floor next to a window. He claimed it provided proper lighting and eliminated distractions from the streets below. She thought it was just because he could spy on the people walking outside.

Sai seemed to sense her as she approached because he didn't once look up from his book as he closed it.

"I heard you were back ug—" He stopped talking as he lifted his head and turned to her. Sakura said nothing, she just continued to look at him and wait. "—uh, Sakura."

"Sai, allow me to introduce Shin. I was hoping you could show him around the library and help him find books." At the mention of his name Shin stepped forward and nodded his head to Sai, who returned the gesture. "Well, I have to go run some errands. I'll see you tonight Shin."

Sakura turned and walked away from the two dark haired shinobi. As she made her way to the staircase she turned down an empty aisle and stopped. She figured Sai would follow her.

"Sakura."

Sakura turned as he whispered her name. Anyone else who saw his face would think it void of emotion, but she knew better. The subtle shift of his eyebrows and the way his lips were parted slightly spoke volumes to her. He took a few steps and closed the distance between them. Sakura wasn't startled when she felt his warm hand on her cheek. It always amazed her how a simple touch from him was always so intimate.

"Sai, I don't think this is a good idea."

"I know. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be calling you ugly anymore." Sakura smiled at his sincere complement. It was not often he gave them and they always made her feel wonderful. "Our time has passed."

"Yes it has, but I just want you to know that you—"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence Sai leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Sakura felt her heart start to race as his lips lingered next to her face. Memories flooded back and she felt her body start to get hot. She almost reached out to touch him. After what seemed like minutes she heard him slowly exhale.

"I know you don't have to say it. I won't touch you this way again." Sai took a few steps back away from her and looked at her face. She always admired that about him, he never looked at her body, always her face. He didn't make her feel cheap.

"I'll get back to Shin. I'll see you around Sakura."

With that he turned and walked away from Sakura. As Sakura continued on her way to the staircase she felt sad. Sad because she now understood how Sai must have felt when she left. He had obviously forgiven her, but she would have to apologize to him.

"Shishou, do you have time for me?"

Tsunade smiled as Sakura walked up to her desk. "Of course I do. Let's sit on the couches and you can update me on everything."

Sakura followed Tsunade to the couch. She sat in the middle of one couch and crossed her legs. Tsunade took the couch in front of her. She spread her arms out on the back of the couch and leaned her head back. She was obviously tired and Sakura started to wonder if maybe she should have waited a few days before coming to see her.

Tsunade lifted her head back up and opened her mouth to talk when Kakashi walked into the office. Sakura noted the slightly annoyed look Tsunade had and the way Kakashi quickly glanced at her exposed thigh.

"Am I interrupting something?"

He didn't wait for a response as he started walking towards them. As he was about to sit on the couch next to Sakura, Tsunade finally spoke up.

"Yes you are. Get out."

Sakura shifted her eyes to Kakashi who looked at Tsunade in disbelief. As an advisor to the Hokage Kakashi typically had access to all the information the Hokage had access to. Sakura could see that he had gotten use to have full access, particularly when it came to his own former students. Tsunade's dismissal of him hurt his pride.

"My apologizes." Without as much of a glance at either one of them Kakashi turned and walked out.

Tsunade groaned loudly as she once again to tossed her head back on the couch. "Sometimes he can be as sensitive as a woman."

Tsunade took a few deep breaths before once again sitting up straight. During that time Sakura let her mind wander to Kakashi. She was pretty sure he would confront her about this, but he would do it in a very Kakashi way. He will ask her questions or make assumptions in an attempt to gather the information he needed. Once he had a pretty good idea he would ask directly and would determine if he was correct or not based on her reaction. Dancing around the topic of interest and gather all of the pieces was one way to gather intel, and Sakura knew how to play that game.

"So Sakura, give me an update."

Sakura nodded as she pulled out a little notepad from a pocket on her dress.

The sun was just starting to set when Sakura decided to sit on the bench in her backyard. After leaving the Hokage's office, Sakura came home showered and made dinner. Now she had some free time to sit back and enjoy a nice cup of tea. Once Shin came home she would eat dinner with him.

She had thought Kakashi would have come by earlier, but it seemed he was buying his time. Maybe he would come home when Shin was here and their conversation would have to be more cryptic. He loved that kind of shit.

Sakura took a small sip of her tea. Her discussion with Tsunade had gone well. She gave her Shishiou an update on all that she knew. That had taken some time since she hadn't sent any updates to Tsunade for quite some time. The communication was always from Sakura to Tsunade and never the other way around. What she did with the information Sakura provided her was not of Sakura's concern.

Sakura did mention to Tsunade that Shin wanted to travel. Although he hadn't gotten the bells Sakura would still say he passed the test. The bells themselves weren't the test, they never were. Everything else was the test. Tsunade initially didn't want her to leave again, but when Sakura mentioned that she would be able to close up a loose end and confirm some intel Tsunade relented.

Sakura took another sip of her tea. As she lowered her cup she saw rather than heard Kakashi approach her. He walked through her small garden and took a seat next to her on the bench. Wordlessly Sakura held out her cup of tea to him, which he declined with a small wave of his hand. They sat this way for some time. Sakura could tell this was part of his plan. He wanted her to speak first so that he could gage the conversation and her assumptions. He didn't know she too knew how to play this game.

"How's Shin?"

Sakura raised the cup of tea to her lips to hide her smile. Not only did he crack first, but he started the conversation with a safe topic.

"Good."

"How was training this morning?"

"Good."

"Just good?"

"Yeah." She saw Kakahsi turn and look at her. When she turned to look back at him Sakura looked at him as if she had no idea why he looked so annoyed. She was winning. "What?"

Kakashi leaned in a little bit and sniffed. "Why do you smell like Sai?"

Sakura faked the looked of surprise on her face. She knew damn well she didn't smell like Sai. She had showered and was wearing completely different clothes. If he wanted to play dirty, she could too.

"I don't know what you mean. Besides it's none of your business." Sakura threw out her trap, now she just had to wait and see if he took the bait.

"I didn't know you two were so…familiar."

Sakura noted the way he shifted slightly in his seat. She saw the way he forced himself to continue to look at her. She ignored the faked reactions; the exaggerated shiver he had when he said 'familiar' and his forced smile.

"Again, none of your business."

Sakura sipped some more of her tea as Kakashi turned and focused on the garden. He shifted his weight in the seat a couple of times before sighing.

"What did you talk to Tsunade about?"

Sakura lowered her eyes and looked at the now empty tea cup in her hands. The action was meant as a way to stop the small smile from reaching her lips and eyes. The comment about Sai was meant as a distraction. She was supposed to be thinking about that and why Kakashi knew. Then once she was completely vulnerable he would strike with his real question.

She had a pretty good idea how he knew about Sai, he caught them. She didn't care. Hell she might tell him the truth about that later. He probably didn't really care about the details of her relationship with Sai since he probably also knew it was all in the past. No, what he wants to know is why he was asked to leave Tsunade's office today.

"Once again, none of your business."

"It's regarding my student—"

"I'm not your student anymore."

"Doesn't mean I don't care."

Sakura heard the front door of the house open, which meant Shin was home. Getting up from the bench she headed for the door. Before crossing the threshold she turned to look at Kakashi.

"Look my conversation with her was personal and private. If you want to stay for dinner you can."

Kakashi didn't turn to look at her when he spoke. "I hope you realize that any secret information you provide to Tsunade will be passed along to Naruto when he becomes Hokage."

Sakura wasn't stupid, she was fully aware of this. She was made aware of this many years ago before she left the village. The comment was meant to scare her, but all it did was make her angry.

"Is this a threat, because I don't appreciate it. It has been a long time since I've had to turn to someone for help because I was over my head. I had hoped you, of all people, would see that but I guess all you see is someone who looks like the girls in your books."

This time Kakashi did turn when he spoke to her. Sakura clearly noticed the look of shock on his face. She had never spoken to him in that manner before with that tone. He obviously didn't know how to handle the situation or her.

"Sakura, I wasn't implying—"

"If you'll excuse me Kakashi I have to go serve dinner. Good bye."

Sakura didn't wait for a reply, she simply walked through the door and headed for the kitchen. As she set the table, Sakura couldn't help but smile. If one were keeping score they would surely aware Sakura a point.

After several days Sakura and Shin were finally ready to start their travels. Sakura made sure that Shin had checked out some ninjutsu books from the library and after taking notes on the jutsus she wanted him to learn they set then focused on gathering the proper supplies. Sakura estimated that they would only be gone for 7 months. She promised Naruto that she would be present for the birth of his child and she was going to keep that promise.

As they approached the gates Sakura could see the excitement in Shin's walk. It was a little more bouncy and quick. Sakura had given him a map that was marked off with the places they would be traveling to. She didn't need the map, she had all of the Fire Country memorized.

In between stops Sakura would train with Shin. She planned to help him improve his jutsus and she was hoping to teach him how to walk up trees and across water before returning home. She crossed her fingers and hoped that he wouldn't have to use his newly developed skills while out with her. She didn't think he was ready for that.

Their first destination was a town that was a two day walk from Konoha. It was a fairly busy place with bars, hotels, a few small casino's and a small red light district. Sakura knew some people who worked in the city and who would help her. One of the perks of being a really good, extremely discreet medic was that people were willing to help you in any way they could once you helped them. Sakura had made many friends during her travels and many of them owed their lives to her.

She hoped to confirm one piece of intel in this town so that she could focus on Shin for the rest of time. It bothered her that she wasn't able to confirm one piece of intel before returning home. Maybe once Shin joined his own team she could take periodic trips out of the village and finish her mission. That, of course, depended on whether or not this loose end was true.

She needed to know if Hawk was back together.

Author's Note: Since it's my birthday I decided to give everyone a gift. Enjoy! I hope the interactions between Sakura/Sai and Sakura/Kakashi weren't too weird. I do plan to elaborate, I swear.