..Chapter Two..
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"Eash, didn't take her long did it?" Sakura commented idly as she watched Ino sashay away from herself and Sai with some fine piece of eye candy hooked about her arm. She shook her head as the duo headed to the first floor via the stairs where the music was much louder and the crowd far more boisterous.
Normally she wasn't the least bit shocked by her friend's actions as she'd come to expect them as routine during outings like this. However, for whatever reason unknown to Sakura, the blond did all of this inside of twenty minutes after their arrival. That was a new record for her. At the very least she waited a timed-to-the-second customary hour before ditching Sakura.
Actually... it was pretty admirable Ino waited that long at all.
Sai smiled next to her in the bar stool. "I guess I wouldn't know very well. Perhaps she thought it was alright since you brought me along?" he questioned humorously, teasing her in a way he knew wouldn't get him thrown through a wall tonight.
Sakura rolled her eyes as she turned her body back around to face the bar and her drink. But she smiled despite that apparent irritation. "I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to justify her actions by tellings herself we're on a date and she needed to scram."
Sai raised a brow at this, meeting her gaze as the corner of his lips twitched. "I suppose really wouldn't much about that either."
Sakura blinked at him a moment and then chuckled as it dawned on her. She nodded and reached for her drink. "I guess you really haven't had too much date experience, huh?"
"None whatsoever," he agreed nursing his own glass. "Actually, the most female contact I've had over the years is with you. And I would hardly call that a relationship of romantic standards."
She shrugged. "I'm not very good practice, to be truthful. I'm told I have all the sexual appeal of a fish," she joked.
"Who told you that drivel?"
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "No one, actually. It just sounds less depressing when you say someone else said it, rather than yourself."
It took him a moment he realized this was a joke with a subtle hint of sadness mixed in. "Well, I disagree. If I didn't value our friendship so much, nor consider myself terrible in that area as whole, I would be honored to take...ah a chance on you," he said rather smoothly, mentally patting himself on the back when she blushed slightly and smiled tentatively at him. He knew it wasn't from her lack of experience in the area, unlike himself, but more out of their sudden flush of compliments towards one another. This didn't bother him though. He assumed it simply meant his friendship with the pinkette was becoming that much stronger, enabling them to be comfortable enough to be a little less logical around one another more often.
"Thank you. It does mean something."
He nodded and swirled his drink a bit as the sound of a pool game started in the background. The silence could last for a while between the two of them. More or less their mutual need to be with one another was a simple fact of needing someone to be with. At least someone who didn't always talk your ear off. Or maybe just someone who didn't judge or tease too much.
Sakura and he both had their own problems. She, too busy to have much of a life and he still far too gone from the social world to understand what it even really meant to have one at all.
"We need something less...eh... to talk about. And since we're on the topic of your love life... why haven't you sought anyone out yet?" she asked before motioning the bar tender over to refill her drink with something less potent.
Sai shrugged as the guy refilled his cup with much the same stuff as well. "Again, I don't have much experience in that area. I wouldn't know where to begin."
"Have you been attracted to anyone before?"
He paused at this, mulling it over and he tilted his head to the side and upward. Once he'd come to what he considered a good reply he turned to her and spoke. "Define what you call 'attracted'."
"Sexually, of course," she explained rather medically. It was pretty commonplace for them to do so. "Have you ever found yourself drawn to someone in a way that... well," she pondered the best way to put it. "I suppose made you want to mate with them? I know that's a pretty basic way to say it, but it's normally where most attraction starts for most people."
He nodded. "I don't suppose I've ever had that before. But there are people I admire," he admitted.
"That makes sense, at least for you," she replied as she took a long swig from her glass. She grinned as she set it back down. "I remember when you first joined the team, you know."
He scowled. "You hated me."
"I didn't hate you," she protested, looking over at him. "You just annoyed the fuck out of me. You and Naruto both."
"Yes, well," he allowed with a small smirk, "it didn't help all that much that I ended up being a replacement."
She smiled in reverie and allowed her chin to rest in her open palm whilst her elbow set on the bar. She stared down at her drink, seeming to look at her own reflection. "That couldn't be helped... that feeling. Naruto and I were fairly upset Sasuke secretly left on his own for year when were sixteen. The only thing that kept me from going after him was knowing he'd made a vow to stay far away from Itachi at all costs to Tsunade when she approved his request." She paused a moment, looking to hold her breath as her lips parted. "I'm not sure how I forgave him for that one... not saying goodbye."
Sai smiled sadly. "Yes, although...I've learned goodbyes between friends with strong bonds are never very easy.... Sasuke doesn't seem the type to take such emotions very well when faced with them."
"No," she mused, "he isn't, is he?" She sighed. "But, you know, you've gotten a lot better over the years." She grinned at him.
He returned her grin with a smile of his own. "Or perhaps you've just grown use to me."
She laughed because it wasn't very often he made a joke, much less a good one. "True, but you don't drive me nuts with the things you read in books about how people are suppose to act anymore either, Snow Skin." she reached for him and gave his shoulder a few good pats.
"I don't need to anymore," he admitted. "Not when I have a close knit team to learn from."
"I'll drink to that," she said without hesitation before they both downed the contents of their glasses at the same time.
She grinned at him still as they both drank more and more slowly into the night, eventually changing from alcohol and over to the virgin styled froo froo drinks, as she liked to call them. She'd never been out with Sai like this as many of their meetings were more of the professional nature. But, perhaps she would do it more. It was certainly more exciting than being left to herself after an hour with Ino railing her eardrums over music. And after that avoiding as many drunks as possible on her way out.
Last time she'd hopped out the second story window in the very room they were in right now. The barkeep hadn't liked that too much. He'd told her so the next time she came in with Ino. At least with Sai here she wouldn't have worry too much about that. Perhaps the list of drunks trying to grope her on the way out would be cut in half with him by her side.
It was a nice though, anyway.
"So," Sai edged after that long period of quiet, "have you given any thought to my suggestion from earlier this morning?"
"About ANBU?"
"Was there another suggestion?"
She smiled. "No, there wasn't. And yes, I have actually," she replied. "After I got home Naruto came over and I made him lunch. It was nice to listen to him, but... it got me thinking more about it, you know."
Sai listened as she continued, not wanting to break her train of thought.
"And you're right. If I don't feel I can get what I need from my team then I may need to get it on my own some other way. Sasuke did it for a year... Naruto did it with Jiraiya and still does quite frequently when he's not training with us. I know I do it with Tsunade... but it's just not enough..." She sighed, and faced him, allowing her left forearm to rest on the bar next to her drink. "Sasuke's eventually going to have to deal with Itachi one day... and I made a promise to not only myself, but to him as a friend, that when he did I wouldn't drag him down; him or Naruto. What's the point of being on this team if--."
Sai interrupted her, "Sakura, I told you, you do well on your own. You're far better than most other shinobi."
"Yes, I know, but--."
"But you don't want to be better than most. You want to be on the same level as team seven, team Kakashi, I know." He smiled. "You don't have to tell me twice. I'm might be socially inept most of the time, but I'm not an idiot, Blossom." He took his drink in his hand. "So, I take it--." He stopped a moment.
"Hm? What's up, Sai?" She blinked at him a few times.
His eyes went just beyond her and across the room towards a booth in the corner. It wasn't anything unusual, he'd just broken off conversation because he'd seen someone he knew. "Ah nothing, actually. I just saw Kakashi-sensei come in." He motioned in the direction of where the silver haired Jounin was sitting.
Sakura turned and glanced over herself. "Hm, so it is. I wonder if he's waiting for someone." She turned back to the bar and reached for her drink.
Sai shrugged easily enough at her comment. Team seven might be tightly knit, but Hatake Kakashi was the only true mystery of the world left within its folds.
Then, after a time, his eyes grew wide for a mere second. He looked over at Sakura. "You know, if you're going to go through with it you should ask Kakashi-sensei to sponsor you."
She blinked, and met his eyes curiously. "You think so?"
Sai nodded. "Do you know any other ANBU?"
"Well... there's Yamato..." she offered.
Sai looked at her pointedly.
"Ok, point taken, he's creepy as all hell without even trying," she admitted with a laugh. "I don't see why not. I've known him most of my whole shinobi career, all of it if you don't count the Academy," she added.
"You should go talk to him while he's here then."
"Right now?" she asked with a curious 'I dunno' sort of face. "What if he's waiting for someone?"
Sai raised a brow. "Even if he is you can at least set up a time and place to talk to him about it. This might be the one time you see him for two weeks, for all you know."
She sighed, knowing he was right. While the rest of the team met regularly, Kakashi made himself amazingly sparse. He always did. Although, he always knew when to show up when he was needed. Still... aw hell, why shouldn't she go talk to him about it right now? Sai was right, if he was going to meet with someone she could just set up a date to talk to him about it. If he wasn't this would be the perfect environment to do so in.
"What about you?" Sakura asked.
"Me?"
"I don't like the idea of inviting you here on my behalf and then leaving you alone at the bar," she explained with a frown.
He gave her an idle wave. "I'll be fine. Perhaps with my luck I'll find a companion for the night who will actually listen to my thoughts on the topic oils versus acrylics and their overall applications to watercolor paper with--at the very least--some level interest."
"Do you even know what you just said?"
He smiled.
She laughed and got up from her stool, a new drink in hand. "Very well, Snow Skin. I'll see you later, perhaps sooner if he is meeting someone tonight."
"Doubtful!" he called out as she walked away, making her wonder how he could know such a thing at all.
ooo
Sakura rolled her eyes as she stepped towards Kakashi's booth. And as she did she gave some thought to her situation, her decision. She was immediately very thankful to Sai. She'd never in the whole time she's come to know him realize just how insightful he was. They'd known each other, what, four or five years; and all that time they'd merely sat across from one another reading a book, studying or occasionally discussing more educated matters, never once anything else. Of course there's been snippets here and there, but nothing of the level she'd spoken with him on today.
And while it might seem she was making this choice to join ANBU rather quickly, she wasn't. It had been her day off after training with her team and after her usual coffee with Sai. The rest of it had been spent at home, after lunch with Naruto, mulling over the life changing option. She hadn't watched TV, she hadn't read any books, and aside from watering a few plants and cleaning her home she'd done nothing but think on it.
For hours.
And after she'd spent about as much time as Shikamaru would take to plan the end of the world, or the Armageddon as they all knew it, she'd come to a decision. She would join ANBU. Not wholly because of her team, but for herself as well. She'd been hitting a plateau in her training for almost six months now. This could very well be her chance to learn something not only new, but challenge herself on a completely different level.
She didn't know why she hadn't thought of Kakashi being her sponsor sooner. The choice seemed so obvious now. It had been what had left her in the midst of a road block earlier, before the outing with Ino and Sai.
And why not? She'd worked with him for years, he'd been her Genin sensei and her team leader for a very long time. He still was off and on with Yamato. It was a strange set up, but it couldn't be helped considering the Kyuubi and Yamato's ability.
To be blunt, if she was going to require someone to guide her in ANBU and teach her all that she needed to know she would rather it be Kakashi since she was already comfortable with him. She wouldn't expect him to be easier on her because of their history. If anything she wanted the opposite.
If you looked at all the facts that way, it was a wonder she didn't look into this sooner; not just Kakashi, but ANBU as well.
When she finally made it to his table she wasn't terribly surprised to find him reading Jiraiya's latest edition in the Come! Come! series. The books were his only vice. Asuma had cigarettes...
...And Kakashi had masculinized romance novels.
When she put it that way in her head it was almost too hard not to laugh. But she managed to refrain from doing so as she stopped before him, standing next to the empty booth seat across from him. She leaned onto it and looked down at him with a small smile.
"May I join you? Or are you waiting for someone, Kakashi-sensei?"
He looked up at her, his lazy, uncovered eye moving into a trademark crinkle that made one want to rip off his mask to see how such an expression filled up his face enough to do that. She often wondered if it filled his whole face, a grin like that. Did he smile showing his teeth? Or did he do it more subtly, like his laugh?
"Hello, Sakura," he said in that smooth, deep voice she had grown use to over the years. "Please do. I'm waiting on no one." He motioned to the empty space across from himself.
She smiled and did just that, placing her drink on a coaster before her.
"What are you drinking?" he asked as he set his book down, the page dog eared for later reading.
"Hm? Non-alcoholic. I cut my self off earlier." She smiled, interlacing her fingers before her. "One of the shinobi sins, isn't it?"
He gave her another crinkle. "Those I think are more guidelines than rules."
"You got that from a movie, I'm sure."
"Maybe," he allowed, partaking from his saki cup with what she could only assume was a small smirk on his lips. "But it's hardly good protocol in our line of work to be inebriated more often than aware" he admitted.
She smiled.
He looked across the room at where Sai sat, chatting it up with someone where he knew Sakura had once been sitting before. "I thought you were here with Sai."
"I was."
He arched a brow and leaned back into his seat, saki cup in hand as he watched her quizzically. "A date?"
"Hardly," she replied. "Not that I wouldn't... but... It's Sai. I don't really think of him that way, nor he I. We have a lot in common intellectually, but that's in all likelihood where it ends." She knew this simply because she held no draw or physical attraction towards Sai. Perhaps it came from knowing him too long. She certainly didn't see him in the same light as Naruto. Naruto was more of a little brother, albeit sometimes annoying. Sai was rarely annoying anymore.
"Ah," he said to this just as his tiny white cup reached his lips. "So you came over here, leaving Sai to himself to keep me company? Somehow I don't think I'm the lesser of two evils," he joked rather dryly. "Perhaps you should rethink your strategy about whom you spend your nights off with," he continued, trying not to smile.
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully in response to his natural brand of humor. "Actually... I came over here with a request... And considering how often we all see you..." she trailed off sarcastically, letting him fill in the end of her sentence.
"Yes, well..." he scratched the back of his head and tried to look abashed. "What's the request then? Oh, and if this at all has anything to do with the words 'party' and 'bachelorette' I'm not cheap."
She rolled her eyes, trying not laugh. "No, none of that. I think the only reason I'd pay would be to see you without your mask. But knowing you it'd never come off."
He smiled, she could tell. And not his normal brand of 'I might be amused... maybe' sort of smile. This one seemed more genuine. Why she didn't know.
"To start... I could go on and on about my past and feeling left behind with the guys... so on and so forth. But you were there and you know it all, Kakashi-sensei. It hardly needs to be said," she began in a rather direct, mature tone. "I thought I was over it. I'm very confident in my skills. I'm the best on my team with chakra control and genjutsu."
"Yes," he replied, leaning in and onto the table with his elbows as he interlaced his fingers together. His arms made a triangle-like shape and his hands sat just in front of his lips, covering part of his mask. "I've told you that very often myself."
She nodded and took a deep breath. It was now or never. She didn't know why she was so nervous. Maybe it was the way he sat. His whole demeanor sort of shifted and he appeared as about as intimidating as he once had been when she'd been a Genin trying to steal a bell.
It was silly of course. He couldn't know what she wanted to ask. And even if he did she couldn't think of a reason why he'd act this way. It was just her imagination.
It had to be.
"I know I'm very far behind on my team, with the exception of Sai," she admitted, looking down at the table top. "I'm not ashamed of this. Sai himself is comfortable with the pace of his skills and how they are progressing. I, however, am not." She looked up to meet his one good eye then. Emerald clashed with obsidian-grey. "Kakashi... I'd like to join ANBU as a Medical nin. And I'd like you to be my--." Her sentence broke there as he cut her off, giving her the one answer she refused to believe he'd spoken. Especially in a tone she'd never expected to be on the receiving end of.
"No."
She was so taken aback, so stunned by this... Kakashi she'd never met before, and a personality change he'd managed to accomplish in the matter of a moment with one word, that she could say nothing to as he got up and left. She couldn't even move, turn her head to follow where he'd left to. Her eyes remained, transfixed, wide, confused and slightly showing signs of hurt as she stared at the place his face had once been.
What?