Kakashi was back to avoiding her. She knew he had heard about Katsuyu's 'consultation', because half the convoy were ninjas, and nobody gossiped like a ninja. The whole camp was laughing about it by the time Sakura turned in for the night, including some of the other nobles. But Kakashi had warned her, before he disappeared inside his caravan, that she should avoid displeasing any more VIPs for the remainder of the journey, especially Hiro. In fact, she should stay right out of his way, and that was an order.

She'd tried to argue that she'd love nothing more, but it was he who kept seeking her out; but Kakashi would hear none of it. He'd even threatened to write her up for insubordination, which seemed unfair on several levels. She had laid, fuming, on the driver's seat of the van, her thoughts so loud she wouldn't have been surprised to learn that they had kept Kakashi up all night too.

And now they were giving each other the silent treatment. Hiro was no longer staring at her from the back of his own caravan, and Kakashi didn't ride up front or ask to borrow any more 'medical texts'. She had spent the morning in silence, and in that silence she had begun, grudgingly, to see Kakashi's reasoning. She may have been beneath the regard of nobles, but technically she was working for the Hokage during this mission, and that meant that her actions could reflect poorly on him. No wonder he had chewed her out so fiercely, if he was worried about negative repercussions for his career.

I'm doing a terrible job of protecting him…

Not for the first time, she wondered if taking this mission was a mistake. If she couldn't rein in her temper and maintain at least the semblance of professionalism in front of the VIPs, then she would end up defending Kakashi's life at the cost of ruining his reputation.

At least there was no further sign of Yoshio's shadow puppets. He must have moved on to an easier target for now, though he'd certainly make another play for Kakashi before the chunin exam ended. They stopped for lunch by an assemblage of rocks and of trees; a rare sight along the desert road. Sakura climbed one of the bigger trees on the edge of camp, where she could eat her ration bar while living up to her promise to stay out of everyone's way.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Just as she was getting settled, a shaggy-haired shinobi whose name she didn't know appeared at the base of her tree and waved for her to come down.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing at all," the man said. "My client just asked me to find you."

"And your client is?" she prompted, but her heart was already sinking. She knew Hiro was 'shopping' for the first kunoichi to join his personal entourage, but he still had plenty of male security guards.

Her fears were confirmed when the shinobi led her to another secluded area where Hiro waited. He didn't seem angry with her. In fact, he was smiling. She chose to do the same, even as she groaned internally at the prospect of apologising to such a man.

It's for Kakashi…

"Ah, Sakura!" Hiro waved as though they had just happened to run into one another, instead of him sending one of his goons to fetch her out of a tree. "Just the woman I was hoping to talk to."

"Hiro-sama," she bowed politely. "I was hoping to talk to you too, actually, and to apologise about yesterday evening. I should have warned you about Katsuyu, er, the slug, or better yet refrained from summoning her in the first place when I knew it might have been unpleasant. The Hokage thoroughly upbraided me when he found out," she added, just to make it clear that Kakashi was not involved.

"I completely understand," Hiro said. His smile remained in place, as though he truly didn't bear any sort of grudge. "As you know, I've been interested in acquiring a kunoichi that can serve me in a private capacity. I take my personal health and security very seriously." He gestured to his personal guard like he was showing off a piece of art. The shinobi's expression remained as cold and unreadable as stone. They were from the same village and shared the same Will of Fire, but Sakura couldn't say with certainty that the man wouldn't attack her if Hiro ordered it. "However, as you may have guessed, my criteria for the women in my employ is slightly different."

"Hiro-sama, I would like to make one thing very clear, if I may: I have no intention of becoming part of anyone's private security, medical, or personal detail." She turned slightly to show the ANBU tattoo on her right bicep. "As you can see, my services have already been claimed. I hope there are no hard feelings between us."

If anything, Hiro's smile only grew wider. "You know, I've been asking around about you," he continued as if she hadn't even spoken. "Turns out everyone has a story about Haruno Sakura: you're not just ANBU, and not just a nurse. You're the fifth Hokage's protege. A hero from the war, who had a tragic mental breakdown shortly after it ended."

She bristled. Yes, ninjas were gossips, but it still stung to know that someone had shared her personal life so readily with a civilian. Knowledge was power, and it was only now that Sakura was starting to feel the shape of the trap closing in around her.

"I'm not ashamed of what I have endured," she told him stiffly. "What is this really about?"

Once again, he ignored her. "And it's not just the Fifth that took you under her burly wing; our very own Sixth Hokage was your original teacher! No wonder you're so close."

So this was about hurting Kakashi's reputation. "If you're trying to imply something-"

"Oh don't worry, the rumour mill has no concrete evidence on that front. But as far as your feelings for Uchiha Sasuke go…" here the smile turned overtly poisonous. "It seems you've had quite the devoted little crush on that murderer."

"Sasuke?" She blinked, blindsided. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"You tell me."

She didn't speak, couldn't think fast enough about where this was going or how to stop it.

"You know, I always felt that the Uchiha traitors got off far too lightly. If I'd had my way, they'd have both been put down like dogs a year ago. In fact, maybe I'll have a chat to my father about getting their cases reviewed."

"You can't do that," she whispered, horror rising within her. She'd thought Hiro was an annoying creep, but she never would have thought he was the type of person who could toy with human lives so casually. It would have been nice to believe that maybe Yoshio had gotten to him, that all of this was coming from an evil man pulling strings behind the scenes. But this was what Kakashi had been trying to warn her about all along. This was what mundane evil looked like.

"Would that upset you?" Hiro asked, examining her face with mock concern. "You're not still in love with him, are you?"

She forced herself to remain calm, to look him in the eye and will him to believe her. "I am not in love with anyone." Meaning: there's nobody you can use against me.

Five seconds passed in silence, with only the muffled sounds of camp and her own heart pounding in her ears. Finally, Hiro reached forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. She didn't bother repressing her shudder, as it was clearly the reaction he wanted to get out of her. "How terribly sad for you, Sakura. If that's true, you must be so lonely. I tell you what," he squeezed her arm, "I've asked to be left alone in my caravan from 9pm onwards, tonight. Why don't you stop by, and we can be lonely together, hm?"

The pressure on her arm became painful, his nails digging into her skin. And then it was gone entirely, and Hiro was leaving the clearing with his guard in tow, looking every bit as cheerful as he had at the start of their conversation. Because he knew he had her.

And Sakura knew it too. If she went to Kakashi, it would be his neck on the chopping block instead of hers. And if she did anything more to harm or embarrass Hiro, he would have her friends executed. Her friends who had come so far, after enduring so much trauma. The last time she had seen Obito and Sasuke, they had all shared a meal together. Uchiha Sasuke, self-avowed avenger of his clan, breaking bread with the man who had been instrumental in their deaths. And Uchiha Obito, who had been broken and brainwashed by one of the most powerful shinobi in history, his love for a woman leveraged against him until it became an obsession. He had wanted to leave this reality, but now he was taking the first steps toward creating a life in it. A life that would be over, if Sakura made one wrong move.

She leaned against the nearest tree, waiting for the panic to subside long enough to let her think.

"Fuck," she breathed, and for once her inner voice had nothing useful to add.


9pm rolled around, and Sakura watched the various servants and attendants file out of Hiro's caravan and away to their own. She counted to sixty before slipping off her driver's seat bed and onto the ground with the softest whump. She had cleared her absence with Kakashi's night guard ahead of time, so that they wouldn't raise the alarm (or god forbid, wake Kakashi) if she tried to return in the wee hours; but she didn't want anyone guessing her destination either, so she overshot the neighbouring caravan before stealthily doubling back.

Hiro was waiting for her.

"So- you've decided their lives are worth more than your pride."

Sakura refused to rise to the bait. "Before we do this, let's establish a few things: firstly, this is a one-time event. We'll be arriving in Sunagakure tomorrow, and you can't hang this sword over my head for the rest of my life."

Hiro scoffed. "Very confident, assuming I'd be so keen for a repeat performance. Are you really that good?"

She made a show of biting her lip and looking embarrassed. "I doubt it. I'm…not very experienced."

His eyes lit up. "Are you a virgin?"

"No…but my only prior experience was with a stranger I met abroad, and it was so brief it's hardly worth mentioning. Which brings me to my next request: you don't breathe a word of this to anyone."

"Where's the fun in that?" he pouted, but Sakura turned back toward the caravan flap like she was considering jumping back out again.

"I'm serious. If word spreads, my reputation is ruined. Everyone will expect this sort of treatment from me, and if it's all the same to you I'd rather keep it 'exclusive.'"

She could tell he was intrigued by that. A man like him, who collected pretty and valuable people, would want to have Sakura because she was meant to be un-havable, and tricking her into this could be considered a sort of achievement; a conquest, even. If it were no longer 'exclusive,' it would lose all was a disgusting mindset, of course, but in this circumstance it might work to her benefit.

Hiro appeared to consider for a few moments, before holding his hand out to shake. "I find these terms acceptable. One night, during which you'll do and take anything I say, and if I'm truly convinced you made an effort, then I won't tell another soul how quickly you gave in to me."

Fuck. You. "Deal." She shook his hand.

"Excellent. Now," his voice turned curt, demanding, "take off your clothes."

She began to strip as quickly as possible, crossing her arms in front of her bare chest. Hiro tsked and held her wrists apart. "None of that. Let me see." He inspected her with the critical eye of a connoisseur. "They were much nicer when you were pretending to be that curvy ANBU agent, but they'll do. And the birthmark is surprisingly cute." He ran a finger along the length of a heart-shaped mark on her sternum, just below where her breasts met her ribs.

She shivered performatively at his touch. "You're the only one who's seen it."

He preened at the revelation, just as she knew he would. She had expected this to be a delicate dance, one requiring subtlety to pull off. But Hiro seemed so deluded by his own status that as long as Sakura didn't actively throttle him, everything would probably go off without a hitch. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you, Haruno Sakura. And if you're a very good girl, you might get to have some fun too." He turned to a large wooden chest and opened one of the drawers. At first, Sakura thought it was a torture kit like she'd heard Ino describe using for work sometimes. But then she saw a frilly, lacy something next to one of the strange implements, and realised she was more likely to find this particular kit in Jiraiya's books than Ibiki's workshop. Small mercies…

After a bit of rummaging, he pulled out a pair of leather handcuffs. "Now, try not to break these. They're a custom order."

And then, as far as Hiro knew, they got down to it. In reality, Sakura watched impassively from one corner of the caravan as the man fell back onto the bed, giggling and muttering quietly to a woman who only existed in his mind. When she was satisfied he wouldn't be questioning her genjutsu any time soon, she slipped back out of the caravan and off into the darkness. Less than two minutes had passed since the night guard would have first spotted her leaving her bed.

Once she was far enough away from the VIP vans, she stopped muting her footsteps and started walking as loudly and confidently as possible. The larger mess tent was always used as a break room for any night guards and other workers. She strolled inside, waving to a few familiar faces and smiling at all the unfamiliar ones.

"Hello! I know it's only, what, nine o'clock?" she looked pointedly at the clock mounted on the wall, and a few heads followed it automatically. "But I just can't seem to drift off, and instead of tossing and turning all night I thought I'd come see if anyone fancied a game of cards?" She produced a deck of cards and a thick wad of cash. "Lady Tsunade taught me poker, but I have to admit, I'm not very good."

Everyone's attention was on her now. Within seconds a handful of people had taken her up on a game. She told every memorable anecdote she could think of, and every time a new person entered the tent she introduced herself and invited them to join the game.

Eventually, the sun began to rise and the cooks arrived to start breakfast. Once again, she made a show of looking at the clock. "My goodness, is that the time? I've been playing all night!"


Kakashi wanted nothing more than to arrive in Suna, take a long bath, and think about something other than the woman sitting a few feet away, driving his caravan. Yesterday she had been silent in a 'loud' way, if that made any sense. She had ignored him so pointedly and angrily at times that she may as well have just shouted at him. But today she was truly quiet, and it worried him.

He had risen with the intent of burying the hatchet and inviting her to have breakfast with him, but she was already gone, and must have left so early that her bedroll was already cold. This was all the confirmation Kakashi needed that she was still avoiding him. But when he spotted her at the larger of the two mess tents (the smaller tent was where the VIPs usually ate, and he'd had his fill of their company), she gave him a little smile and a wave when their eyes met. She was chatting animatedly with her neighbours, so he didn't try to disturb her with awkward apologies. Instead, he sat in the corner and pretended not to watch her out of the corner of his eye.

She certainly seemed happier than yesterday. She was laughing and joking in a way that his father would have called 'holding court.' But Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that things were still off. She looked tired, for one thing. The long journey had worn everyone down, of course, but Kakashi hadn't seen bags under her eyes that prominent since before she broke Obito's second genjutsu.

At one point a shinobi with shaggy hair had entered the tent, and Sakura's bright aura dimmed so quickly that Kakashi assumed she was actively suppressing her presence. But the man still zeroed in on her immediately, assessing her with an expression so blank it put masks to shame. Then he gave her the tiniest nod, grabbed a muffin, and left again. If Kakashi hadn't been watching Sakura so carefully, he might not have noticed anything pass between them at all.

And then later, when the horses were all hitched up and the wagons ready to roll out, Hiro had waltzed right by her. Kakashi had seen the man coming, had tried to reach Sakura in time to act as some sort of buffer. But Hiro didn't stop. He just gave Sakura a brief smirk and carried on his way. Sakura's back was turned to Kakashi so he couldn't read her expression, but she didn't seem particularly distressed by it. If anything, there was a minute relaxing to her posture, as if Hiro's newfound indifference confirmed that he had forgiven her for the so-called 'Slug Incident.' Just like that. Had Sakura apologised at some point? Possibly. Had Hiro? Unlikely.

He had been mulling over it all morning, torturing himself until finally he decided to just bite the bullet and talk to Sakura. He poked his head through the front flap of canvas, knocking gently on the wood to announce his presence. Sakura jumped so violently that the horses pulled up short.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you," he apologised while she geed the horses back into action. It shouldn't have been that easy to sneak up on Haruno Sakura, but he could see that the bags under her eyes had only gotten deeper after a few hours of driving under the desert sun.

"My fault," she mumbled, blinking slowly. "What do you need?"

Kakashi honestly couldn't tell if she was talking to him as a way of showing that they were no longer fighting, or if she was just too tired to remember their fight at all. He joined her on the driver's seat like he had the other day. "Just checking in on things."

"Things are fine."

"You know," he spoke casually, watching the road ahead of them instead of the girl beside him. "I remember a time not so long ago, when 'fine' meant things were actually almost all the way gone to shit."

"You checking up on me again?" She cocked her head like she used to do when she was Tanuki.

"You need me to?"

Her eyes narrowed, but there was no heat to it. "Who's the medic here, me or you? For that matter, who's the bodyguard?"

"Even more reason for me to make sure you're okay, if your job is to make sure I'm okay."

She sighed, turning back to the road. "I'm okay; I just didn't get much sleep these last few nights. But it's not a dream thing, and it's not impacting my work. You're in safe hands, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi looked at the hands in question. They were calloused from years of moulding chakra, but without most of the tiny nicks and scars you'd expect to see on the average ninja. Sakura had always been slightly vain, and once she'd learned to heal, her skin never seemed to blemish again. Kakashi knew those hands well, as they had laid upon him and saved his life more than once. Today, they seemed too small.

"Hey, can I take a turn driving the van?"

"What?" She looked first surprised, then suspicious, her fingers tightening over the reins. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Looks like fun, is all."

In truth, he had driven a caravan before and it was less than stimulating for people whose work sometimes involved literal murder. But Sakura eventually surrendered the reins and he made a point of looking jazzed about it. Within minutes his plan had paid off, and the kunoichi's head was nodding.

"Sleep, Sakura," he told her gently. "I've got you, so you just go ahead and sleep."

And she did.