~Chapter 9:Standard Practice~


(Thursday September 18 Konoha's Medical Clinic)

~Sasuke~

"Loser. I don't understand why you're grinning; you lost," scoffed Sasuke as Sakura signalled him to take Naruto's place on the examination table.

Naruto lurched himself off the table. "I guess I did," he remarked, performing a few quick stretches, but never losing his stupid smile.

It seemed to Sasuke that the good thing about being an idiot and loving it was that you could get away with so many things. It wasn't within Sasuke's nature to be as gracious with losing, least of all to Naruto.

~Sakura~

"Sasuke, stop scowling," Sakura demanded.

Everyone knew Kakashi Hatake's Squad Seven's pinkette held no qualms in beating the shit out of her teammates for being idiots and then healing them minutes later—namely Naruto. Although, they'd saved her the trouble this time by doing quite a number on each other.

These boys.

Sasuke tensed but just as quickly relented, allowing Sakura to step in between his legs and set to work. "Hinata, could you please write up two fractured ribs, left side, in Sasuke's file."

~Hinata~

"Hm? Oh, right. Y-yes, Sakura," Hinata stammered. She'd been somewhat distracted by their patients—rather patient. Those gorgeous pair of perfect blue eyes had her seeing him, nothing and no one else.

There was something special about Naruto, not because of his skills in battle but because he was good and honourable. Feeling foolish, as she always did when she was in his presence, Hinata crept nearer. Naruto slipped his mesh undershirt over his head, giving her an eyeful of his muscular form.

Quickly, Hinata turned her body away, placing Sasuke's file on the small desk. She scrunched her eyes closed, tears burning in them and heat rushing to her cheeks.

It's always like this. Well, no more.

"N-N-Naruto, I was wondering..."—Hinata gulped, trying to steady herself—"if you'd like to...m-maybe—"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, zipping up his jacket.

~Sakura~

Sakura's internal chagrin slapped her forehead.

Honestly...

Casting her eyes to the Hyuga girl, Hinata's face had turned a deep beetroot colour, and she'd clearly lost her nerve. Looking at Naruto, Sakura's frustration only increased, causing her to frown. He was crinkling his face into that expression, the one where he was trying to figure something out.

How daft can you be?

For now, they were all suspended in the pair's uneasiness. Sakura shook her head, concluding that she'd need to intervene to get out of this and back to work.

"I really like ramen," interrupted Naruto, his voice cut cleanly through the otherwise silent treatment room. "How does Ichiraku sound, Hinata?" he asked, grinning at the blushing girl and scratching the back of his head.

Again, Hinata's face flushed. She was already flustered, but this, of course, added more.

"Y-yes. I would like that. I finish at six. I can meet you there after?" Hinata asked quietly.

Sakura was all-too content in playing spectator—again. She and the rest of Konoha's rookies had spent years watching Naruto and Hinata develop feelings for each other that neither acted on nor admitted to.

"Okay. I'll see you then, Hinata." Naruto turned around to leave, one hand in his pocket and the other giving a wave.

~Sasuke~

"Still in pain, Sakura," Sasuke grated out. He'd held out for as long as possible, but the Uchiha did not possess an unnatural self-healing rate, unlike their teammate.

"Oh right. Sorry, Sasuke," apologised Sakura.

He sat quietly, observing her concentration as she healed his ribs. The kunoichi's feelings for him were no secret; she'd never been very good at concealing them. However, Sasuke struggled to understand what she ever saw in him.

He could admit it wasn't unreasonable to say that since the massacre that he'd believed had wiped out the entire Uchiha clan barring himself and his brother, he'd been a walking tragedy with a volatile attitude and short patience. Following the unfinished Chūnin Exams, Sasuke abandoned Konoha in favour of vengeance, baited by a promise of power from Orochimaru and turning his back on the village, Kakashi, Naruto...and Sakura.

For two years, he trained under Orochimaru's mentorship on the premise of becoming the Snake-Lord's next vessel. With meticulous planning, Sasuke thwarted those plans at the last second, moving forward in pursuit of his older brother, Itachi.

Eventually, Sasuke tracked down his murderous brother, and despite finding him in ill health, he remained intent on exacting his vengeance. In their final fight, Itachi imparted the truth of the events, his part in the Uchiha massacre, and that he'd also left another Uchiha survivor that night—their sister, Hanako Uchiha.

Sasuke had forgotten her existence, most likely due to his young at the time and the mental trauma sustained from Itachi's Genjutsu.

Itachi explained how he'd failed to confirm Hanako's survival following the massacre and had supposedly spent his final years searching for her. Sadly, because of the cumulative effects of his illness and the injuries from their fight, he died without ever knowing if Hanako was alive or not.

Disillusioned and unsure if he was, in fact, the sole-surviving Uchiha, Sasuke chose to return to Konoha. He respected there was no quick fix, or possibly no fix, for his misdeeds. He, and many others across the Five Great Nations, were astonished by his trial's outcome. Konoha's Council offered Sasuke a full pardon if he agreed to a few stipulations. Additional to rejoining his former team, his sentence included a six-month probation period where he was to stay within the confines of the village and under ANBU supervision.

Strangely, when Sasuke rejoined Team Seven, he was also greeted by his missing older sister—Hanako. Apparently, she'd appeared in the village shortly after his defection, accompanied by none other than Jiraiya, and was then assigned to Team Seven for the last few years.

Sakura looked up at Sasuke with a gentle smile, pushing her bangs away with the backs of her hands. "There," she exhaled, her features finally relaxing. "All done, Sasuke."

"Thanks," he said, almost inaudibly and then left, closing the door behind him.

There were times Sasuke wished he could be as carefree as Naruto. If not for himself, then for her.

For Sakura.

Assimilating back into the village life of Konoha wasn't the picnic Naruto was bent on believing it should be for Sasuke. He'd overcome so much in the last few months and progressed more than expected. Much of that was thanks to Hanako's familial presence in his life and Sakura's everlasting patience.

So, why can't I make myself ask one stupid question? Why can't I take the next step?

The stark reality was that Sasuke just wasn't quite there.

Tch.


(Konohagakure En-route to Amegakure)

~Kakashi~

Kakashi snuck a glance every now and then at Nina; their held hands hung between them, lifting only to turn a page.

Heh.

He couldn't recall the last female that had been so cagey, having grown accustomed to more forthcoming women.

Although seemingly more relaxed, Nina held her shoulders slightly stiffer than usual, and her pleasant, neutral expression was a little too placid. Kakashi pursed his lips together, trying to figure out if this was the opportune time to press for more or take the small amount of progress they'd had.

He decided on the latter.

Even before the handholding debacle, he'd wished to take advantage of their travel time as much as possible. Kakashi scanned their surroundings, instantly placing their location based on well-ingrained memory. If memory served him right, there should be a clearing to their left, tucked away behind the dense line of trees.

Clipping the flap of his hip pouch closed, Kakashi spoke, "I think that'll do us for today."

~Nina~

Given it was mid-afternoon, well before evening, Nina dumped her pack and ducked away to take a small respite by freshening up at the nearby river. Sinking into the mild-tempered water, she stared at her empty palm.

Strange.

She bought her other hand up and out of the water, turning both hands over and inspecting them. They were tools of her trade, a part of her livelihood. She used them to kill and heal; for all things, good and bad. Nonetheless, she'd never held hands with someone…

Rubbishing that particular train of thought, Nina plunged her hand into the water, accidentally splashing herself

Tch.

A fish leapt out of the water in the river ahead, followed by another.

Dinner.

Anything was better than a food pill, and it wasn't like she would have to put in any real effort. Although performed unconventionally in this case, a spot of fishing was easy work for the kunoichi, whose primary chakra nature affinity was towards Water Release. Typically, the Sarutobi clan members used techniques involving Fire Release.

Of course, Nina eventually mastered it by training with Hanako—Jiraiya's suggestion—in exchange for teaching the reemerged Uchiha how to master Water Release techniques. It'd taken a painstakingly long amount of intensive training, and with neither of them burning or drowning the other by the end, it concreted their newfound and, honestly, unpredicted friendship.

~Kakashi~

The afternoon drifted by peacefully; Kakashi busied himself with setting up the camp. He took it upon himself to grab Nina's bedroll, lying it out beside his, mentally preparing himself for an uproar from her later. But perhaps there wouldn't be one; this was a logical play. They were well within the safety of the Land of Fire, and an alternating night guard duty was unnecessary. Be that as it may, they should keep their sleeping quarters close as a precaution.

Kakashi gave the camp layout a final review, paying particular attention to their sleeping arrangements. "Standard practice," he muttered to himself.

About an hour later, Kakashi's focus pulled away from the crackling fire by the sound of incoming footsteps. Back from the nearby stream, Nina emerged from the overgrowth with freshly caught fish in hand. Kakashi strode over, taking their soon-to-be dinner out of her hands.

"I'm glad to see you didn't burst into flames because you held hands with a ..."—he waited long enough for her to raise an expectant eyebrow—"...boy."

There it is.

That got a smile out of the kunoichi.

~Nina~

Nina couldn't keep herself from smiling and turned her cheek from Kakashi's view. Stowing her belongings away, she rationalised the positioning of their bedrolls. She concluded there was likely nothing more than standard practice behind it and wandered over to join the Copy-Nin by the fire.

She ate her fill first, and once done, she stood up, brushing any dirt off of her bottom. "I'll go run a final perimeter check."

~Kakashi~

Kakashi nodded in a wordless acknowledgment, leaning forward and tossing his sticks into the fire. He sat cross-legged on his bedroll after removing his jacket and gloves, folding them and placing them in a neat pile beside his pack. As he settled down to read, the words blurred. He tried to ignore the low pulsating tension behind his left eye socket, although he was never really without it. In pain, Kakashi tugged on the knot of his hitai-ate, letting it fall into his lap haphazardly.

~Nina~

Stepping out from the shadows of the treeline, Nina witnessed the Kakashi jam the heel of his hand into his left eye.

Baka.

"Do you want me to pretend I didn't just see that?" she offered teasingly.

"Please do," he said, putting his book away in his pack. "I didn't think to come up with an excuse yet."

Nina pushed down on his shoulder, immobilising him.

"Saru—"

"Enough, Hatake," Nina cut in, kneeling beside him. "You know how this goes."

Channelling her chakra into reducing Kakashi's inflamed optical nerves, she couldn't recall completing his last post-mission medical. She surmised that whoever had, had missed the ailment. However, it was unlikely Hatake would have spoken up about it in their defence.

A few minutes later, Nina sat back on her feet, "And with that, I'm calling it a night." Her body gave way to a long yawn as soon as she spoke.

"Mm, thank you," Kakashi replied, his long limbs stretching out while he got comfortable.

It'd been a long fucking day, and tiredness pulled at Nina's every limb and muscle. Her eyes were heavy.

So heavy.

~Kakashi~

Laying on his back, Kakashi turned his head slightly, observing the kunoichi's breathing evening out and her eyes fluttering on the verge of drifting off. If she'd allow it.

"Sleep, Sarutobi," he directed.

"Uh-huh," Nina drawled sleepily, clumsily reaching her hand out in his direction and smacking him on the head.

Kakashi chuckled softly, looking back up at the star-littered sky. "The world can let you sleep,"—he closed his eyes for a second—"at least for a little while."

When he glanced at Nina again, sleep had won out. Her hand was still on the edge of his pillow. It was for his safety's sake that he repositioned her limb. However, as Kakashi withdrew his hand, her fingers clasped around his thumb. She let out a shallow hum, and her other hand smoothed into his upturned palm.

Kakashi dared not move, saving his eyes. He had both eyes gingerly set on his hand, held by the slumbering kunoichi's.

The evening was still and gentle, only the soft sounds of the insects and nocturnal creatures meeting his ears. Behind them, the dwindling campfire crackled and popped, throwing sparked embers into the night. Already fighting on the edge of sleep himself, he, too, gave in.


(Friday September 19 Konohagakure En-route to Amegakure)

~Nina~

Typically, Nina would have woken with the sun or just before, but today she was slow to wake, still too succumbed by the wisps of sleep. The morning's daylight wasn't the first thing that she noticed. No, it was the unusual weight between her hands. Too pliable to be the kunai she'd stashed under her pillow, she peeped her eyes open, allowing them time to adjust.

Evidently, her brain was also slow to wake as the cogs gradually ground to life to comprehend the situation.

A hand?

Nina blinked a few more times.

Hatake's hand?

He was on his back, reading.

Now I'm being exploited in my sleep?

She cast her eyes to a seemingly unvexed Kakashi. She wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Sure, she'd been the cause for his luck out on his birthday fuck, but...

If he thinks I'm going to make up for that, he's got another thing coming.

Aside from that, she began wondering if this was because he thought her so hopeless that she needed the extra training for something as paltry as holding hands.

For fucks sake.

Without a word from her, Kakashi suddenly lifted their hands and tilted his head with his typical crinkled-eyed smile. "This?" He returned to reading his book. "You instigated it last night."

I...I, what?

"It's probably out of habit after yesterday's training," Nina defended herself flatly.

"Good. We can extend on it today," Kakashi replied, snapping his book closed and sitting up. He pulled a map from his pack, laying it on the join of their bedrolls. "There is a small village not far from here."

Suddenly, Nina realised the only thing keeping their hands together was her and promptly released Kakashi's hand. She focussed on his index finger, used to pinpoint their current location, and followed it along as it pushed across the worn parchment.

"There, we should be able to get a room at the inn for the night," Kakashi continued, folding the map up. "It's quite affordable from what others have said."

"Just what sort of training are you considering, Hatake?" Nina asked, growing ever more annoyed with the latch on her pack.

~Kakashi~

"Nothing quite like what you're imagining," Kakashi explained, kneeling to help the struggling kunoichi.

The second the pads of his fingers met with the exposed skin of Nina's shoulder, she jolted back, landing on her bottom. Kakashi leaned in and latched her bedroll to her pack, ignoring her reaction.

Good grief.

Desperately trying not to smile too hard and risk enraging Nina further, he stood back, waiting a few moments for her defences to drop.

This time, he aimed higher, sweeping his fingers along her neck, following the invisible angle below her jawline. He could feel her muscles tense under his touch, his thumb skittering against the delicate skin of her nape. Nina raised her eyebrows, shooting him a sceptical look.

"Don't worry, Sarutobi. I'm not going to kiss you," Kakashi informed her, tugging out her plait from where her pack had trapped it.

~Nina~

Nina couldn't tell if it was just a meaningless, innocent gesture or if Hatake was trying to stir something. But this man never did something without purpose and not without knowing how it would play out.

~Kakashi~

Kakashi saw something flicker in Nina's eyes, but she quickly corrected it.

Good.

"So," he began, holding his left hand out expectantly for Nina, "I was thinking—"

"Mm, that's alarming," she murmured amusedly, accepting his invitation.

"How about we up the ante a little, hm?" Kakashi looked down at Nina; she was already frowning. "Every time you break character, it'll cost you five thousand Ryo."

"No!" she shrieked, pulling them to a dead stop. "What do you mean—? Cost me? What about you? No, Hatake. Just no."

"This,"—he held up their interlocked hands—"isn't going to cut it. It's child's play." There was the slightest hint of reproach in his tone, like a mentor gently reminding a younger student of how the world worked. "If you're constantly falling over yourself and swatting my hands away—"

"Five thousand Ryo? Really?" Nina questioned.

Kakashi couldn't help but find humour in her questioning the proposed penalty that was a tenth of the amount he'd recently wagered.

He slowly positioned himself before Nina, bringing his free hand to rest on her shoulder. "Yes, Sarutobi. Five thousand Ryo." Dropping his hand from her shoulder, he shuffled around to face the road ahead. "We need to get moving; otherwise, we won't be there until after lunch. Apparently, the inn sells some of the best dumplings in the Land of Fire."

"Fine. You're paying," grumbled Nina, her feet scuffing the ground at Kakashi's side.

~End of Chapter~