A/N: Apologies for delay-y'know life and all that. This chapter has three pieces of artwork, but this platform doesn't support images. If you are wanting to see them I suggest reading my work on wattpad :) Anyways, happy reading my lovelies x
~Chapter 12: Conviction~
(Saturday September 20 Konoha's Medical Clinic)
~Sakura~
Arriving well before the clinic's morning opening hours, Sakura was called to the reception desk to accept yet another bouquet on Ayame's behalf. The area was beginning to look like a miniature version of the Yamanaka clan's florist shop. Plenty of patients, mainly the old biddies, had taken the opportunity to point out to the pinkette that, unlike Ayame's, all she had on the desk in Treatment Room Five was a near-empty glass of water containing two shrivelled cosmos from Ino's last lunch pack.
"So, you really have no idea where it came from?" asked Ino, as if she didn't quite believe Sakura.
"Uh-uh," Sakura replied, shaking her head from left to right. Whom and where yesterday's lunchroom surprise food parcel had come from was a mystery to her, but she knew, even before this conversation and with certainty, it wasn't from Ino. The beautiful Yamanaka would sometimes leave her meals on the lunchroom table, wrapped immaculately, and trimmed with cosmos.
Always cosmos.
"You know, Forehead, you ought to stop waiting around for Sasuke," Ino said, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. "Why don't you give Lee a chance, huh? It's totally obvious he has feelings for you."
Ino's suggestion needled at Sakura's chagrin. They'd been friends long enough that she could distinguish between a joke and something else.
Dammit.
Realising she'd accidentally destroyed one of the fresh flowers, Sakura quickly disposed of it and rearranged the bouquet. As she did, she contemplated what her friend had said.
From childhood, Sakura compared herself to the Yamanaka, who'd always exuded enviable confidence. And why shouldn't she? There was no denying that Ino was their class's most beautiful and fashionable kunoichi.
It was no wonder she'd made the notion of Sakura pursuing someone other than Sasuke sound so easy. Ino could have any guy she wanted. Sakura did have other options. It was true; Lee's feelings for her were no secret. Sakura would only have to utter the single word of 'yes', and her desk would undoubtedly resemble Ayame's by day's end.
Maybe I should—?
"Ino, please inform Guy that all future deliveries are to be made elsewhere," Tsunade demanded.
Startled, Sakura spun around and eyed the screwhiffed pile of files her Master was carrying. She looked around at the floral-cluttered desk for space, relocating as many vases as possible before Tsunade dumped the files with a huff.
"It's a hazard to my clinic."
"Uh, um. Yes, Milady," acknowledged Ino and rushed out of the clinic's reception.
Sakura struggled to stop laughing at her friend's reaction to the Fifth's stern intonation.
This is nothing, Ino-Pig.
~Tsunade~
Tsunade hadn't planned on intervening in the younger kunoichi's conversation until she'd seen her pupil's downcast expression—the one no one else would notice save Naruto. Truthfully, the more pressing issue was Tsunade had been rather haphazard when stacking the files Nina had given her to sign, and they were beginning to slip out of her grasp.
Young, Sakura Haruno, earned her mettle. Tsunade had trained her. Hard.
Heh.
She'd probably broken and mended every bone in the girl's body. And if she hadn't, Nina certainly would have.
Just as Kakashi had informed Tsunade before she'd taken on Sakura as an apprentice, the girl was always kind, bright, diligent, and incredibly stubborn—especially regarding her feelings towards Sasuke Uchiha. Tsunade was sure if she were in Sakura's position, she would've long since given up on the wayward boy. The pinkette's sheer will and determination never failed to surprise her.
Tsunade couldn't help but smile when looking at her student, who was re-ordering the messy files without command. "Sakura."
The kunoichi snapped to attention. "Yes, Milady?"
"You're doing a fine job here, and feedback has been very positive." Tsunade was gladdened by Sakura's adorable expression—eyes widened and her cheeks ablaze. "Keep up the good work," she added and took her leave.
"Yes, Ma'am," Sakura beamed.
It was a small but necessary lie. While the young medic appeared to be performing well in Nina's absence, the village couldn't afford her to be distracted by roving thoughts about her Uchiha teammate.
(Konohagakure-En-route to Amegakure)
~Nina~
Nina leaned against a wall in the inn's reception, her eyes fixed expectantly in the direction from where her mission partner should emerge.
Any second, Hatake.
Like always, Kakashi was waylaid by something he'd given an excuse for, but Nina hadn't bothered to hear him out before leaving their room. While waiting, a short-statured bald man, who spoke minimal words in between grunts, felt it necessary to approach her, instantly upsetting her stomach and fouling her mood.
Despite Nina's obvious uncomfortable predicament, the Copy-Nin made no efforts to rush to her rescue, only adding to her discomfort by nonchalantly greeting her and the pig-man.
"Where was the fire, Sarutobi?" Kakashi gibed as Nina dragged him outside of the inn.
At least he had the sense to step back from her as she angrily swung her pack off her back. Unable to ignore her empty stomach's protest for food, she crouched down on the roadside and ransacked her supplies for the apples she'd picked yesterday. "You know, I think you owe me five thousand Ryo for that, Hatake. You shouldn't have left your girlfriend waiting like that."
"Hm, that is true. But—"
"No," Nina fired back, pulling out a kunai from her back where she'd concealed it on the flat of her lower lumber. "Cough up, Captain." Palm up, she flicked her fingers that weren't holding the hilt of the kunai, motioning for him to hand over the penalty payment.
Kakashi looked resigned to handing over the requested five thousand Ryo; the paper notes were centimetres from Nina's palm when he stopped. "But I wouldn't have been late if you'd played your part."
"What?" Nina asked dumbfoundedly.
"Typically, in a relationship, I would never have needed to seek…how do I put this?" Kakashi tapped his index finger to his chin thoughtfully. Nina flipped the kunai around in anticipation to attack, depending on how he'd finish this. "Services. If you catch my drift."
Nina caught more than that; the ignored excuse he'd given earlier and that she'd blocked out came screaming back to her. As did the realisation that the massage therapist who'd so kindly disentangled her muscles yesterday afternoon had been trailing behind Kakashi when he'd eventually made an appearance at the reception this morning. The woman was flushed and grinning like a cat that had got the canary.
Ew.
"I may as well add that this morning could've been avoided entirely had I not escorted you home the other night."
"From my memory, you had plenty of other options," Nina retorted.
"Prospective, perhaps. Not necessarily ideal," Kakashi replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"So, a random masseuse is ideal?" Nina asked. Using the kunai, she sliced through the fruit and offered the last cut piece to the Copy-Nin. He rejected it, so she teethed it off the kunai's pointed end.
~Kakashi~
"Hm," Kakashi shrugged, "it's nice to have a variety."
"That variety you speak of is what will land you a nasty-arse STI, Hatake," Nina clipped, lobbing the finished apple core far into the roadside foliage.
Kakashi chuckled at Nina's scornful medic-esque remark.
Of course, I used protection.
It also wasn't ideal; they were on a mission. However, when morning came, Kakashi had been met with the unwelcome problem he'd failed to relieve the night before. Lying on his back, his morning glory was pitched high and stiffly beneath the layers of his boxers, pants, and blankets. Distrusting his subconscious not to do him another dirty like it had in the shower, he was left with two options: continue ignoring it or enlist help.
Kakashi settled on the second option, quickly surmising that he would need to get up and try to have a quiet word with the attendant about the massage options that weren't advertised to the public.
He watched as Nina hid the kunai behind her back, shouldered her pack, and meandered her way to his side. He looked down at his pseudo-girlfriend. Her dark brown eyes narrowed in concentration on the road ahead. Aside from the mission, there was the bet. Nina was appreciably but bothersomely evasive. He was still working out where the kunoichi's edges were. Kakashi would need to strike on the finite line between a direct and indirect approach to succeed with either goal.
"It was her or you."
~Nina~
Nina's hands unforgivingly wrung the canvas straps of her pack. She saw right through Kakashi and his silver tongue. If she lashed out, the Copy-Nin would call her out on breaking character, for which the penalty payment would be five thousand Ryo. With both owing to the other, neither would have to pay.
Cheapskate.
Letting go of her strap, Nina reached out her right hand for Kakashi's left. "You only had to ask," she said softly.
Turning on his heels, Kakashi faced off with Nina. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned down, eying her like she'd seen him do when trying to intimidate his unruly students. Not willing to give him the satisfaction of weedling out of another bill, Nina mimicked him by folding her arms across her chest.
Kakashi stayed quiet for a few seconds longer. "You would have said no."
How he'd spoken without malice but with his usual matter-of-fact attitude made Nina's insides churn. Amegakure was within an hour's walking distance, their destination a little further south, and her conviction—something Tsunade implicitly stated was essential to the mission's success—was, at best, questionable. It was embarrassing for the veteran kunoichi to think of how green she'd presented herself as of late.
This was a terrible, terrible problem.
They had time, though. The sun hadn't long risen, evident by the cloudy sky bathed in vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. They'd discussed and decided that as a precaution, they'd skirt the border line separating the Land of Fire and Rain until they were closer.
Agitated, Nina dumped her pack to the ground; it landed beside her right foot with a heavy thud. Kakashi copied, albeit a little more controlled than her. "I just—" she hesitated, averting her eyes to the ground.
Hatake's right.
Nina needed to do better. Like any other mission, she didn't have to like him; she just needed to pretend she did.
Shutting the door to her internal rumbling, Nina stepped closer and tenderly wrapped her hands around Kakashi's wrists. She stared at their hands before they met eyes. He wasn't wearing his hitai-ate, and Nina's fingers itched with a want to reach up and brush the tufts of hair that hung freely over his eye line. Instead, their fingers slipped into each other's as natural as their cover ought to be.
Nina took another step into Kakashi, closing the remaining space between them. Their chests brushed against each other with each breath but neither moved nor broke eye contact. After a moment of tense silence, she craned her neck, giving him time to step back or turn his head away if he wanted to.
Kakashi squeezed her hands. "What are you doing?"
Nina could feel his breath on her lips and see the apprehension in his eye. The memory of Shushu-ya entered her mind—well-meaning friends who believed she had no other option to improve her romantic standing than through an unconventional cake-cutting etiquette.
But this was different because it was for a mission.
Kakashi was still staring at her expectantly, waiting for a reply. She and he needed proof of her resolve, of her conviction. Feeling her confidence return—she could practically hear Hanako championing—Nina gently edged her mouth into Kakashi's.
~Kakashi~
It's not like Kakashi didn't recognise the potentiality, but he hadn't expected the follow-through. Both his eyes stretched wide at the barely-felt brush of their lips. Just as he felt the sweet pressure of Nina's lips, she retreated.
"Oh my. Did I make the stoic, emotionless Hatake blush, hmm?" Nina taunted, standing back with one hand on her jutted-out hip and sporting a victorious smirk.
The kunoichi had taken complete command of the situation and played him.
Shinobi Rule #11
A Shinobi must see underneath the underneath.
Worst still, it'd given Kakashi more questions than answers.
Why didn't I expect the follow-through?
Was it a kiss or more of a peck?
How far under—?
"We should get going if we want to beat that," Nina said, motioning to the sky with her head while clipping her travel cloak closed.
Kakashi blinked rapidly, pulling out of his slight trance. Surveying the looming clouds above, he calculated their chances of arriving at their destination before the onset of the building inclement weather.
Not good.
"Right," Kakashi said.
He crouched down and pulled out his travel cloak from his pack. He briefly considered clarifying some of his questions with Nina but quickly concluded it was dangerous and premature to speculate further on the kunoichi.
(Konoha's Uchiha District)
~Sakura~
"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid," Sakura muttered as she detoured to sit on another one of Konoha's concrete benches. The, quite frankly, very uncomfortable seats were dotted throughout the village, and she was sure she'd sat on each one between the clinic and the training grounds near the Uchiha district.
Inhaling deeply through her nose, Sakura stared at her hands clasped together on her lap. Exhaling, she slowly opened her palms, revealing a folded piece of paper. Her heart thumped from within her chest uncontrollably, and her skin prickled with anxiety as she thumbed the note open.
Sakura,
Lo (crossed out) A relationship is not always about cherry blossoms. Sometimes, you walk over dead leaves too.
-Sasuke
Sasuke.
It was there in handwritten black ink, but still, Sakura couldn't push past her doubts. This could be a prank by Ino.
And yet…
Her eyes riveted on the scratched-out beginnings of a word.
Sighing again, Sakura dropped her chin to her chest. Without confronting Sasuke, there was no telling if the note which came with today's surprise lunch was really from him. She wanted it to be.
Oh, so much.
Sakura came to her feet and went and stood at the top-most step that led down to the lake. Down below and at the end of the rickety wooden pier, she could see Sasuke weaving signs before billowing a fireball from his mouth. She'd watched him from up here for… forever, really. Although, she used to hide behind a tree or bush.
Heh.
Looking around, Sakura was somewhat relieved to see no one else around. She clawed at her stomach, unable to tell if it resulted from hunger or nerves. She breathed in deeply and concentrated on not slipping down the steps.
"Sakura."
Stunned by Sasuke's voice, she misstepped. His firm grip on her shoulders was that kept her upright. Blinking through the shock, she swallowed the lump in her throat and corrected her footing. His hands fell away when she had both feet on the same step.
I'm such an idiot.
"S-Sasuke."
"What are you doing here?" he asked, pocketing his hands.
"I, uh." Sakura rocked back and forth on her feet with her hands behind her back, fiddling with the piece of paper. She couldn't bring herself to look at him directly, and she was sure her face was a deeper shade of pink than her hair.
"Get it together!" Sakura's inner self demanded.
"This," she spoke as she held out her right hand with the note paper pinched between her fingers. "I wanted to know if this was...?" She took a breath and met Sasuke's eyes. "Did you write this?"
He took the note from Sakura and opened it. Folding it again, he handed it back to her. "Yes."
"Did you mean it?"
Against her instincts, Sakura kept very still as Sasuke stepped in closer and pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger. Her heart thrummed in her ears so loudly that she had to lip-read what he said.
He said…
"I, uh, well. Hinata and Naruto…" Sakura struggled to put a single coherent sentence together. "Go to Ichiraku with me."
Sasuke's eyes widened, and who could blame him? She had spat the words at him rather than asking.
God!
Sakura slapped her forehead with her palm.
And people give Hinata a hard time.
"I spoke with Hinata earlier, and she and Naruto are going to Ichiraku tonight, and I thought maybe we could…." Sakura's tongue twisted into a knot, like the one in her stomach. "You're probably bus—"
"What time?"
"Seven. Tonight. We could get a separate table. I mean…that is,"—Sakura's hands waved around like they had a mind of their own—"if you want to. You don't have to."
"Okay," Sasuke said, wrapping his hands around hers.
He'd actually agreed to a…date, with little fuss and…
With me.
Sakura dropped her head slightly, hoping her bangs would curtain her face enough to hide her flushed cheeks and ears.
Toeing the ground with one foot, she looked up at Sasuke. Despite standing on the step below her, he was still taller than her. She nervously curled her bangs behind her ears. "So, I'll meet you there then?"
"7pm tonight, at Ichiraku, right?" asked Sasuke.
"Mhmm." Sakura gave a slight smile.
Meanwhile, her chagrin yawped while fist-pumping the air of her subconscious. She had a few hours to get ready, so she raced off to Ino to request some fashion advice and do a little gloating.
~End of Chapter~
