Later that afternoon, Kakashi was standing in front of his family's old farmhouse, the sound of a blade swooshing against grass in the background. He reached for the bottle of water he'd stashed in his leg pouch, a sigh of relief falling from his lips right before the cool liquid poured down his throat. He was mid-swallow when a rough hand clapping his shoulder caused him to sputter and he turned to glare at Tenzo, who just gave him a cheeky grin.
"You're surely not just going to stand there drinking water while we, your team, toil away, Senpai."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, stuffing the bottle back in his pouch before he leaned over to pick up his discarded scythe.
"Can't a man just enjoy a drink of water on a hot day?" Kakashi whined, swiping at a tall brush of grass. A snake quickly slithered away as the blade connected with the foliage and he watched as it disappeared into the rest of the grass.
"Not if you intend to move in before the cold sets in," Tenzo shook his head before he glanced over at Sakura, who was in front of the stone wall pulling weeds with her bare hands. Tenzo spoke again, his words quiet enough that they wouldn't travel on the light breeze, "She's fierce, you know."
Kakashi couldn't stop the smile from twisting his mouth as he nodded, swiping the scythe again. "She is," he agreed as the two men shared a look before he cocked an eyebrow, adding, "What makes you say so now?"
Tenzo shrugged, going back to his own work. "The look on her face when she disobeyed my direct command during that mission. She didn't care about anything but protecting you."
Kakashi frowned, glancing down at the ground before he looked back up at Sakura and watched her for a moment. Sweat gleamed on her skin, her pink hair tossed into a sloppy bun high on her head. With the smudges of dirt and the grass stains on the backs of her thighs, she looked more cute than dangerous. A few years ago; hell, even at the beginning of this year's Chūnin Exams, she had still been a fearful child; the one member of his squad that he constantly had to keep an extra eye on.
That had all changed, he knew, when Sasuke had knocked her out and left the village, shattering her team and her heart all in one fell swoop of his fist. Looking back, he realized, he wished he'd seen what the strife with the raven-haired Uchiha was causing her even before he'd defected. Maybe if he'd noticed, Kakashi thought with regret, her journey to this new-found fierceness wouldn't have been such a painful transition. Maybe he could have-
"Don't do that, Senpai," Tenzo's firm voice pulled him out of his spiral. "She's not just fierce, she's strong. With the kind of strength you don't get from a soft life and easy situations."
"Chhh'yaaaa!" Sakura's triumphant cry rang out, bringing the mens' attention to her as she held up a rather large ball of foliage, its massive ball of roots dropping clumps of dirt onto her thighs. Kakashi chuckled, turning to Tenzo.
"You know, she almost killed the one she ran after," the younger man told him, going back to cutting the grass as he added, "I had to pull her off of him."
Kakashi nodded, thinking back to the mission. He didn't remember anything after the blast; just the way the rocks had felt like razors as they'd sliced at his body. He remembered being completely shrouded in darkness, the only light a dim, flickering glow in the far distance. And then he'd felt something; something he hadn't been able to see, but had somehow known was Sakura's hand squeezing his own. It had pulled him out of that darkness just enough that he'd known he was going to wake up.
Had that been the moment he'd fallen in love with her?
The smile that formed on his lips wasn't lost on Tenzo, who shoved his shoulder playfully and said, "Never thought I'd see the day Hound was in love."
Kakashi just shrugged, his eyes meeting Sakura's across the yard. When he saw the way her face lit up as he gave her his trademark two-finger salute, he smiled and looked up at his friend, telling him, "Neither did I."
He didn't say anything else as he turned his focus to clearing the rest of the yard of grass, Tenzo working alongside him in a comfortable silence. The three of them worked all afternoon, not stopping until the last rays of light had disappeared behind the treeline. Kakashi and Tenzo had managed to cut down all of the grass that had taken over the front of the property, the cuttings lined up in neat rows that would dry into hay in the coming last hot days of the season.
As he surveyed the place, an arm haphazardly tossed over Sakura's shoulders, a proud smile was plastered on his face. The farm was beginning to look like the home he remembered it being in his childhood. Sakura had cleaned the stone wall up, allowing it to shine as the focal point it had been intended to be. Looking at the structure of the house, he realized that there was still much work to do before this place would be ready to be inhabited again. The thatched roof needed replacing, and the shingling that covered the building left a lot to be desired. But it was becoming what he'd hoped it would be.
It was becoming home.
He could see what it would look like a year from now in his mind's eye: a row of berry bushes in front of the wall to join the only one his father had ever planted, with a blanket of wildflowers covering the yard. He could imagine the garden of herbs and vegetables that Sakura might plant in the far corner of the property, a small fence surrounding it to protect the bounty from hungry forest critters. The pack would be running around, making use of the ample space. Maybe he'd build them a couple of houses of their own, he thought with a dreamy smile.
"What are you thinking about?" Sakura's soft voice pulled him out of his daydream, and Kakashi just gazed down at her, his eye crinkling.
"Oh, nothing," he answered airily, turning to look back at the house. Sakura followed his eyes, settling on the building with him as her founds weaved through his.
"Tenzo said to tell you he'd see you tomorrow," she spoke after a moment of admiration. Night had settled over the place now, covering the hard work they'd put in all afternoon in dark shadows that loomed from the tall forest trees.
Kakashi arched his eyebrow, glancing around. Sure enough, Tenzo had slipped away undetected by him, and he chuckled before leading Sakura over to where he had taken the time earlier to set up a small campsite. He noticed that she had taken the time while weeding to contribute to the kindling stack she'd put together the last night they'd been out here.
"This was a great idea," she told him as she began tugging her dirty clothes off, tossing them into a pile. He reached into a bag they'd brought with them and tossed her one of the extra shirts he'd thought to pack, arching his eyebrow.
"What was?"
She tossed him a smile as she slipped his large shirt over her small frame and he couldn't keep his tongue from darting out across his lips as it fell to the middle of her thighs, the hip stuck on the hem of her panties and leaving the entirety of her left leg exposed to him. Sakura noticed; giggling as she casually trailed her hand up her stomach, curling her fingers just enough to drag the fabric up.
"Camping here tonight," she answered his forgotten question, watching the way he watched the flash of her midriff before the shirt dropped and his gaze lifted sharply to hers, his Adam's apple twitching.
"Hn?" He rumbled, eyes now focused on her legs again. She smirked back at him over her shoulder as she leaned over the bag to pull out two packs of dried noodles and a pot. He closed the small space separating them in the same instant, his hands finding her hips and the pot and food clattered to the ground.
"I said," she emphasized, her fingers wrapping around his wrists, tugging his hands away. Her lips were right over his as she continued, "It was a great idea camping here tonight."
Kakashi covered her mouth with his; not asking for permission as he thrust his tongue inside her wet cavern. She moaned against him as he took ownership of her body; his hands now gripping her side and the right globe of her ass, his nails digging into the soft flesh. He sucked hard on her tongue; swallowing her breath and stealing her soul when he moved the hand on her side to her messy bun. He finally broke the kiss as he pulled the elastic loose, her soft pink hair cascading over his hand in gentle waves.
"It was," he agreed in a husky voice, his teeth scraping along the shell of her ear. He nipped, eliciting a delicious whine from her as he added, "There's no one out here to hear you scream but me, Sakura."
She felt the pit of her stomach swirl tightly, her body shivering in response to the dark tone his words had taken. She found herself letting her head roll back against his chest; submitting her throat to his canines as he bit his way down the long expanse of skin, his tongue soothing each assault of his teeth. Kakashi grinned against the crook of her neck, his nose blowing a puff of hot air against her sensitive skin as he moved his mouth lower.
"Ka-Ka-" she breathed the first two syllables of his name, closing her eyes when she felt the hand on her ass slowly moving until it was cupping her heat over panties. When she felt his finger dip between her slick folds, her sentence was forgotten. He used the hand tangled in her hair to grip her chin firmly, tilting her head up.
"Open your eyes," he commanded, his breath hitching in his throat when she complied and showed him wide, glassy green eyes, her mouth parting as a mewl passed her lips when the finger inside of her curled, the tip of the digit lightly pressing against her g-spot.
Sakura whimpered as he pushed her button again, her knees shaking now. Kakashi smirked against her skin and lifted his head to meet her sultry gaze, her eyes shining emeralds under the moonlight. He had never seen someone so beautiful, he thought to himself as he pulled back, grinning at the pout on her swollen bottom lip.
"Dinner," Kakashi remarked simply, bending to grab the pot before he placed it in her hand. He tilted his head towards the river, chuckling as he heard her grumbling under her breath. He kept his attention on her while he grabbed some of the larger pieces of kindling, stacking it in the fire pit. A series of hand seals later, a small fire was beginning to crackle, the dancing licks of flame casting long shadows onto the cut lawn.
"You didn't have to work me up before we eat," she scowled a few minutes later as she came back with a half-full pot of water. He laughed, the sound of it rich and light somehow all at the same time, and he tossed her the packets of noodles before he plopped down on the ground.
"But it's so fun," he teased her, pulling two pairs of chopsticks out of the bag. His eyebrow cocked when he watched the way she squirmed. When he watched her hand dip beneath the hem of the shirt, he tsk-tsk'd her with a wave of his finger before he said, "Ah, ah. Dinner."
"We already played this game, Kakashi," she grumbled; pulling her hand back and propping her weight on her calves, the backs of her thighs resting against the back of her lower legs. He just smirked, his eye watching the water slowly beginning to blister.
"And, you enjoyed it, if I recall correctly," he answered in an even tone, flicking his eye her way, drinking in the way that her chest was slowly heaving up and down in shallow breaths. He didn't say anything else for several minutes and neither did she as the fireflies began to flicker and the birdsong began to quiet down, leaving them alone with just the rustle of the wind and the low hiss of the fire consuming the kindling.
Just as the water began to boil, Sakura spoke, her words hesitant. "So...You told me this is your childhood home?"
Kakashi hummed as he nodded, his words calm. "Yeah. It's not...It isn't the Hatake clan home, but it was my home; our home after..." his eye flashed with a remnant of the old family pain. "...After his disgrace," he was at last able to say the words. He continued his voice quieter, "This is the home my father raised me in after my mother died at the clan compound."
He didn't finish the story, and Sakura didn't press for more information as he added the pasta to the angry water. They watched the noodles soften and a few moments later, Kakashi portioned the food into two ceramic bowls he pulled from the bag at his feet. After she'd eaten a few bites, Sakura spoke again, her voice much lighter than the air between them.
"I really like the stone wall," she told him. Kakashi smiled, glancing over at the proud structure with a nod of his head.
"I thought you might," he replied, giving her hand a squeeze. "My father built it when we first moved here, I think. I was quite little and would sit there under that tree watching him lift the stones from the riverbed."
She looked over at the tree in question, a smile tugging at her lips. "You? Little?" She asked with a scrunch of her nose and a twinkle in her eye. He laughed again, the sound of it setting butterflies loose in Sakura's chest and he nodded.
"This big, maybe," he told her, holding up his hands an exaggerated small distance apart from one another, earning a pleasant giggle from Sakura's mouth.
"I can't imagine a tiny Kakashi," she told him through her fit of giggles. "I mean, you're so...so..." she searched for the right word before settling on, "...big."
This earned a smirk from the silver-haired man, who boastfully puffed his chest out. Her giggles turned into full on laughter, her head falling back and her chest bouncing with every exhaled sound. Kakashi smiled, glad to see her so relaxed. They'd both needed this, he knew as he took another bite of food. Her laughter finally dying down, she took a bite of food. When her eyes met his, he gave a wiggle of his eyebrow and she giggled around the food, reaching to playfully swat his thigh.
"So what are we doing tomorrow?" Sakura asked him after she'd finished her noodles a few minutes later. Kakashi sighed heavily, reality setting back in as he glanced over at her.
"Shino has his meeting with Root tomorrow night," he reminded her, his tone serious. "I'll be at Lady Tsunade's office; I'm hoping you'll agree to stay out of it," he glanced at her sternly, continuing, "and that you'll wait for me at your parents' place."
Sakura frowned, her eyebrows shooting up as her body stiffened next to him. "You want me to stay out of it?"
Kakashi nodded, taking her bowl and placing it in his on the ground. "Yes, Sakura," he answered firmly before he added, "Now that we know for sure that Danzo is involved-"
He cut himself off as Sakura growled in frustration, his gaze becoming hard as he turned completely so that he was looking nowhere but her as he said, "He's dangerous, Sakura. More dangerous than Zabuza, more dangerous than Orochimaru," he stopped when he saw the flash of fear on Sakura's face, nodding and continuing, "Yes, more dangerous even than him."
Sakura didn't speak for a moment, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she mulled over everything he'd just said to her. Finally, she spoke, her eyes green fire flashing determination with her words. "I'm not going to sit idly by, Kakashi."
He moved to his feet, glaring hard down at her. She was reminded for a brief moment of the bell test he'd given Team 7 years ago; the dark look on his face as he'd leered down at them after catching them feeding Naruto. But there was no crinkle of his eye now; no reassuring tone to his next words.
"I can't do what I need to do if I'm worrying about you."
She faltered, the determination on her face giving way to a crestfallen look that tugged at Kakashi's heartstrings. She moved slowly to her feet, moving to stand in front of him, her head tilted back just enough so that their eyes met. He reached for the single tear slipping from the corner of her eye but she stopped him, gripping her fingers in her smaller hand.
She didn't say anything as she looked up at him, more tears falling from her eyes before she finally stepped away from him, shaking her head as she turned and crouched to enter the tent, harshly jerking the flaps shut behind herself in a silent signal that he wasn't to follow.
Kakashi groaned, swiping both hands back through his hair before he kicked the pot in aggravation, storming off towards the edge of the woods so that he wouldn't have to hear the angry sobs she was letting loose in the tent. He knew she was frustrated; knew she was infuriated. He knew because he felt it, too.
She just didn't seem to understand that it wasn't her lack of ability that had him desperate to keep her out of this mess. He wished he could find some way to make her see that he was the problem. He couldn't focus if her life was on the line in front of him. He couldn't stand even the thought of seeing her pale, flawless skin splashed in blood, be it from an enemy or herself.
He knew it was ridiculous. This was their life; their chosen life, as he'd reminded her not so long ago. They didn't get to simply choose their enemies, they didn't get to decide when they were called off to a mission.
They didn't get to choose when they died.
He concentrated some chakra into his hand, letting his fist collide with a large oak and leaving behind a crater in its wake. He kept punching until he heard the trunk snap, the canopy creaking and swooshing as he felled the tree at the same time he let out an angry growl as Danzo's bandaged, smug face flashed across his closed eyelids.
He knew how sick the bastard was, even if he didn't understand what the diabolical man was trying to accomplish. He'd seen what was done to Tenzo; what had been done to another former teammate, Uchiha Itachi. While no one could have predicted what the elder Uchiha brother would do to his clan, Kakashi had been there in the Land of Woods with him; had seen what Itachi had done to the Prajñā Group there in those lonely trees.
He didn't know if Danzo was directly targeting him, or if this was all part of some bigger scheme. Either way, Kakashi wasn't willing to put Sakura in the middle of Danzo's cross-hairs. She might not understand, but he did.
He understood that if he was Danzo's target, the other man would use any and everything he could to hurt Kakashi - including the woman he loved.