Sakura leaned her head back onto Omoi's shoulder, looking lovingly up at his handsome face. The sun gilded his gorgeous warm skin, lighting his eyelashes. He leaned down and pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead. The moment felt warm and hazy, like hot syrup.
"CUT!"
Sakura straightened up, a sigh escaping her unbidden. Exhaustion threatened to drag her down. Kakashi had once again managed to return her to the correct bed without disturbing her but had woken her at 6am to train. And he had made her learn how to escape holds like the one she'd been caught by last night. Then he'd made her do it again. And again. Until they were both sweaty and bruised. Maybe a little aroused.
At that moment she was sitting on a lovely buckskin mare, whom production would edit a unicorn horn onto. Omoi was seated behind her, chest to back, thighs pressed to hers. The cameras and microphones swiveled down the field, to capture where Lee and Temari were riding separate horses.
They were filming far south of the city, in rolling fields dotted with wild flowers and long grasses, still alive by a literal miracle for filming, if a little droopy. A wooded area lay to the south, the trees jewel bright with fall colors, stubbornly holding to their leaves. The sky was clear and blue, the day only a little chilly. Sakura sighed again. The cut on her neck had been carefully concealed, no questions asked.
"Sakura-chan?" Omoi spoke behind her, his arms to either of her sides to hold the horse's reins. It turned out, horses did not like her. And she did not like them, so she was content to let Omoi remain in control.
"Hmm?"
"You ok?" His voice was tight with concern. She turned her head enough to look at him out of the corner of her eye, taking in his anxious face.
"Just so, so tired, Omoi." It was the truth. And she would leave it at that. Shikamaru was exceptional at his work. Not one media outlet had caught wind of the debacle from Sunday night. She had a meeting with Tsunade about it later that afternoon, which she was not looking forward to.
Omoi nodded and let go of the reins with his left hand, lifting it to give her a pat on the head. "Hopefully you'll sleep better tonight." His smile was reassuring, for Omoi.
Sakura nearly moaned at the idea. She'd be going back to Kakashi's instead of home, but…a bed. Sleep. She was tempted to cancel all of her appointments for tomorrow. In fact, she decided she would have Moegi do just that. As soon as she was released from shooting, she'd do that.
"Sakura, Omoi, let's do this!" Yelled the director. Sakura rearranged her face into Haruhi's expression. She smoothed a hand over the cloak draping down her leg and the side of the horse.
Omoi's arms tightened around her as he dropped into his character's persona. He nudged the mare backwards, to the starting mark on the grass.
They started the previous scene again from the top, creating the chemistry and tension between them that fans adored.
They re-shot the entire scene several times, which took significantly more effort from Sakura than it had any right to, and her tired mind kept forgetting her stupid lines. The director grew frustrated with her, and called it on their scene, grumbling about cutting usable bits together and diva actresses.
The filming crew had moved away from them, and Sakura wondered if maybe she and Omoi were free to go. No one seemed inclined to make them film again, so Omoi started them moving back towards the stables, where she had left Kakashi and Genma.
The mare moved smoothly beneath them, and slowly too. Omoi muttered something about not wanting to upset the horse under his breath. He sounded morose about the idea of causing the horse any trouble. Sakura simply embraced the long ride, enjoying the sun on her face and the clean air of the countryside. Some calm before the storm.
She hummed a tune as they went, to fill the air around them with some sound.
One of Omoi's hands disappeared back to him for a moment, and she heard the unmistakable sound of him tearing a wrapper with his teeth. He had popped a new sucker in his mouth.
Sakura thought about writing a song based on this moment. Of the darkness giving way to the day. Of the terror ending with flowers and the smell of sugar.
After a while they reached the stables, where professional handlers appeared to lead them inside, to help them down. She saw her guards standing by the stall of a draft horse, Kakashi gently stroking its nose. The mare he was touching looked entirely put-out when he stepped away, making a soft huffing noise of displeasure.
She was helped down by a stable hand, and a stage crew member informed her that she was officially done for the day.
"See ya, Omoi!" She waved over her shoulder as she trudged towards where her men waited, the exhaustion setting back in and vanquishing the lightness she had felt for a few moments.
Sakura drew up short. A pretty woman dressed for horse riding was beaming up at Kakashi, a delicate blush across her slim cheek bones. She clearly worked for this stable, otherwise she wouldn't have been allowed in with the idols.
Kakashi was speaking to her, his eyes respectfully on the girls. As Sakura watched, she shyly touched his arm, her mouth tilting up into a perfectly coy smile. She laughed, her short curls bouncing around her head.
Irritation spiked through Sakura. Who did this woman think she was, distracting her guard? He couldn't do his job if he wasn't paying attention to Sakura.
She strode forwards, reaching out and snagging Kakashi's elbow. She glared at the other woman, whose eyebrows went up in surprise and confusion.
"So sorry," Sakura said with a dangerous smile, yanking Kakashi closer to her. "But this is mine, and we have to go."
"This?" The woman asked doubtfully. Sakura realized that she probably looked very possessive of Kakashi, maybe even jealous – which was ridiculous, she just wanted him to do his job, especially after last night- so she reached out and snagged the hem of Genma's shirt with her other hand.
"These are mine, actually." She corrected herself.
There was recognition on the woman's face, but she didn't seem to care that she was staring down the loaded gun that was Sakura Haruno. Sakura debated having the woman fired.
"I'm sorry, we were having a conversation. It'll just be a moment." And she turned her gaze back to Kakashi. Sakura's blood pressure shot up at the clear dismissal, but lowered a heartbeat later.
Sakura grinned smugly to herself, because Kakashi didn't look at the girl, though she was clearly trying to catch his eye again to keep having their conversation. He was looking at Sakura, his gaze not wavering for a second.
"Sakura," Kakashi's eyes crinkled at her above his mask. "Ready to go face the boss?"
She didn't deign to reply, only turned and dragged both of her guards after her, away from the horse woman.
A vein pulsed in Tsunade's forehead as she and Sakura stared one another down. Her hands were bridged together before her on her desk, as they often were. For once, she looked as tired as Sakura felt.
Moegi was shifting uncomfortably behind Tsunade, looking distressed. Somewhere in the office behind Sakura, Genma and Kakashi lounged, silent, though she was acutely aware of their solid presence.
"I do not want to move. The threat is now no longer in play. He will not get out on bail this time." Sakura repeated for the millionth time. Her eyes were burning.
"Your address is clearly compromised. I don't have to worry about any of my other stars, because they all take whatever steps necessary. But you-"
"That's not fair. None of them are stalked to the extent I am. You haven't had to ask them to make the sacrifices I have had to make." Sakura was really pushing it by cutting Tsunade off.
"Is that how you see it, Sakura? Sacrifice? This is your safety we're talking about." Sakura crossed her arms but said nothing. Her own unhappiness was practically steaming off of her skin.
"If I may, Tsunade?" Kakashi stepped up beside the chair Sakura was in, as he seemed to be doing a lot lately. The show of support was greatly appreciated by Sakura.
Tsunade waved a hand in go ahead, letting a long exhale out of her nose.
"The camera systems are online. We can add sensors to every inch of the property boundary. It doesn't matter where she is, people with enough determination will always find her. We need to worry about how to stop them from getting close. I can work to make it more secure." Kakashi's gaze was steady.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"And it's my fault for being late last night." He looked down, ashamed. It surprised her.
Sakura snorted. Kakashi's gaze darted to her. "If you'd been home, you would have been tranqued. You being away saved my ass." Her eyes dared him to challenge her. "That nutcase was like, stupidly prepared."
Kakashi looked back at Tsunade. The blonde woman was considering the both of them. Seconds dragged by.
Sakura began to sweat a little in the silence. Tsunade did not yield easily. And this incident…this was something else. But then, Tuesday had been something else. Sakura was rather pleased with herself for not falling to pieces. Though deep down, she wanted to. She wanted to disappear and never come out again.
"I will be personally overseeing the measures put on your house. We'll get a move on it, get you home as soon as possible, ok? But if this happens again, Sakura…" Tsunade let the unspoken threat hang in the air between them.
It didn't matter to Sakura. All that mattered was that she could keep her home.
"Oh, another thing," Tsunade said as Sakura began to stand. "Come in!"
Sakura's brows furrowed as she turned to the office door. A gorgeous young woman with lustrous purple hair entered. She was dressed for business, in a smart pants suit, but the way she held herself gave Sakura pause.
"This is Yugao. She will be your new manager." Another babysitter, Sakura thought petulantly. "Shikamaru and I selected her from the dozens of applicants. She'll start today." Tsunade finished.
The woman gave Sakura a brief bow. She didn't miss the way Genma and Kakashi exchanged significant looks. But it was the way the woman held herself that truly gave it away.
"Let me guess. You're a veteran. And you just so happen to know these two," Sakura hooked a thumb at either guard, "and you're exceptional at defense?"
Yugao smiled knowingly. "You're very observant, Miss Haruno." Her voice was lovely, low and velvety. Something about her told Sakura that she didn't speak much and used her words sparingly.
Sakura willed herself to be calm, though she wanted to slam her own head into the wall. Instead, she clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled sweetly. "Well, I certainly hope you're also a competent manager. Your first task is to cancel all of my appointments tomorrow. I was going to have Moegi do that, but I can return her to Senju now." A beat of silence. Sakura felt the air charge at her back.
"You can't just cancel everything," Tsunade's voice held enough bite that Sakura knew her eye was probably twitching. Sakura turned back to her boss, sweet smile still plastered in place.
"Tsunade," Sakura spoke with barely contained ire, "I was attacked and nearly kidnapped in my own home last night. That's the second time in less than a week." She gave Tsunade a pointed look. "And despite that," her tone went up an octave, a dead give away that she was fraying, "I was woken up at the crack of dawn to train. Then I went to filming for several hours. And everyone here seems to keep forgetting that I was never in the military, and that I am just 21." She leveled her gaze on Kakashi as she added the last few sentences. His grey eyes met her jade ones coolly.
Sakura was never ashamed of her age, and she hated being treated like a child. But being twenty-one years old didn't seem old enough to just stomach being attacked and move on. She didn't think any age would be old enough to be unaffected by such an ordeal.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, deflating a bit. "Of course, you're right. Take a day to rest tomorrow."
Tsunade dismissed them all with a weary sigh. She looked ready to break out a bottle of soju any second.
With Sakura in the lead, they all streamed out the door. Her head held high, that distant, aloof expression on her face. She out paced those behind her, suddenly feeling like she may snap at any moment. She needed to go downstairs and make some music.
That night, after enduring a full day of her hellish schedule, Sakura took an extra long shower, the heat up so high that the steam was nearly choking her. But she remained in the scalding water, letting it soften her tense muscles like butter. She slowly turned the temperature down as she prepared to get out. Her head tipped back, she could almost imagine it was real rain. The idea soothed her a bit.
Kakashi was laying on the sofa when she came out, clad in her nightgown. Goosebumps spread over her naked legs. She stalked up to the sofa, coming to a stop with her thighs level to Kakashi's face. He blinked open his eyes slowly, his pupils dilating at the sight of her bare skin. He swallowed before he looked up at her.
She said nothing, only stood there looking down at him until he sat up.
"Yes?" His voice was gruff with near sleep.
Sakura pointed to the king sized bed. She wanted to skip the part where a nightmare tore her from sleep and she inevitably slunk over to him.
He frowned at her, so she made puppy eyes in response. His eyes crinkled a bit, lighting up his face.
"Fine, if that's how you're going to be." He grumbled, but it almost sounded like laughter. She had won the silent exchange.
She walked to the left side of the bed as he stood from the sofa and crawled onto the plush mattress. When Kakashi stood at the other side and paused, she gave him an expectant look. He sighed.
"Yeah, yeah," He muttered in response to her flicking her eyes from him to the bed pointedly. He finally tugged the comforter back and slipped under, before reaching over to shut off the lamp on his bedside table. Sakura mirrored the action, then tugged the covers up to her eyes, content. On that bed he was almost an arm's length away, but it was good enough. Safe enough.
Sakura had no nightmares, so she slept until late morning. When she woke, Kakashi was gone.