Kakashi followed silently behind Sakura into the conference room on Senju's top floor—the war room. A place that was more familiar to Sakura than she would prefer.
She sat purposely at one head of the table, Tsunade at the other, Shikamaru, Moegi, and Yugao between them. Kakashi and Asuma leaned against the wall behind Sakura, silent as death, expressions blank.
Shikamaru released a long-suffering sigh, an unlit cigarette sticking out one side of his mouth. "What a fucking pain," he muttered while his fingers few over the keyboard of the laptop in front of him. Only hours- hours -had passed since Sakura had woken up in the honeymoon suite, deliciously sore and soon to be filled with unshakable anger. She'd nearly blown out the receiver of her phone from shouting into it.
Maybe she really hadn't changed.
They had known, of course, that they couldn't hide Kakashi's identity forever, but, fuck, had she hoped to keep it secret a little longer. Kakashi had several choice curse words as he'd gotten dressed that morning before getting himself under control and transitioning cooly into her guard. He looked much calmer than Sakura would have imagined, considering it was his privacy that was blown. But she saw the tiny lines around his eyes, the only give away to less pleasant emotions under his surface.
"I don't really have much in the way of information to be dug up, so this won't have catastrophic impacts," he said calmly to the conference room, his voice drifting over her shoulder. But there, under his words, a small current of irritation. While his name was impossible for anyone to get a hold of, this was still going to inconvenience him to some degree. Even though the Akatsuki wouldn't know his face and name, due to special masks ANBU wore and their code names, he would still be bothered in public now. More bothered than usual, anyway. His Twitter fan pages were probably exploding with the news. Everyone on Twitter loved Sakura's sexy, mysterious guards.
Shikamaru pulled news article after news article up on the projector, the images displayed on the perfectly flat white wall to Sakura's left.
There was Kakashi and her in bed that morning, sleepy and uncomprehending as the camera captured them. Sakura was mostly hidden by the bedsheets, and Kakashi was wearing his mask, but there was no mistaking them. Shikamaru pulled up Twitter next, the number one trending hashtag her name.
"I guess this is what we get for asking you to create headlines about something other than your attacks." Shikamaru mused, a glint in his dark eyes. "For every action…" He trailed off, losing interest in his own sentence.
"You've been awfully quiet since you walked in," Tsunade noted, her hands steepled before her, her eyes dark. Sakura could practically see the hangover hovering above Tsunade's head.
Sakura released a deep breath. "Oh, I don't know what more there is to say." Because she had already raged, already had the maid fired from the hotel, then raged at the entire staff, and then called Shikamaru and raged at him. Kakashi had made several quiet calls, probably to his ANBU boss, running a much more low-key damage control.
"The good news," Yugao spoke up, her voice low and calm, "is that the internet seems to be a good bit on your side." Sakura read through some of the tweets as Shikamaru scrolled. Some of them were indeed siding with her. Not necessarily over the breach of privacy about her husband's identity, but the breach of privacy about springing on her while she was naked in bed. Fans were ripping into the news outlets, and she knew stock would be plummeting with their disapproval.
Still, there were plenty of tweets and posts that did not care about their privacy and had disgusting messages in them. Sakura ignored those with seasoned practice. More comments, still, about their age gap, though the internet was only guessing Kakashi's age. She rolled her eyes as a comment about grooming scrolled past. He had only been a part of her life since she was 19. People's opinions flashed before their eyes, new ones popping up faster than Shikamaru could refresh the page. The amount of chatter on the internet was incredible.
Her voice as cold as the November air outside, Sakura spoke. "I want a suit going right now, for releasing indecent pictures without permission. I want to sue the photographer and his company. I want retractions-" which wouldn't do anything at this point, but it was the principal of the matter, "- and I want a formal apology to my husband and me from the news outlets. I don't care what you have to do to leverage for those things, but they will be done." She neatly folded her hands together in front of her, straightening her shoulders. She'd have the photographer's job and reputation before noon, she was certain.
Sakura may wear all kinds of scandalous outfits, but those had been her choice. These photos, these had been taken without her consent, published without her consent, and she would be taking the entire world out from under those who had done it. Sakura had been in the limelight now for over five years and had never had such scandalous pictures released to the public. Not even the photos of her making out with Kakashi on the couch were like this. And it all came down to those C words; choice, consent.
It wasn't even that this hurt her reputation. That was her and her husband the morning after their wedding, of course it didn't hurt her reputation. It was entirely normal and expected behavior. But Sakura's blood pressure was through the roof on Kakashi's behalf. She hoped this didn't negatively impact his hunt for the Akatsuki.
Those fuckers were going down, and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.
Shikamaru nodded resolutely. "It'll be taken care of." His phone was already out of his pocket, fingers tapping to lawyers, news outlets, lackeys.
Tsunade flicked her brows up at Sakura. "You're more upset about this than I would have thought." Sakura nearly snarled at her boss, but Tsunade went on. "And you have every right to be. But you have a plane to catch, so get out of here and let Shikamaru do what he does best. Yugao will be working on this as well while you're away, since she was hired too recently to be included on this trip."
Sakura swallowed and stood, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she went. Tsunade was right, she was angry in a hotter way than one would expect from her. Cold rage was usually her response, not this supernova, hydrogen explosion of fury.
Her wedding band and engagement ring caught her eye for a moment, flashing in the morning sun.
Married. How strange. A warm feeling spread through her lower—sore—half, countering her other emotions.
Her guards followed her out of the room, onto the elevator, and then out the doors of Senju. Cameras flashed, and Sakura gave them weak smiles. She was blissfully in love, newly married, and a bit hurt over the callous disregard for her privacy. That was what she wanted the world to see, and that was what they would get.
Shouts filled the air as reporters called out questions to both her and Kakashi, though they didn't call him by name. That probably wouldn't stay a secret long either. Someone with inside knowledge would sell it to the paparazzi, NDA be damned.
Once Sakura and Kakashi were in the backseat of her SUV, she dropped the face and rubbed her temples. "We knew it would happen eventually, but God, what kind of bottom of the barrel, fucking filth does that to a newlywed couple?" She groaned aloud. Kakashi had asked her to keep his face out of the public, and now she was the one who had broken a covenant.
Kakashi pushed a hand through his hair, the only outward sign of his displeasure. "I'm just glad all of you is covered in the photos." His voice was nothing but a low rumble, death in his otherwise disinterested gaze. She was mad on his behalf, and he on hers. Her lips tugged up just barely at the corners at the realization.
Kakashi's shoulders slumped, the tension leaving him. She didn't think anyone but her would've noticed he was tense at all to begin with.
"I guess there are worse starts to a marriage," Sakura mused. "But the worst is over, immigration behind us. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here."
She was about to be proved wrong, literally and figuratively.
The yacht beneath Kakashi's feet cut easily through the turquoise water, sailing south through the Land of Waves. He was, though he would never let on, slightly seasick. The ship went over a swell, and he took a slow breath in through his nose in an attempt to quell the nausea.
Sakura lounged on the fore deck with her famous friends about her, sipping a tall glass of lemon water through a straw. Kakashi watched her mouth around the tip for a moment, then averted his eyes to the horizon, willing his stomach to settle. The seasickness patch he had just reapplied on his arm should take effect any second.
They were not on their honeymoon. Their engagement and wedding had been too short and sudden to plan something with Sakura's insane schedule. No, they were sailing to a tropical island so that the cast and crew of Night High could film some beach episodes. No joke. Though he didn't know why Yamanaka Ino was there, sitting next to Sakura. He wondered if it had anything to do with Sai, or if it was the guard standing next to him, toothpick between his teeth, his eyes on the blonde.
Kakashi had debated smacking Genma for sleeping with Ino but had decided to let it go. As long as it didn't interfere with his job, it didn't really matter.
They had flown to one of the larger islands, and were now yachting their way to the tiny island filming destination. The island they were going to didn't have an airport, and idols didn't take ferries; thus, the damned ship.
Kakashi had left his dogs in the care of Hanare, as all six of Sakura's guards were aboard the yacht, along with a number of other private security. A separate boat was handling the crew of Night High, just off the starboard side, the boat as large and over the top as this one. Why take a ferry when you were rich and famous? They had been sailing now for hours, and would continue to do so for several more, the temperature rising the farther they went.
Kakashi's eyes flicked towards Sakura again, her hair lit up an angelic shade of pink in the sunlight. His thoughts floated to what she had said last night upon return to their suite. About his parents. He was sorry, too, that they couldn't be there. That Rin and Obito hadn't been there. But the war had taken more than his flesh from him—it had taken his father. And years later, after Sakura had entered the idol scene, an Akatsuki attack on a base had taken Rin and Obito. Had taken his whole unit. Kakashi was hollowed out, had been for a long time.
But still, he found reasons to live. Vengeance, for one. His mother, for another. His mother had been a wonderful, soft woman, entirely opposed to violence. Her memory kept him going. Though admittedly things had been getting pretty bad for him right before this job had begun. It would've broken his mother's heart. He could still see her smile in his head, hear her calling his name. She would want him to keep living, though often he didn't feel like it. He truly believed she would have liked Sakura, liked the way she embraced her femininity and strength.
He had felt the chill from Sakura's parents when they had departed this morning and found himself wondering if Sakura would have benefitted from having a mother-in-law who was supportive, like Kakashi's mom. Her parents clearly cared about their daughter, but it seemed that their own interests came before her. He couldn't hold it against Sakura if she preferred her distance, preferred the life she had built for herself. He understood why she related so much to Andromeda. Why she was still angry and hurt from him keeping her in the dark about his job, though she seemed significantly less so after the events of the last few days.
"So," Genma ventured, hands in his pockets casually, his eyes strictly on the women on the bow of the boat, "how's married life?" His tone implied many things, and the upward tilt to his lips solidified it. Now Kakashi did smack his friend upside the head. Kakashi didn't kiss and tell.
"Don't be a pig," he said, his tone deceptively pleasant. Genma rubbed his head. "I've only been married for 20 hours, there's nothing to report." And there really wasn't. After getting up this morning, Sakura and Kakashi had resumed their normal roles, like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't tasted her just hours before, hadn't woken up hard again. No, she remained her stubborn pop star self, and he was content to remain in the shadows that watched over her. The rude awakening had been like a reset button, returning Sakura to her normal self. Which was fine. Quite frankly, he liked the way things were. He liked watching over her from a distance, he liked guiding her through crowds and opening car doors for her. He had a job to do—though it now might come with some other perks. Perks he didn't let his heart or his cock dwell on.
Though if he met her eyes more often than usual, held that jade gaze longer than before, that was just something he couldn't help.
Fuck, everything was complicated, and they were out here acting like it wasn't.
Genma frowned, adjusting his posture as the yacht swayed. "Hey now, I'm not the one all over the news."
Anger flared in Kakashi again over the pictures stolen by that bastard. Sakura was naked in them, forget what the consequences for Kakashi were. It didn't matter that her breasts were hidden by the sheets. Her glorious, porcelain shoulders were bare, and it was the implication of her nakedness that had him seeing red. If he ever got his hands on that smarmy bastard…
"You will be too, if you don't keep it in your pants," Kakashi hissed at the brunette. An unfair blow, but Kakashi was touchy today.
"Oh, I have nothing to worry about," Genma said, self-satisfaction written all over him. "My contract with the ANBU is over. I can do whatever I want." And the whatever was currently sunbathing like a cat before them, basking in the warmer air as they sailed south.
"Don't forget whose daughter that is." Kakashi replied, a smile under his mask. Genma paled, a shiver running down his body.
"You know what, celebrities are too much for me. I'll stick with normal girls." He paused, thinking. "You know, that Shizune is pretty cute."
Kakashi's pink haired popstar laughed at something her friend said, the wind dragging it past his ears. This was going to be an easy week, though standing around in the heat would be unpleasant, he had done significantly worse jobs. And the threat of the Akatsuki shouldn't touch them here. Especially after the reveal of Sakura's new husband being her bodyguard. Kakashi suspected that would force them to adjust their plans. While Sakura was always surrounded by guards, now there was one guaranteed by her side night and day, outside, inside, and in bed.
The thought of the Akatsuki had Kakashi striding up the deck to the bow, where he stopped and towered over Sakura. She glared up at him from within his shadow.
"Practice." He said blandly, hands loosely in his pockets.
"Excuse me?" She tilted her head innocently, like she hadn't a clue what he was talking about. The other celebrities turned their attention to the newlyweds. The bow of the boat was easily as wide as Sakura's basement training room, and this upper deck was covered in squishy, foam padding designed to look like wood. The ship was steady, the water mostly calm beneath them. It was as good a place as any.
Quietly, he told her, "We didn't practice this morning, or yesterday. Learning was part of your deal with Tsunade." He emphasized the word 'deal' pointedly. "So, it's time."
A sneer formed on her otherwise perfect lips. "I'm on vacation."
"Technically, you're on a work trip."
"Semantics."
"Training."
Her verdant gaze was filled with that frozen ire, the kind that had lesser crew scrambling to make her happy. Kakashi had seen her tantrums, and he was not impressed by her displeased expression, because he knew she wasn't really worked up yet. This was just annoyance, not her true temper. She was so cute when she pouted, though.
He remained looming over her, blocking the sun, waiting. He had infinitely more patience than the pop star, and 14 more years of wielding it.
Her brunette friend, TenTen, leaned in on Sakura's left side and nudged her with an elbow. "Oh please, let us have some entertainment other than Ino's descriptions of your other guard last night." She begged. Kakashi almost laughed, but managed to hold it in.
"Yeah, Sakura, let's see if your new husband has been teaching you anything worthwhile," Ino added, grinning like a demon.
I want you to teach me everything. She had said to him only last night. His cock twitched painfully as he remembered.
Sakura grumbled under her breath as she hauled herself to her feet, handing her drink and phone to TenTen. She was dressed in bike shorts that did wonders for her ass, and a loose white blouse with a tighter white tank top underneath. Clothes that anticipated sweat, which was perfect. Kakashi wasn't going to waste this opportunity to give her even an ounce more of an edge to protect herself.
The other idols all stood and made room, arranging themselves along the rails to the boat, out of the way but with a full view. They were prepared to be entertained.
With the increasing temperature and the sun, Kakashi elected to shed his outer jacket, then his under shirt, leaving his torso bear and his legs in his usual loose pants. He nudged out of his shoes while he was at it. He didn't miss the way Sakura's eyes drank him in. One of the girls behind him whistled appreciatively.
"Now the mask!" That would be the woman from Suna.
He ignored them and took up a deceptively casual stance a few feet from Sakura. She tied her hair up gracefully, and assumed a more defensive, wary position. He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling with his pleasure at her posture. She was a wonderfully fast learner, years of sports and arts already giving her excellent reflexes and lean muscle.
Kakashi attacked.
His grab with his right hand missed as she spun easily out of his way, so he lunged again with his left, his fingertips brushing the back of her shirt as she slipped out of reach again. She planted her foot on his spine as he went by, sending him several feet farther before he caught himself and came back around. God, she was fast. Fast and incredible. He wouldn't have believed she was capable of it three years ago when he got this assignment.
A few cheers from her friends had her grinning at him. And laughter from Kakashi's men, who had ambled up for the show. She was glowing.
Kakashi quirked an eyebrow in a playful challenge then charged her again. This time he punched for her gut, and her hand deflected his fist, turning it down and away from herself. Unfortunately, Kakashi hadn't truly meant to hit her, and as her torso twisted, her grabbed her hand with his free one, yanked her off balance into him, then twisted her around so that her back was pressed to his chest, her captured arm pulled across her chest. He snagged her free wrist and locked it similarly, so that her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and caught in place.
"Focus, popstar. Don't let me catch you so easily," he murmured in her ear, his lips barely brushing her skin.
Not even a heartbeat passed after he spoke before she bent forward with force, sending him over her head and crashing onto his back on the deck. Well, that was going to ache later. She got on top of him in an attempt to pin him down, throwing her full weight into it. He liked that far more than he should, liked the feel of her sweat-slicked body on his, but it wasn't the time for that. She was grinning fiercely down at him, genuine delight shining from her.
Utilizing his superior size and strength, Kakashi made room for his legs, getting them between their torsos, and with some restraint so as not to hurt her, kicked her off. She didn't go too far, catching her feet under herself with that grace of hers but—She was close to the rail, and as she came to her full height, a larger wave than before rocked the yacht, and Sakura went over the edge with a quiet, surprised squeak.
There, brilliant and smiling one second. Gone, ankles catching on one another as she went the next.
Kakashi was up and running before she even hit the water. He tugged his mask under his nose so that he could breathe through the wet fabric (he didn't particularly want to waterboard himself). In the heartbeat it took him to reach the railing, he begged God to smite him, because he knew when he pulled her out of the water she would be a tempest. So was the end of training.
There was shouting, but Kakashi paid it no mind as he dove for his pink haired pop star. It was a decently long fall. He hit the water only a few moments after her, and cut a straight line towards her through the waves.
Sakura sputtered in the water before him, her face red with anger and embarrassment. Her mouth tugged down towards a pout, and he realized that the fall from three decks up had probably scared the daylight right out of her.
"Sakura," He panted as he reached for her, checking for any outward signs of injuries or shock.
"What the fuck just happened?" she demanded, her voice a little high.
"I-" He didn't know what to say. He certainly hadn't intended to send her overboard.
She took a deep inhale, calming down as they bobbed up and down in the mildly cool water. He recognized the breathing technique as one she did regularly when she was beginning to panic.
"Kakashi," she started, and he braced himself. "It's not polite to toss your new wife off the side of a boat. People will think you're trying to get rid of me."
He was surprised by the mild statement, but his surprise washed away as she lunged forward through the waves and pushed down on his shoulders, forcing him below the surf. Bubbles exploded upward from his mouth as he laughed under water, salt flooding in his mouth. He let his hands find her hips under the water, giving them a quick squeeze before she wiggled away.
When Kakashi resurfaced, pushing wet grey locks out of his eyes, Sakura was already swimming for the yacht as it came back around, her pink head bobbing in the waves. She was physically fine, of course. She was a great swimmer, and the fall hadn't been too high. She was likely to be a little shaken for a while, but she was resilient.
Kakashi drifted onto his back and stared up at the blue sky, enjoying the warm water for a moment.
Maybe it was a little bit of a honeymoon.
Kakashi and Genma stood in silence as they traveled on, eyes scanning their surroundings. Kakashi's clothes had dried and were stiff with salt, but he couldn't be bothered to go change. He would shower later. Sakura, of course, had changed immediately, but she was used to several outfits per day.
After several hours on the water, a small island came into view in the distance, palm trees waving over white sands. Sakura was on the bow again, in clean, dry clothes, pouting as her friends showed her video footage of her tumble. She was not amused.
Kakashi hoped that this little trip would relieve some of Sakura's stress and anger, assuage some of her hurt.
"Oh! There it is!" Lee exclaimed, running to the rail from the starboard side, pointing excitedly. The island rose out of the sea before them, green and lush. Picturesque. The women on the bow stood up, peering curiously as they got closer. Omoi, the anxiety ridden star, peered anxiously at the clear waters around them, the waves gold in the now setting sun.
"Thank all the stars, we didn't sink," He muttered to himself. Lee pat his back reassuringly, which knocked the sucker out of Omoi's mouth and sent it tumbling into the sea. The darker skinned man frowned down at the ocean, as though it might give it back if he pouted.
When they pulled up to the dock and secured the boat, Kakashi walked off the gang plank in front of Sakura, hands in his pockets, eyes and ears alert. People on the docks turned to stare as the line of celebrities descended onto the island, glamorous outfits and thousand watt smiles on display. A few girls, several boat slips down, began squealing excitedly.
No one seemed threatening, but Kakashi remained alert.
A PD from the other yacht scurried over to them, directing the celebrities and handing down orders from the production team for the show. They wouldn't start filming until the morning, so they were going to get everyone checked into their villas and comfortable for tonight. But first they had to meet an immigration and customs official and have their passports stamped and approved.
Sakura was beaming, truly beaming, with delight as they walked on, her little trip into the ocean forgotten. She certainly looked great in a tropical setting. Kakashi was content to watch her be in her element from the sidelines.