Chapter Six

Research, Ice Cream, and the Birth of a Game

"You don't seem like your usual sarcastic self today," Tsunade commented as she swept into the office with a cup of steaming tea and gracefully dropped down into her massive chair.

It was a beautiful spring day in Konoha. Sakura could hear the birds chirping through the open window, and smell the newly budding wildflowers from the gardens below. But despite the vibrant day beyond the window, Sakura's mood was rather sour. She was sitting in the chair opposite from Tsunade, poring over a mound of medical charts she had requested from the Hidden Leaf archives, all the while gnawing on the end of pen. Without missing a beat or looking up from her work, Sakura said, "I can smell the gin in your tea from across the room."

A missile-like object soared across the table and smacked Sakura in the middle of her forehead. It didn't hurt, but Sakura rubbed at the spot anyway as she picked up the offending paperclip and shot a glaring look at her shishou. "What the hell, Tsunade?"

"I said you didn't seem like your usual sarcastic self; it was an observation – not a complaint." The blond woman smirked and crossed her arms. "What is it that you're working on so diligently over there anyway?"

"Poison archives," Sakura told her, suspiciously eyeing the woman across the table in case that little bit of information was enough of a tell-tale sign that Tsunade already knew about Sakura's assignment with the ANBU.

Tsunade sipped her tea, dropping her gaze to the stack of papers in front of her.

"I knew it." Sakura leaned back in her chair and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" Tsunade said innocently.

"Well, for starters we could talk about the fact that you neglected to tell me Sasuke was the new Commander of the ANBU–" across the table, Tsunade winced, "–or we could talk about how I was selected for the mission on account of my medical skills and prior history with combatting rare poisons, which you seemingly already know about…" Sakura finished with an air of annoyance.

"Sakura, you know as well as I do that covert operations don't get talked about so freely. I wasn't keeping anything from you intentionally, if that's what you're thinking. I was simply sticking to the code."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sasuke wasn't around when I saved Kankuro. He must have gotten his intel about me somewhere…"

"What you did for Kankuro in Suna was not classified, Sakura. The ANBU have a lot of special intelligence members on their task force."

"So you weren't the one to tell him?"

"No, of course not." Tsunade leaned forward and braced her elbows against the table. "But again, even if I had, that information is not classified."

Sakura released a great heaving sigh and slumped down into her chair. "I know…"

"So what's really bothering you about it?" Tsunade quirked a delicate blond eyebrow. "You should be honored the ANBU sought you out for your skills. You're truly gifted, Sakura. I didn't choose you to apprentice with me because you were an ordinary ninja."

Sakura brightened at the compliment from her mentor. She wasn't overly fond of the ANBU ways and the odd sort of detachment to basic human emotions they displayed, but she understood why they were necessary – especially for their particular line of work. "I suppose I'm probably just irritated with Sasuke." That was only half the truth. The other half, which Sakura refused to bring out into the open and talk about with anyone, was that she couldn't stop thinking about what happened at The All-Seeing Eye… Even after she sobered and slept off the nightmare that was Hanabi falling into Kakashi's lap, Sakura still could not abate the feeling that had taken up residency in the pit of her stomach and made itself right at home.

Kakashi had been a loner for much of the time Sakura had known him. She was reasonably sure the man had had some casual relationships over the years… he was a man, after all, and one who rather admired spicy books and wasn't ashamed to be caught reading them out in the open. She didn't know what he'd done in the time he'd been away after the war, but Sakura would bet (once again breaking the no-betting-rule) that Kakashi had not been with anyone intimately since he returned to Konoha. Seeing another female–especially one as attractive as Hanabi–put her hands on him had stirred all kinds of foreign emotions within Sakura that made her realize her simple, innocent crush on her former sensei might not be so innocent after all…

"Well," Tsunade said, bringing her back to the present, "Sasuke is… trying, I think, in the only way that he knows how."

"It's been two years, Tsunade-sama… He hasn't reached out a single time, and it's not like I could, considering." Considering no one ever had access to the ANBU or knew what they were doing unless they were the Hokage.

Tsunade pursed her lips empathetically. "He's really doing well, Sakura. ANBU was a good choice for him. He's climbed the ranks quickly."

Sakura considered this, but she knew what Tsunade was really trying to say. Being a part of ANBU meant that Sasuke had figured out a way to feed the dark monster that lived inside him and say he was doing it for the greater good. In a way, Sakura knew there was a darkness in all of them now, but just like Naruto had said the other day, everyone heals differently. In turn, this meant that everyone also dealt with their monsters differently.

"Yeah, well, good for him," Sakura said. "What can you tell me about the Black Salamander?"

Tsunade chuckled and leaned back into her chair, kicking her ankles up on the desk. "Hanzo was a very dangerous man, Sakura. At one point in time, he was known as the continent's most powerful ninja. He single-handedly defeated an entire squad of shinobi from Konoha, leaving only myself, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru alive… He named us the Sannin for surviving his initial attack." Tsunade paused, worrying the silver band around her finger as she thought back on the devastating memories. "Hanzo wore a specialized mask that would prevent toxins from leaving his breath. The woman you knew as Granny Chiyo was granted permission to develop an antidote to the Salamander's poison, but after she died… the knowledge of the antidote was lost with her."

"And you never…" Sakura trailed off.

"There was never any need. After Nagato killed Hanzo, we just assumed the poison of the Black Salamander would never be an issue again," Tsunade admitted.

Sakura had guessed as much. "What were the symptoms of the people affected by the poison?"

"At first, Oral paresthesia, from there it progresses to the arms and legs, until the whole body is paralyzed. Cranial nerve dysfunction sets in, followed by nausea and/or vomiting, and if left untreated… death."

Sakura nodded gravely. "I've been going through documentation of similar poisons of the Squamata reptiles; I could try developing an antidote to a close cousin of the black salamander, but without the reptile itself, it won't be an exact match – but it might be enough to keep the infected alive until I can extract the poison and correct the serum sequence."

"It's a shame there aren't any black salamanders left in existence. It would be easier extracting the poison from the lizard."

Sakura snorted. "No kidding." Dimly, Sakura wondered if sneaking behind enemy lines and finding a way to get Hattori alone for a little one-on-one would be worth the risk.

"Your wheels are turning…" Tsunade observed.

"I was just thinking… maybe if I develop the cousin antidote, we could send in a volunteer to provoke Hattori into using his poison on them. I could use the cousin antidote on the volunteer, and then extract the Black Salamander poison from the infected to create the real antidote…" Even as she said it out loud, Sakura knew it was a horrible idea. An idea that could potentially end the life of whomever they selected if she didn't get the serum right. Why then, was Tsunade sitting across the table smiling at her?

"Now you're thinking like an ANBU elite," the Hokage said.

oOoOo

It wasn't a compliment – at least, she wasn't going to take it as one. That's what Sakura told herself when she reflected on Tsunade's comment. One of Sakura's greatest strengths was her humanity, and if there was anything the ANBU elite were known for, it was their lack-thereof.

"I still don't understand how you didn't get assigned to go with us," Naruto said from his place at Sakura's kitchen table. He'd shown up with Sai that evening, checking to see if Sakura was packed and ready to set out on the mission to the Hidden Sound Village first thing in the morning. She couldn't tell them, of course, that she was already on a secret assignment and probably wouldn't be taking any missions with her team for quite a while.

Sakura pulled a pint of peaches n' cream ice cream from her freezer, dug a few spoons out of her utensil drawer, dropped them on the table, and then plopped down in between the boys. "I told you – I'm working on a case at the hospital and Tsunade needs me. Besides, Kakashi will be there to keep you company."

"No he won't," Sai said, digging a spoon into a chocolate carton. There were approximately seven different flavors of ice cream spread out on her kitchen table, and they were taking turns sampling them. This might have been strange, had it not been Sai's idea. He'd brought six of the pints with him because he didn't want them to go bad while they were on the mission. Sakura figured it was better not to point out that they probably would have been fine. After all, the man didn't have a domestic bone in his body, and besides that, he was sharing the sugary sweets with her so she certainly wasn't going to complain.

"He's not?" Sakura frowned, licking the hollow of her spoon clean.

"Nope," answered Naruto, who was spooning out a rather large helping of strawberry. "Apparently he's still on leave."

"He did get seriously injured on his last mission," Sakura told them. It was common for ninja to have a couple weeks leave in between missions, especially high-ranked shinobi like Kakashi who, in theory, probably didn't even need to take missions for money anymore.

"Yeah, well, we're probably going to be bored to death anyway," Naruto said. "It's an S-rank mission, but all we have to do is protect some fancy business guy that's traveling to the Hidden Waterfall Village."

"Super boring," Sakura said around a mouthful of ice cream. "You'll probably only see like ten bandits."

"If we're lucky," the blond nin said with a pout.

There was a two-beat knock on her front door, followed by the sound of squealing hinges as Kakashi stepped into her foyer. "I don't get an invite to your ice cream party?"

Naruto snorted. "Clearly you got the note we left on your counter, so don't even try that feeling-left-out bullshit with us Kakashi-senpai."

Kakashi chuckled and walked over to the kitchen table, peering at the options before him. He took a minute to scan each of them before reaching over Sakura's shoulder to pluck a spoon from the table and then reached for the carton in Sakura's hand. Years of what had become something akin to sibling-rivalry with her team had Sakura instinctively tightening her grip on the carton. She wasn't giving it up without a fight. "Sakura…" Kakashi said her name in a low-warning timbre, close enough to her ear that even through his mask, she felt the warmth of his breath on her skin. A zing of excitement pierced right through her core.

"There are six other options on the table, Kakashi. Why do you want mine?"

"Peaches n' cream is my favorite."

Sakura's grip on the carton faltered and Kakashi easily lifted it out of her hands. Damned practiced timbre, she thought… why did he have to make the name of an ice cream sound so sexual – or was that just Sakura's interpretation?

"I was expecting more of a fight," Sai said with a chuckle as he made a reach for the mint chocolate chip.

"So was I." Kakashi sat down with his teammates, dropping the spoon into the near-empty carton of peaches n' cream. How he managed to hoover food down without them bearing witness remained to be one of the biggest mysteries among Team Kakashi.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm surprised you don't have brain freeze."

"Who says he even has a brain," Naruto quipped.

"Aren't you like, a genius or something?" Sai asked innocently, and Sakura nearly choked.

"Whose side are you on, man?" Naruto frowned at his artistic teammate.

Sai looked entirely taken-aback. "I have to pick a side?"

Sakura was laughing now. She loved her team – loved them so much it nearly hurt at times, but loved them nonetheless. This is exactly what she wanted – what she adored about being on Team Kakashi, and wished her brain hadn't decided to complicate the dynamic by betraying her and making her think about inappropriate things where Kakashi was concerned. His near proximity and woodsy scent was deliciously twisting her insides. It was equal parts comfort and sex appeal. Gods help her…

"Yes, Sai, and thank you for recognizing my prowess for what it truly is," Kakashi said, rocking back in the kitchen chair.

"Oh, brother…" Naruto painted the shape of a rainbow with his dramatic eye roll. "Oh, and by the way… Hinata told me I should apologize to you again. Apparently I missed something interesting at the bar the other night?"

Sakura turned to a block of lead in her chair and wished she could escape her own kitchen… More than anything, she was embarrassed by her own behavior. Embarrassed that she'd fled the scene on account of feeling things she didn't realize she was capable of feeling. Lucky for her, she had an out and could blame her whole reaction on the alcohol – at least her friends would buy it, and that's really all that mattered.

"Nothing important," Kakashi said, waving it off.

"You still gotta' tell me what I missed," Naruto prodded. "Hinata said it was none of my business, which naturally makes me want to make it my business."

Sakura chuckled at that. "Well, Naruto, you do have a habit of sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong."

"Hey!"

"Hey nothing. Maybe you shouldn't have been competing with Gai to see who could drink the most before throwing up," she added.

"He lost, by the way." Sai chuckled as he reached for the carton of cookies n' cream.

"That's debatable," Naruto said, holding up an index finger. "I didn't actually throw up."

"No, but you passed out and fell asleep on the table before Gai, so…"

Naruto glowered at Sai across the table. "Anyway… what happened with you, Kakashi?"

Sakura saw this moment as a prime opportunity to show just how unbothered she was by the whole thing. "Hanabi had a little too much to drink by the time she popped by our table," Sakura began, "she must have tripped over something and fell right into Kakashi's lap."

Naruto chuckled. "Hanabi? You're kidding me…"

"She is the most outgoing of the Hyugas," Sai added.

"Personally, I think she did it on purpose." Sakura swept up from the table with the ease of grace and deposited two of the empty cartons in her waste bin. "Not only did she just fall into Kakashi's lap, she unbuttoned his shirt–"

"–Tried," Kakashi said exasperatedly, "she tried to unbutton my shirt."

"Pretty sure she managed three or four buttons before you realized what was happening," Sakura said in a sing-song teasing lilt. "Then, before she could completely de-cloth the man, Hinata appeared and whisked a giggling Hanabi away."

"And I missed that?!"

"Yep. Sure did." Sakura leaned back against her counter top, casually crossing her ankles.

"Thanks for the help, by the way," Kakashi said, his gaze on Sakura.

"What was I supposed to do? I mean, you kind of looked like you were enjoying it." –Okay, that was a low blow, even for Sakura, but she couldn't seem to stop the words from escaping her mouth.

"Hanabi is very pretty," Sai said thoughtfully.

"And apparently has horrible taste if she wanted to unbutton such an old man's shirt like Kakashi's." Naruto pushed up from the table with a laugh. He'd meant it as a joke, but Sakura could see a shadow pass behind Kakashi's stormy-gray eye, and immediately regretted taking part in teasing him to try and make herself seem unaffected by the whole thing. For as smart as she was, Sakura could sometimes be a little too dense. "Well, come on Sai, you and I better get going since we have to set out before the crack of dawn."

"Right, and you need your beauty sleep," the artistic nin said to tease him.

"Damn straight I do."

Kakashi saluted them with his signature two-finger wave, but didn't budge from the table as Sakura followed them to her front door and hugged the two of them. "Be safe," she told them, and waited until they were on the sidewalk before closing her front door. When she turned back to her kitchen, Kakashi was busying himself with putting the respective lids back on the containers of ice cream. "Kakashi…" she began, "he didn't actually mean what he said about you being old… He's just being typical Naruto."

"I know," Kakashi said, taking an armful of cartons to her freezer.

"So why'd you turn all broody after he said it?"

Kakashi closed the freezer door and scrubbed a gloved hand up the back of his neck, dropping his chin as he turned to face her. "I'm not broody."

Sakura tilted her head and gave him a look that dared him to contradict her again. "You're not old," she said, in case she actually needed to say it. In case he actually needed to hear it… And more specifically, in case he needed to hear it from her. Kakashi's expression seemed to soften at her admission, the weight visibly slackening from his shoulders.

"Fine, I'm not old."

It had been her thigh that Kakashi had daringly slipped his hand across to retrieve the kunai she was hiding that night; perhaps the decision was made entirely upon the consumption of alcohol, but Sakura wasn't so sure… She felt something stirring between them, something she definitely wasn't ready to name out loud, but something more than what they always had. Kakashi was wearing his uniform now, but Sakura pursed her lips to keep from smiling at the ridiculous notion that popped into her head. Kakashi had sat back down at her table and pulled a copy of Icha Icha from somewhere on his person and was pretending to read.

Sakura slipped up behind him, and ever so slowly, slid her palms over the rounds of his shoulders until her right hand traced a path to the top of the zipper on his flak jacket. Kakashi, she was fairly sure, had stopped breathing. His head lifted from the book, chin tilted slightly towards her face that was half hidden behind his right shoulder, as she began to unzip the jacket. Sakura would have paid a 1000 ryo just then to know what he was thinking… She stopped just a little below his sternum, and slid her palm across the hard planes of his chest that she desperately wished wasn't concealed behind his Jonin shirt. For a brief moment, Sakura could feel Kakashi's heartbeat leap against her palm, but she was already grinning at her victory… When she pulled her hand free of his shirt, Sakura had a kunai in her palm.

Kakashi closed his eye and dropped his head back against the chair backing and sighed.

"If you want it back, you'll have to challenge me for it," she teased.

Thanks for reading.

XOXO,
Sparrow