Clash Chpt 8…Enjoy!
Reacquaint
"I'm…dead?"
That was the only thing that came to mind as he stared at what seemed like a white abyss. This was pretty odd considering he's been living his whole life knowing he was going to hell.
He was pulled out of his reverie when he heard the beeping on the machine next to him. Reality finally came to him when he heard the drip of the IV that was attached to his arm.
No. Not Heaven. Heaven wasn't supposed to have IV drips. They were the devil.
He looked down to his bare chest and noticed gauze wrapped around his upper body. Then he remembered why he was in the damned hospital in the first place and set about taking the IV needle out of his arm. He pulled off the plugs that were on his chest and swung his legs off the bed.
Then he stopped.
Sighing, he started to search through the cupboards as much as he was able. Then he got lucky. He secured the surgical mask around his face and finished it with a knot in the back.
It was an unsteady walk to the door. He tipped a few times, but when he got there, he slowly twisted the knob. Poking his head out of the door, he peered around the corner. When he saw no nurses in sight, he swung the door open and closed it softly behind him. He went about searching for the reception desk.
Upon getting there, he smiled sweetly at the nurse in front of him and stealthily pulled off the hospital band on his wrist. He set his arm across the top of the desk.
"Would you help me find a patient?" His voice was oozing charm, he was sure, but when the nurse's gaze switched to him, her eyes looked bored and irritated.
"Who are you looking for?" She said tiredly as she pulled out what looked like a heavy binder.
"Haruno Sakura." He saw her lick her thumb and start to page through the book. When she stopped, her finger traced down the page.
"Room 214A." He gave her a nod and swiftly turned around.
"Other way, Hatake-san." Turning back around, he tried to follow the directions given to the best of his knowledge. Hospitals weren't really his thing, and anyone could tell by the numerous bruises he's received from damages to his veins. Knowing the right way to get an IV drip out wasn't really his concern when nurses were soon to be poking and prodding him.
He started to look from door to door, and for a while he thought he was lost. But then he found the door that was labeled 214A and promptly turned the corner.
First, he pulled out the charts that were hanging on a hook and immediately found the clipboard that was labeled 'Haruno Sakura'.
"Four cracked ribs and a shattered pelvis…" He felt his stomach drop and swallowed before placing the chart back on its hook. Gripping the knob of the door, he gathered himself before slowly turning it and pushing open the door. He closed it as quietly as he could and walked over to take a seat beside the bed.
He saw that her face wasn't as pale as it was before. Her hair was braided down her back and her bangs were pushed out of her eyes. There was some tube hooked up to her nostrils, and he saw there was an IV drip was embedded in her wrist. Some bruises still marked her face and her lip was busted and cracked. Her machine was beeping soundly, and though he had no idea whatever the hell that should mean, there were no nurses rushing in to save her, so he took that as a good sign.
Taking the hand that was rested across her middle, he squeezed it and leaned forward.
"Those IV drips are the devil, aren't they?" He let out a dry chuckle. He stopped when there was no response.
"Look. I suck at social interaction, but somehow I have more release talking to the dead and the comatose." He rubbed a hand across his face. "I have many regrets. There are things now that I know I could've done a bit earlier. It would've saved a life back then, and if I acted sooner, you wouldn't be in this hospital bed."
"I shouldn't have made you do something you didn't want to do." He said as a lump formed in his throat. There was no response, but he continued anyways.
"I asked for you personally…for that escort mission. I could've chosen any other medic. They would do, but I was selfish." He swallowed. "I told Tsunade-sama about how we worked together for a while in Anbu. We became compatible with each other's fighting styles. Brute strength and pure intelligence mixed with a calm mind and a knack for ninjutsu…That was a pretty unlikely pair. Besides, I've learned to work well with a number of people. I just prefer you. It didn't take much to convince her, along with seeing that I'm one of the few people who can handle your temper. And you…you can handle my laziness. You were upset afterwards, yeah, but you didn't really give it a second thought." Another dry laugh.
"I should've chosen Naruto to help me. Or we could've just gone back to the village. You would be safe, like you said. Not here. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it's the fact that I'm selfish, and out of all of your teammates, I work best with you. But if I knew it would've ended like this…" He took a deep breath.
"So I'll blame myself. I can blame myself for a lot of things, actually." He rested his forehead against her hand. "If I didn't provoke you back then in training, you would've never become sensitive to the words 'No Good Kunoichi'. You could've refrained from killing that ninja." He let out a breath as his hands started to shake and his mouth started to lose its moisture. "I could blame myself for not paying attention to my surroundings when attending to an injured teammate. Something you as a medic, I know, would frown upon." He gave a dry chuckle. "I can deny a lot of things, but losing the scroll of approval was my fault. When you wake up, you'll have total bragging rights." He promised.
"You're damn right," She croaked. His head shot up from her hand as he saw her head turn slightly to face him. "And I'll have to say…I told you so." She finished as her voice cracked. He squeezed her hand as a grin was plastered on her face.
"Don't worry about the partners thing, Kakashi. I think we make one hell of a team." He heard her choke out that last part as she slowly raised the upper half of her body and leaned in to him. Her sobs were mixed with laughter, he made out, as she made a weird sound each time she transitioned into the next emotion.
Doing what he did best, he stayed silent and settled for occasionally patting her back and squeezing her hand as she lay against him and cried.
And he had to say, that painful ache that took residence in his heart for the past three months was gone.
"Where the hell is she?" His head turned sharply as he saw a figure lunge for him. He immediately let go of the arm that he was trying to pull up and started to back into a corner. It was useless. No one could deflect the punch that was coming now. The chakra laden fist that was coming straight for his face.
"Shishou!" Then he felt it. Oh, he felt it. Right into the wall.
So when he found himself spread eagle on the surprisingly clean, tiled floor in another room, he found he was okay there. Well, as okay as he could be with a few fractured bones and a bruised ego.
He also found himself frightened a bit when his perpetrator stood above him, casting a shadow and obstructing all light from the adjourning room.
"Shishou!" He was saved when said perpetrator promptly turned back around and rushed to her bed. He could only see her backside, but he was pretty sure Sakura was being crushed in a hug.
Then, she was released. And his fear, oh it came back.
Tsunade-sama turned back towards him, her face devoid of joy.
"You! You ingrate little bastard! Three months of leeway! We practically gave you a chance to reconsider your stupid, foolish, idiotic actions! Yet you still went, a day after none the less! Do you know how much hot water you've put me in?" He saw a vein twitch above her eye.
"Tsunade-sama, it—"
"Shut the hell up! I don't care what kind of condition you're in. You and everyone else you brought along are to report to the meeting room at noon. You know what the worst part is? I have no say in this. This meeting is not mines. I have no authority in whatever the Elder's say because the Daimyo appointed this to them. I can't even give out the punishments! So whatever they say, you deal with it Hatake." He saw her face soften as she turned to Sakura. "Try your best to make it." He rolled his eyes as she placed a kiss on her cheek. She turned back to him with a pointed glare before kicking aside a broken piece of dry wall and walking out of the room.
He looked much like a cockroach trying to return to its legs as he was trying to turn back over. When he finally accomplished that, he walked back through the wall, ignoring the throbbing feeling he felt in his cheek. He heard her stutter for a second before she started to talk.
"Kakashi, I…thank-you. I would've died yesterday. And Ino, t-told me…that you got t-them together t-to save me. And y-you could be punished, but you did it anyways." He turned back around to see one tear make a trail down her face. Soon, others followed. He walked back towards her bed and placed a hand atop her hair to which she flinched.
"Sorry. Just please, don't touch my hair." She begged. It was an odd request, but he took his hand off her head and placed it on her shoulder.
"I'm a stupid man, Sakura. I do stupid things for teammates." He smiled and started and started for the window. "I'll see you later, though. It's early in the morning, but I have a pretty good feeling you're going to get an influx of visitors soon." He unlocked the latches and lifted it. And in a swift movement, he was out of the window.
And to that, he was right.
The door flung open with a bang, and in walked a blond-haired Kyuubi and a dark-haired Uchiha.
She could've sworn he was just a few feet away from her just a second ago, but when she felt the crushing arms around her, she knew it was Naruto. His face was squished to her neck and she was pulled forward. She wrapped her hands around his back and buried her face in his clothes.
When he released her, a serious look was on his face.
"I told you, Sakura. Me and Sasuke were going to come back for you." She bit her lip as he gently shook her shoulders. She looked over to where Sasuke was standing by the door and her face broke into a smile. He nodded in return. Naruto bent down close to her ears.
"Listen, Sakura. Whatever you need, I'll be there. I'm going to get Granny to let me be your own personal nurse." She grabbed his shoulders as her eyes widened.
"No, that's quite alright Naruto. I'm sure I'll be fine." Naruto grinned and walked back to the door. He grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Sorry, Sakura. My mind's already made up. And it won't only be me; it's going to be the rest of the Rookie Nine. Well, not Gaara and his—"
"When was this agreed upon?"
"Oh, just a few hours ago." He stuffed his hand into his pocket and shoved Sasuke out of the door. It closed with a click.
She soon fell asleep, and the next time she woke up, there were sunflowers in a vase by her bedside table. When she picked it up, she didn't have to read the note to tell it was Guy and Lee. The wetness of the vase told her enough, but she read it anyways.
Kiba must've come too, because she had white hairs on her blanket and her hand was wet. She was sure the rest of the Shinobi she grew up with made an appearance, but there was just one that she didn't miss.
"Forehead! You better not have died on me!" That one. Her eyes shot open as Ino jabbed a finger to her forehead as she yelled. She saw that she had brought Shikamaru and Choji along, and it was always nice to see them.
"Ouch…" The next thing she knew, Ino had her arms around her and started to cry. She heard her mumble words like 'blood' and 'broken', but she really couldn't put two and two together at the moment. That hug was really killing her brain cells. But she gave in to it. As soon as it started, it ended. Ino had released her and now had her hands on her hips and a glare pointed at Sakura.
"Do you know how scared you made me?" Ugh. She was such a character. She went on about nothing for a few minutes, or it could be highly important, but Sakura just wasn't listening. When Ino got into one of her moods, there was no stopping her until she was done.
"Anyways, I'll take you home in a bit so you can change. Later on, we have to have dinner with your mother." Her eyes widened. Now that was a character.
"They're back?" Maybe she was a bit too bummed about seeing her mom again, but they weren't exactly on good terms, considering Sakura broke a few things in the house during one of her tempers with her mom, and abruptly moved out. That would make a good dinner conversation. She scoffed.
"Yeah, they came back a few days into lockdown. They almost got arrested, you know, because they were on vacation, and you don't really need a scroll of approval to go on vacation. They just need Tsunade-Shishou's O.K. So they had to plead with Root that they were just on vacation. They had Shishou come down there and let them in. It was pretty much a slap in face to those bastards." Ino rolled her eyes. "But I'm going to dress you up real nice. And make sure you're polite."
Great.
"Well, Shikamaru and Choji hope you feel better!" At that Choji's mouth flew open. "Bye!" And then they were being shoved out of the door.
She sighed and glanced at the clock. 10:30 meant Ino was coming real soon.
Being the last person to enter a room wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
"Haruno-san. Glad to see you were able to make it. Please take a seat." It was one of the elders, Homura. She hobbled over to the last remaining seat between Kakashi and Naruto. Setting her crutches on the floor under her she lowered her head.
"Gomen Kudasai."
"No worries, you're injured." She raised her head again and nodded. "Now that you're here, we can start." She took a sideways glance at Kakashi. Seeing how his hands were fisted in his pockets, she could assume the meeting had already started.
"So, Haruno-san," It was Koharu. "Can you tell us, in your detailed point of view, what happened on that mission three months ago?" She swallowed. Three months. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted.
"I was on that mission, Koharu-sama. I can tell you exactly what happened." She heard him say in clipped tones. She turned to him with a worried look on her face.
"Hatake-san, I was addressing her, if you please." She could almost see his jaw clench through his mask. "Haruno-san?" She beckoned.
"Yes. Um, our team was supposed to capture Nao-san and erase suspicion that he was on our side. Sasuke's team was supposed to gather Intel or any other findings that could be helpful." She paused and looked around the room. She saw Shikamaru with his eyes closed, Neji listening intently, Ino sat a few seats down from her, and she couldn't really see Sasuke or Tenzou's faces. But she did know Kakashi and Naruto looked pretty upset.
"We went to the floor for mission planning and strategies, and I went to the room looking for Nao-san. When I couldn't find him, I had to take care of the rest of the Shinobi in the room."
"How many?"
"About 17, Elder-sama." Her eyes narrowed but she waved her hand.
"Go on,"
"We were soon attacked by three Shinobi. We wanted to avoid engaging, so I went for a quick escape route. I got the window open, but there were two explosive tags on either side of it and I was blown out of the building."
"You were on the…"
"Twelfth floor Elder-sama. But Kakashi took the brunt of it. We—"
"Kakashi wasn't in the explosion, was he?" She started to bite her lip.
"No, Elder-sama."
"Then how did he get caught up in it?" It was Homura speaking this time.
"He jumped out after me. He hit the ground first and quickly suffered from a collapsed lung. I had to puncture it. We then got news from Naruto that they had found Nao-san, but he had a wound in his chest." She realized what she said after she said it.
"How did he get it?"
"I don't know, Elder-sama." She lied. "I healed him and we moved camp. Naruto soon found we had a force of grass nin coming our way. Me and Kakashi stayed to fight, while Naruto's group took him back here." Koharu cocked her head as Tsunade walked in. She silently sat down directly in front of Sakura at the head of the circle. Then Koharu started to speak.
"Surely if you had more people with you to fight, you wouldn't have gotten captured, yes?" Sakura's hands had a tight hold on the fabric of her jonin shirt.
"I work best with Kakashi now. If we failed, those nin would be coming for Nao-san. It was better to have more people in their group." She said while looking down.
"I'm sure they wouldn't have missed one person. And Naruto, he is a very formidable ninja. You two have been on the same team basically all your career. Don't you work well with him too?" Tsunade narrowed an eye.
"In Anbu, I created a jutsu that worked with Kakashi's Raikiri. Together, it—"
"What are you implying, Koharu-sama?" Kakashi started to speak and Sakura turned sharply to glare at him.
"Watch your tone, Kakashi," She whispered harshly.
"Why didn't you allow more people on the squad that stopped the Grass Ninja?"
"Are you saying I purposely put her in harm's way?" She saw his eye was full of emotion he rarely ever showed.
"Three or four ninja would've made the difference, Hatake-san." Homura said.
"Those same two ninja still would have appeared. One or more of us would've have gotten captured either way."
"Naruto can make clones, can he not? I'm sure that would've taken most of those ninja out."
"Naruto isn't Anbu," He growled.
"I'm sure he's better than most in the organization." Kakashi slammed his hands on the table.
"We're Anbu, damn it! Isn't that what you want us to do? Sacrifice for our village and its people? That's what you enforce, am I right? Naruto did not seek that rank. As Sakura's duty and as my duty, 'We shall protect the Village at all costs. Sacrificing myself for the sake of the mission. I will see through any assignment given to me.' Those were all rules instilled into our brains!"
"To think you were over that phase of being strict to the rules and guidelines of Shinobi."
"This is rich." Kakashi rubbed a hand down his face as he leant back in his chair. "I really don't understand what this has to do with anything right now. You want to know what happened? We fought. I was poisoned and couldn't move. She threw me the scroll! God, she threw me the damn scroll. And I can't change that. She was captured, and now she's here. That's it."
"As what happened to the previous female teammate you lost." Kakashi's eye widened and so did Sakura's. She turned once again to face him, but he was looking straight ahead.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura had a feeling that when Kakashi turned that calm, it wasn't really what he was feeling on the inside.
"I would think that your first mission as a jonin would lead you to try more to save your teammates, Hatake-san." She watched as he gripped the table and she swore he was going to break it. And then, he laughed. It was more of a guffaw. Something Kakashi rarely did because he usually settled on chuckling. Sakura's hair stood on end.
"My teammate has nothing to do with this." All eyes turned to him.
"It must have some type of relevance seeing that you allowed another one of your teammates to be captured. What do you think Minato-sama would say? Or O—"
"Don't you dare say his name." His voice was low and it had a tone that she hasn't even heard him take with enemies.
"Koharu, that's enough." Tsunade said, trying to take back her position of authority. She was ignored as Koharu started to scribble something on a scroll.
"For such a blatant show of disobedience and insubordination," The roll of parchment paper was tossed to him and he read through it hastily.
"You can't do this!" He shot up as she raised her palm to stop him from talking.
"It's done, Hatake-san." He tilted his head back and she heard a bitter chuckle.
"Have your way, Elder. Now that I have my punishment, may I take my leave, Hokage-sama."
"Go." All that was heard from the room was the sound of his retreating steps, then the soft click of the door.
"He needed that." Koharu-sama reassured herself. "He needed that emotion or his past is going to eat away at him."
It was another hour before the meeting was dismissed. The other's punishment was taking missions with no pay for the next three months. It couldn't get worse than that; they were just following orders.
As everyone got up to leave and the Elders were shuffling out of the door, she grabbed her crutches from under the chair and slowly stood.
"Sakura, stay." She paused to look up at her mentor. When she nodded at her, Sakura placed her crutches in the chair beside her and grabbed her armrest to lower herself in her seat.
"Yes, Shishou?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, Shishou."
"I'll give you a month of leave. Naruto already offered to be your nurse so I'm sure you'll be in good hands." She chuckled.
"Yes—" Tsunade eyed her strangely.
"Sakura," She started to write something on a scroll. "Start reporting to the Anbu HQ at 8:00 in the mornings. There's a man there who's going to administer therapy."
"That's alright, I don't need it." She smiled to prove her point. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"Take the scroll." It was thrown across the table and landed in front of her. She grabbed her crutches again and got up before taking it and stuffing it into her flak jacket. "And Sakura,"
"Yes?" She paused at the door.
"Go check on Kakashi, please." Sakura nodded as she leaned on one crutch to open the door.
"That was the plan." She said while closing the door behind her. What went on in that meeting, she didn't know what to think of it. She was sure she's never heard of Kakashi losing a teammate. That had to have been before she was born. And taking that tone with an elder? There was one thing Kakashi didn't do: losing his cool. And that's exactly what he just did. She must've hit something deep. And Sakura didn't know jack about his past, so this was going to be a tough one.
She pushed the button on the elevator and waited for it to come up. How Kakashi made it look so easy to walk with the wooden sticks was beyond her. Trying to get them to stay under her arms was a hassle. Having to propel her legs forward each time she walked was a hassle. But it was either the crutches or a wheelchair, and when you're in that thing, you're at rock bottom.
Walking through the Village was never a problem for her. Usually, she could pass through the streets without any problems. Maybe occasionally meeting her peers and stopping to chat for a few seconds. But for the most part, she was left alone and kept to herself. So when she was tapped on the shoulder or stepped in front of every few seconds, she got annoyed. There were questions like 'How was it?' They asked those in the manner of a person asking how food tasted or how good or bad a book was. To those she ignored.
Others were more like 'I'm so sorry,' and 'I hope you recover.' A few people even had the audacity to question the purity in Kakashi's motives. She answered those with a 'Don't knock anyone you don't know.'
With all the distractions and the interruptions, it took her a while to get to the Hokage monument. Walking up the face of the mountain was a bitch, and finding he wasn't there was an even bigger one. She went to his favorite pub, and he wasn't there either. Knocking on his door and eventually breaking his lock produced no results.
She walked all the way to the training grounds and located his secret tree. People must've thought her crazy walking back and forth through the Village. She's been at it for at least an hour and a half.
But that was the least of her concerns. There was only one place he could be now. The one place where she didn't intrude in on him. Despite herself and her morals, she started for the cenotaph.
"I'm selfish, Obito. I'm still the selfish, arrogant bastard you knew when we were younger. I'm so confident in myself, and that almost caused a teammate her life. I can't get it right, Obito. First Rin, and now…" His voice broke as she appeared from behind the bushes. She watched as he picked himself up from his spot on the ground. She's never seen him so…humbled before. Knelt before the cenotaph with his head on the ground…That wasn't him. He turned it a bit to look back at her.
"You shouldn't be here." She walked forward.
"I have to be here," He turned back to the cenotaph. He was silent a moment before bowing his head and slowly getting up.
"Why?"
"Because I'm your friend."
"I had a friend once. I let him down." She grabbed his wrist.
"Who?"
"It doesn't matter." He looked up to her with narrowed eyes. The part of him that she's gotten close to was closing up.
"What was Elder-sama talking about, Kakashi?" He snatched his wrist away from her hold and went back to kneel before the cenotaph.
"I just can't get it right. You were going to die. You were going to die like Rin, and Obito, and Minato-sensei. And my father. My stupid, stupid father. My mother left me and Kushina-san and Asuma. Gone. They're all bastards! They all left me like bastards!"
"Kakashi, what are you talking about?" A concerned look grew on her face. She wouldn't say it. She wouldn't say that he sounded crazy. That was just wrong.
"Everyone I loved died. They're gone. And they're not coming back." He snapped.
"Kakashi—"
"Just leave. Leave me like the others did."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"What do you want from me, Sakura? I thought you knew better than to interrupt me when I'm like this." She let out a deep breath.
"I want to know what happened on that mission."
"No."
"Kakashi, please." She begged.
"Sakura, I said no." He replied with an edged laced in his tone.
"Kakashi, something happened on that mission that made you act like that in the meeting room. I'm your friend. I don't want to see you like this! Please, just—"
"No, Sakura!" She jumped. He sighed. "I can't. I just can't. Please. Just go." She shuffled on her crutches and started to walk back through the forest.
"I'll always be here, Kakashi."
"I know."
"That stings."
"Stop being such a wuss."
"I still have open wounds on my face, Ino."
"That's exactly why I'm putting it on you." Sakura sighed.
"I don't even wear this crap." Ino huffed as she put down the case of concealer she was putting on Sakura's face.
"Look, you have to be presentable in front of your parents." She turned as Sakura grabbed her crutches to go to the bathroom.
"I really hate these things." She muttered. "Look, if they want me to be presentable, I will. I'm not going to put on a whole new face for them, though. This is how I look when I get beat up. If they can't handle that, then they can't be called my parents."
"They're only civilians." She heard the water turn on as Sakura started to splash some on her face.
"You know crutches aren't really suitable for ninja." She replied trying to change the subject.
"Sakura," She warned.
"Ino, just drop it. I'll put whatever else you want on, but not concealer." Sakura grabbed a towel from the rack and dried her face as Ino came up behind her.
"Here, wear this." She tried to push a gray sundress in her hands, but Sakura pushed it back.
"You do know my hair is pink…right?" Sakura looked at her quizzically.
"Yes, but those colors look cute together!"
"Those colors clash." Ino rolled her eyes.
"Oh stop. You said you'd put whatever else I wanted on. So here." Ino once again pushed the dress in her hands as she exited the bathroom.
"You better not be fishing for heels in there," Sakura shouted as she slipped out of her uniform.
"But Sakura! You said anything." She whined.
"I am not walking in heels while I'm injured. I barely walk in them when I'm not. Besides, these crutches are bad enough." She muttered. She could almost hear her pout. "Just throw me my sandals. Those are built for comfort."
"Your Shinobi sandals? Are you trying to make your parents hate you?"
"They already hate me enough as it is. Look, I'll wear this gray dress with my black sandals. I'll look fine—Oh stop frowning Pig, you'll get wrinkles." Sakura said in amusement.
"At least wear lip gloss." Sakura rolled her eyes and pulled out a little tube. Uncapping it, she smeared some on her lips.
"Happy?"
"I could kiss you."
"You call me the closet lesbian." Ino shrugged.
"All the men you always have around you, yet you haven't made one move." Ino held up a finger while Sakura pointed at her.
"Sasuke."
"Yeah, 'cause everyone knows that didn't crash and burn."
"Oh shut-up. Are your parents coming?"
"Yup. Just in case your mom drops "The Talk". Then my mom can come in and…soften the blow, I guess."
"Oh yeah. Your mom's civilian. But both my parents are civilian." She pointed out.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help you here." Sakura shrugged as she pulled on her sandals.
"What are you wearing, anyways?" Ino stepped out of the closet and twirled. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Too dressy." She glared.
"I like to look nice." Sakura clicked her tongue while Ino shoved her nose in the air. It was a spaghetti strap dress that was modest enough for her. It stopped a little ways before her knees. It was white and it wasn't form-fitting at all. A flowy dress that twirled each time she moved. Her heels weren't that bad. But they weren't appropriate for dinner with parents.
"So, what time is the dinner?" Ino glanced around the room.
"It's four now, so I'd say…six."
"Then why'd you come over so damn early!"
"I needed to make sure you'd wear something to my…partial approval." She said as she looked her up and down. Sakura scowled.
"Then what am I going to do for two—"
"Sakura-chan! We're here!"
"See you at six, Sakura!"
"No Ino, wait!" But she was already slamming the door as Naruto and Sasuke walked in. She sighed and grabbed her crutches.
"Where are you going, Haruno?" Naruto stepped in front of her as Sasuke sat down in her armchair.
"To the couch. To take a nap." She said blankly.
"Well no need for those dusty old things. Here,"
"Naruto, stop!" She was already in his arms and being placed on the couch before she could do anything about it. Tipping her head back on the couch, she groaned.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Nothing."
"Soup it is." She pulled her sandals off and threw them at the wall. Swinging her feet onto the couch proved to be a hassle. She was struggling for about a minute when she heard Sasuke sigh and get up.
"No, I've got it." More struggling. Another sigh.
"I'm serious," More struggling. A smirk.
"Help me?" A 'Hn' was heard and she rolled her eyes. He squatted and carefully pulled her legs up. Then he turned her and she was finally laid on the couch.
"What were your injuries?" When she looked up, there was a grimace there briefly, but he turned and went back to his seat in her armchair. She paused a second, realizing why the grimace was there in the first place. He was there. He was in the group that brought her back. He saw her—
"Four cracked ribs, shattered pelvis. I don't know if the wounds on my face are going to heal. They've been left alone so long." She saw his eyes narrow.
"Would you like me to heal it for you?" He couldn't be asking that question…that was totally wrong. Out of character, more like it.
"Nah, I'll heal it later." He blinked and his Sharingan was activated. She rolled her eyes. Caught.
"But you can't, can you. Look, I've seen you do it a million times. Just let me help, will you?" She sighed. He took that as her acceptance and got up. She started to raise herself but he stopped her.
"Stay right there." He knelt beside her and cupped her face. She watched as he closed his eyes and blue chakra poured from his hands. She started to giggle.
"What's funny?" He said not tearing his concentration away from healing her.
"It's just…that…I can finally say that I'm better than you at something." She continued to laugh.
"You've been stronger than me for a while now." Her laugh stopped abruptly as her eyes widened. He opened his eyes. "What?"
"It's just, you barely ever give compliments, let alone to me." He was silent for a second.
"I did, when we were still—"
"Alright, Sakura. One steaming hot bowl of soup." Thankful for the interruption, she sat up as Naruto placed a napkin on her lap and handed her the bowl.
She looked down into her lap.
And into his face.
Then she noticed the problem.
"There's no soup here." Naruto leaned over her to peer into the bowl. We he straightened, his hand immediately went to scratch his neck.
"Really? I just put some…soup…in there…" He trailed off.
"Naruto, you were in the kitchen for about twenty minutes, what have you been—Bring your face here." She saw sweat bead on his brow as he laughed nervously.
"Well, why Sakura-chan? Do you want to kiss me or something?" Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed his chin and pulled him forward. She felt his lips, then smelled them.
"You wish, loser." Naruto pouted as Sasuke went back to his seat.
"Naruto that's my soup all over your face! You ate all the noodles and…" She lifted his upper lip to peer at his gums. "Do you know how long that chocolate cake has been in there?" She sighed.
"I'm sorry Sakura-chan. There was just so much food. And when I made your soup, I hadn't eaten all day so…"
"How about we go out? Naruto will pay." Sasuke got up and went to her bedroom to grab the crutches.
"I kind of don't want to use those. Hey, Uzumaki."
"Yes?" His head popped out of the bathroom door and he was wiping his mouth with a wet towel.
"You can carry me since you ate my soup. And my cake." She heard him sigh. Wiping his hands on the front of his shirt, he walked over to the couch to help her stand. When that was done, he slowly lifted her onto his back.
"Sasuke, grab the key from that hook over there." He did as told and switched off the lights. They stepped out, the door was locked, and Naruto was walking slowly down the stairs. Sasuke waited for them at the bottom of the steps.
"Naruto, what's taking you so long?" She heard him grunt.
"You've…gotten…so heavy…since…the last time…" She smacked him on the back of his head.
"I have not!" She shouted back.
"I'm just kidding, Haruno." He walked down the rest of the steps with relative ease.
"Where are we going?"
"Ichiraku."
"God, I'm so tired of that place." She heard Sasuke mutter. A chuckle escaped her lips.
"We're only going to have one bowl."
"Why, Sakura-chan?" She heard him whine. With her head on his shoulder like that, she could hear the shrill of his voice more than she usually would and flinched.
"I have to go to my parent's house with Ino."
"Food?"
"Dinner."
"Can I come?"
"No." She felt his jaw flex meaning he was going to open his mouth, meaning he was going to whine. She clapped her hand over his mouth.
"Inside voice, Uzumaki." She heard him sigh as he carefully sat her down on the stool beside Sasuke and took his seat on the other side of her.
"Can we get three regulars, Teuchi-san?"
"Sure thing, Sakura-chan." She leaned on the palm of her hand and yawned.
"Why can't I come?" Turning her head slightly to address him she sighed.
"I guess it's a family thing. Ino's family has always been close to mines, so…"
"And I'm family too, right? Me and Sasuke. So why can't we come?"
"Well…"
"You're embarrassed of us, aren't you?" Naruto frowned as Sakura closed her eyes and blew her bangs out of her face. Running out of excuses as it is, Naruto was bound to catch her either way.
"Look. My family has never really taken a liking to my teammates." Their ramen appeared in front of them. Sakura unlinked her chopsticks and started to twist her noodles around in the bowl.
"What does that mean?" Naruto said before stuffing ramen into his mouth. She rolled her eyes and turned to look at Sasuke. He was looking right back at her.
"Well, I had the kyuubi on my team. You could burst out in full-fox mode any second and kill me. They voiced their opinions on the matter. But, it wasn't that easy for them to get me a transfer based on the fact." Naruto's eyes widened.
"They tried to transfer you?"
"Yup. Then, I had the deranged, revenge-seeking Uchiha on my team who also left the Village on a quest for power." She saw him frown and almost laughed.
"I came back," He grumbled.
"And I had the son of the White Fang who fell from grace. Now that I think about it, they were pretty happy to get me on Kakashi's team. Seeing that he failed everyone sent to him, my parents practically pushed me his way. They probably still want me to reconsider my choice as a ninja. Well, my mom at least. The "Dangers" of the damn job are too great for her little girl. She even knows I trained under Shishou and she still doesn't think I can take care of myself. Typical." She dug into her bowl.
"Well, I saved the Village, and Sasuke killed off any potential harm. It couldn't be that bad."
"You don't know my family." She whispered.
"Sakura, I'm so glad you could make it. I heard about your injuries, but Hanako insisted that you come visit." Ino's mother appeared in the doorway. She smiled warmly and gave Sakura a tight hug.
"Of course, Kiyomi. I haven't seen my daughter in ages. Sakura, let your poor mother get a look at you." And it begins.
Sakura was slightly more hesitant in approaching her mother. Knowing how much a queen she could be, she made sure to stand tall on her crutches to make sure she didn't see Naruto and Sasuke just yet.
"Why were you so late? I'm sure I told Ino six, and it's almost seven." Her mother clucked.
"I had to go back to get these," She replied, nodding to the wooden contraptions held under her arm. "They're the devil."
"Well come on in—Oh. And who's this?" She supposed her mother didn't sound rude, just not polite. Or welcoming. Or warm. Well, maybe a bit rude.
"That's Naruto and Sasuke, mother. They're my teammates." Hanako looked them up and down in her disapproving way before opening the door wider for them to step inside.
"Naruto, I've heard so much about you." Hanako said in a voice that meant 'I heard about you, I just don't want to talk about you.' Sakura sighed.
"Good evening, Haruno-san. It's your pleasure." She felt like slapping a hand to her forehead.
"Your pleasure, you Baka!" She whispered. At least he was almost there. That quick rundown lesson of manners she gave Naruto almost worked. The night could be a pleasant one. But maybe she should've given him a demonstration; apparently, telling him 'Say it's your pleasure' didn't work the way she wanted it to. Otherwise, he was pretty adept to being nice and polite. Sasuke on the other hand…
"And this is…Sasuke?"
Could be a stubborn one.
He nodded to her and stepped inside as Sakura shot a sympathizing look to her mother. It read 'I'm sorry, mother. He doesn't talk much. But look on the bright side! He could've glared at you for using his name.' Scratch the earlier remark. The night was going to be a complete and utter train wreck.
"Sakura! We were so worried about you!" Maybe that should've been her mother. But her father was always the emotional one. So she supposed that was good, the only other option was to have two cold parents and suffer a cruel, cruel childhood. And nobody could soften the blow of the night but her father.
"I know, Dad." He came forward and wrapped his burly arms around her. But then he ruffled the back of her head, and things went wrong.
Slam.
The room was silent. Hanako's eyes were as wide as saucers and both of her hands were on her mouth. Naruto and Sasuke just stared and her father looked at her bewildered from his current location atop the broken coffee table.
Sakura couldn't say anything.
"Hahahahahaha! Oh Sakura! You're stronger than before! You've got to wrestle your old man before the night's over." His laugh fell over the quiet room as he walked away muttering to himself about the new generation of ninja. Sakura was still speechless. Her mother was still staring at the broken coffee table. Then her eyes slowly turned to Sakura.
"Mother, I'm sorry. It's just a reflex—"
"No, none of that talk tonight. I just want to see my daughter." A fake smile was put on her face and a brief hug was given. Then Sakura's mother stepped over the broken pieces of glass and went through the swinging door to the kitchen. A few minutes later, she was back with a broom and a bag. And soon, the mess was gone. All she could see was scuff marks on the floor where her father slid from the impact. Naruto walked over to her.
"Sakura, are you okay?" His eyes held concern and she turned to acknowledge him.
"Yeah, it's just my—"
"Dinner's ready!" She sighed as Naruto broke for the kitchen. She silently tried to remind him of his manners, but she wasn't Ino or Inoichi. She really could talk to other people through their minds, a feat in which would be very helpful at this point. Sasuke watched her quizzically as she hobbled through the same door and into the kitchen. Ino and her mom was busy setting the plates while Naruto was currently chatting up her father.
She could only guess they were speaking of her; she saw Naruto reenact movements of someone hitting another person of the head multiple times and his hands went far to show long distances. Probably to show how far she's thrown him. Typical.
Walking over to the dining room table, she took a seat in the middle and placed her crutches under the table. Sasuke came up shortly afterwards and took a seat beside her.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He put his hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine." A fake smile appeared on her face.
"Like mother, like daughter." That only Sasuke can see through.
"Oi, Sakura-chan. You're father is quite the man!" She rolled her eyes, turning her attention away from Sasuke's prying ones.
"He's a season builder, but he's also a merchant." Naruto's eyes widened.
"So how long has he been building? I bet for years. Have you seen the body of that guy?"
"What?"
"I said how long has he been building, Sakura?"
"I don't know. He might've helped with Tsunade's face, if that has any relevance."
"Face? Well, whatever. I'm a seasoned Shinobi 'cause that's all I've been doing my whole life." Naruto flashed his winning smile and she looked at him incredulously.
"What? I said season you Baka! He builds the faces on the Hokage Mountain. Whenever a new Hokage gets sworn into office, he gets called into work. But that's a side job. All other times, he's a merchant." His face was awe struck.
"So you mean…He's going to be constructing my face up there, Sakura-chan? Hey old man! I'm gonna be the next Hokage! You wanna start making molds for my face?" Naruto shot up and ran back to where her father was and their conversation started anew. She felt hands on her shoulders and jumped.
"Don't worry forehead, it's only me." She relaxed as Ino bent down to her ear. "I'm glad you're being civil about this. I would've already bit his nose off." She smiled as Ino walked back into the kitchen.
It was only a few minutes later that they were saying grace and the food was set on the table. Hanako sat next to Kiyomi and Daisuke sat next to Inoichi. Sasuke and Ino sat on either side of her with Naruto beside Sasuke.
"Go get that, Daisuke." She saw her father get up from the table and exit the room. "Sakura, why haven't you called your mother?" Hanako frowned. She paused after taking a bite of her food.
"She just got back last night, Hanako-san." She heard Ino say.
"Well we were here for a while, how long was your mission?" Sakura's hands tightened on her fork as the room fell silent. Again.
"Mother, I—"
"I know we had a fight but there's no reason not to contact your mother." Her words began to ring in her ears.
"Hanako-san," Naruto started. "Sakura hasn't been—"
"I'm sorry, mother. I just haven't had the time." Naruto shot her a look and Sasuke stayed impassive.
"Look what the cat dragged in, Hanako!" Her mother's eyes fell on her in a way that said 'This isn't over'. When she turned, Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"You better tell her soon, Sakura. Before she finds out from someone else." Ino whispered. She bit her lip in thought. If her mother found out, then—
"Who would've thought I'd have Hatake Kakashi at my dinner table?" Her father exclaimed. Sakura's head whipped back as her eyes widened. Kakashi was seated next to Ino.
"It's an honor to be at your table, Daisuke-san. I was invited here by Sakura, and I just couldn't resist."
"Oh, Hanako don't frown like that. You know, the day they were going to sculpt your face on the mountain, I was out sick."
"It's okay, I wasn't cut out for Hokage anyways." Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Oh no. That's not it. You know, your father was a great man. He made me who I am today. Well that, and a whole lotta exercise!" She saw his shoulders immediately tense and he nodded.
"Mother, may I be excused?" Hanako turned her attention away from Kakashi and smiled at Sakura.
"Sure, dear." Sakura bent over to reach under the table. Once she located her crutches, she had Ino help her up.
"Kakashi," She started out of the kitchen door.
"Excuse me," He folded the napkin on his lap and placed it on the table before pushing his chair back.
Pushing through the door he saw her standing in the middle of living room with her arms rested on her crutches.
"I—"
"You don't have to explain. It's your past, Kakashi." He nodded. "How'd you know I was here?" He tipped his head back and snorted.
"Ino found me on my way back." She rolled her eyes.
"Typical. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure—" He reached for her head, but remembering their last incident, he placed on her shoulder. He then surprised her by pulling her in for a hug.
"We're good." She patted his back and let go. He walked back through the door and held it open for her to pass through.
"Sorry, dad. I didn't mean to hold you up." She blushed.
"That's quite alright, Sakura. Now," He said as he stuck a fork into his meal. "How was your last mission?" The frown returned to her mother's face.
Oh hell.
"Sakura! If I had known these were the risks, I would've pulled you out sooner!"
"Hanako, the girl is 23. I'm sure she can take care of herself." Her father tried to reassure her mother, but she knew it was a lost cause. If Kakashi had known to keep his mouth shut, then they wouldn't be having the conversation. But of course, he didn't know her family.
"In enemy land? Bound? No, I don't think so." Her mother's arms were crossed over her ample chest.
"Mom, I was fine."
"You're lying to me."
"Mom, I'm no—"
"Lying may be your specialty, but your poker face is shit, Sakura."
"Hanako, watch your mouth." She shot a glare.
"I came back, mother. That's all that matters." A sigh escaped her lips as she ran her hands down her face.
"Three months? At least let me take care of yo—"
"No! I-I mean, Shishou already got Naruto and Sasuke to take care of me. Ino's going to help out too. And I'm supposed to be off my crutches in about a day."
"How long did Tsunade-sama give you off?"
"A month."
"A month?"
"A month, mother."
"But you were gone for three! They should at least give you—"
"Mother, I'm a ninja. I'll be fine."
"Fine. But can you use the month to give me some grandchildren?" Sakura blushed.
"Mother!"
"Oh, Sakura. Quiet down. You're 23. I'm not going to stay this young forever and neither are you." Sakura snorted. Young?
"Hanako, stop all that talk. The girl will have babies when she finds the right man. Hopefully one sitting at this table?" The blush returned.
"Dad! Please." She heard Naruto snicker and shot a glare his way.
"Sakura, come on! I mean, you got the boy who saved the Village at this table. You can't be that blind to see he's handsome! Spitting image of the fourth!"
"Well uh," Naruto stammered. "He's my dad."
…
"Hahahaha! Well would it make sense for him not to be?" Daisuke slapped a hand on his knee. Ino's father rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on, Inoichi. Lighten up, will you?"
"Not everything is laughable, Dai."
"Aw, whatever. And Sasuke! The prodigy. Boy, Sakura was 'bout ready to—"
"Dad!" Her father pouted.
"No, no, Daisuke. Keep on," Kakashi encouraged. If her eyes could glare daggers, he would be dead.
"Well, he's a handsome young man too. Doesn't talk much, but I'm sure he's just shy. Ain't that right, boy?" Sasuke's eyes shifted from her father to Sakura to which he nudged.
"Alright, dad. That's enough." Her mother looked as if she was going to explode.
"Kakashi, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty, sir." Daisuke scoffed.
"Twenty my a—"
"Okay, Daisuke! Inoichi can you help me get these plates? Kiyomi, I'm going to need your help in the kitchen. They're going to be in here a while anyways." Hanako sighed and started gathering up the plates. Inoichi helped her and Kiyomi made her way to the kitchen.
"Do your arms still work good, girl?"
"Yeah…"
"Then come over here and show me that strength you use! My, Kakashi this girl pushed me through a coffee table 'bout seven feet back! Don't be shy Sakura."
"Sakura? No. Not her." He leaned back in the chair and gave her an eye crease. She glared.
"Oh really? Come here dad. I'll finish you after him." Daisuke clapped his hands and stood up.
"Ino, move out of the way. Lemme wrestle my daughter." Ino rolled her eyes and followed her mother into the kitchen.
"Alright, Dad." Taking her hand in his, they pressed their elbows on the table. Naruto placed his hands on top of theirs.
"Ready, set, Wrestle!" Daisuke began to laugh.
"It's sad when a big ole', thirty-something can't beat a little girl." Sakura scoffed.
"Dad, you're forty-nine."
"Oh yeah."
Slam!
"Ha Ha! Victorious again! Dad, you keep doing this, you're going to get a broken hand." He frowned.
"I'm going to beat you, when you hit thirty-something like me and lose your ninja powers."
"Yeah right. Kakashi, you're up."
"Sorry, Daisuke. I've got your daughter beat." Her father flexed his hand.
"Yeah right. You don't got no meat on you, boy." She could see a smirk beneath his mask.
"What are the stakes?" Sakura patted her chin in thought.
"Loser carries winner around for the rest of the day."
"That's just because you're injured."
"Think what you want." She grasped his hand.
Slam!
"Rematch."
"What? I won!"
"No, I wasn't ready."
"Fine. Naruto,"
"Ready…set…wrestle!"
Slam!
"Rematch."
"She won fair and square, Kakashi. Twice, actually." She saw Kakashi's shoulders drop as Sakura stuck out her tongue and threw a 'V' in the air.
"Are you guys done in there?" Hanako head peeked out of the kitchen door.
"Yes, mother." She pushed the rest of her body out of the door with a cake in her hand.
"Thanks, babe." Daisuke's hand was smacked away and the cake was set in front of Sakura.
"Honey, please. Be safe, okay? I love you." She kissed her brow.
"I love you too mom." Sakura wrapped her arms around her back. "Alright. Well, it's getting late." Sakura grabbed her crutches and headed for the door.
"Be sure to call me, okay?"
"Promise. Naruto, grab that cake."
"I'll have a rematch ready for you next time, dad!" She called through the door. She heard a laugh before she shut it.
"Naruto, take these." She handed him her crutches. "Give the cake to Sasuke. Kakashi, don't you dare." He stopped mid-step and turned around.
"Caught." He walked forward again and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Sakura-chan, how come you're the only one with pink hair? And your dad's skin is olive so…"
"My mother said I had a great-grandmother somewhere with pink hair. I don't know. Kakashi, stop trying to run away." He was in the process of walking down another step when he was caught again.
"Look, I have a bad back—"
"That won't work." He sighed before placing one hand on her lower back and the other under her legs. Then he started to grunt.
"What is up with you men and fat jokes?" He chuckled before picking her up.
"It's really funny to get you upset." She pouted.
"Yeah, I bet. Just take me home, loser." He scoffed.
"Mah, Sakura-chan. But I'm still the one carrying you."
"Why are you guys always the one who stay, but don't clean up?" Sakura said as she threw some dishes into the sink. "Those better be gone when I wake up."
"Ah, so she learns how to walk." She snorted
"I could always walk, Kakashi. It just hurts to do so." He turned back to his porn.
"Oi, Sakura-chan! Nothing good is on." Naruto was flipping through channels. There was never anything interesting enough for him to last more than a few seconds. Sasuke was sprawled on the couch with his head tipped back and his arm splayed over the top. She watched him for a second and noticed the rise and fall of his chest wasn't simultaneous with the contracting of his nose. Nerd, yes. But she stifled a laugh behind her hand when she figured out what it meant.
"Sasuke, stop holding in your snores. You don't have to be perfect." He glared at her as she went to put the remainder of the cake in the fridge.
"Give me that," Naruto tossed the remote to Kakashi. Sakura went to her bedroom.
Dressing was a hassle, especially when she had to put on her shorts. There was a lot of pelvic movement involved in the act. When that was done, she slipped a baggy t-shirt over her head and her feet into warm slippers. They were a luxury, but also very therapeutic.
Walking back into the kitchen, she grabbed four beers out of her cooler. She tossed one to each of them and opened her top with her shirt. Then, she slowly sat down on the couch between Naruto and Sasuke. She took a swig and let it burn down her throat. The bittersweet taste felt so good gliding down her throat. She stole a glance at the others, and their beers were right where she threw them; in their laps. Even Sasuke's eyes were glued to the television.
"Kakashi, what's this?" He slowly dragged his eyes away from the screen to lock with hers, and even then he didn't acknowledge her. It was only when she snapped her fingers did he shake his head.
"Oh, Icha Icha Movie 4." His eyes slowly went back to the movie.
"I didn't subscribe to this…Is this pay-per-view?" She smacked Naruto in the arm and his reflexes were a bit quicker than Kakashi's were.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He waved a hand at her and turned back to the screen.
"Sasuke?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Hn?" She narrowed her eyes and turned to the screen to see what was so damn interesting about a stupid pay-per-view movie that even Sasuke—
"God, how much did this cost?" Heat swelled in her cheeks as she cringed at the sight before her. "You animals! How can you even watch this?"
"Ah,"
"Yeah. Yeah, whatever."
"Hn."
A look of pure disbelief shone through her face. She turned her head sideways just to figure out how she got her legs to go that way when he was clearly—
"Oh my God!" She shielded her eyes with her hands, but eventually her fingers opened a bit and she peeked through.
"Ah,"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"Hn."
And then she had pity for the man on the screen. His hands were bound behind his back, her hands were bound behind her back, they were naked, she was in a split above him—that must hurt. He just thrust upward and climaxed and, oh God, she was thrown off the bed. Her pity switched to the woman. He must have an awesome pelvis for that type of thrusting.
"Hehe…Hehe,"
"Ha!"
"Hn,"
"What are you giggling for? She was thrown off the bed!" Kakashi shot a glare at her. "His semen's everywhere!"
"Ha! Sensei look, she's bleeding!" Her head snapped towards Naruto.
"Damn, that means she was a virgin." Sasuke shook his head.
"Or, she's a medic. They can rebuild they're hymen over and over again." Even Sakura didn't know that. So when every head in the room turned to him, she joined them.
"How would you…"
"Watch the movie, Dobe." He willingly obliged.
"Kakashi, where's the damn plot?" She said with a disgusted look on her face. It seems the female character got back up and crawled over the bed. Now she's on the bottom and is that look on her face normal? "You guys are—"
"Shhhhh!" Naruto clapped a hand over her mouth and gave her a quick glare before returning to the movie and slowly removing it.
She supposed they were having pretty good sex. And maybe the plot was stuck in there somewhere. She just had to listen. So she would watch the movie…for now.
She took a swig of beer for good measure.
For now with Sakura usually meant she was going to go along with whatever plan they had in mind. She never had enough willpower not to.
She wound up balling tears at the end of the movie. They were fast asleep. It was funny because, once the plot started to show itself, that's when they started to lose interest. Typical men. If it doesn't have sex, it's just plain boring.
That left her studying her medical scrolls half the night with Naruto's arm swung over her shoulder and Sasuke's head rested on her thigh. Kakashi was splayed all over her armchair snoring pretty loudly, if she might add.
Collateral for later.
She ended up drinking their beer which, surprisingly, lasted her through the night. Though, she had to take a few bathroom trips and one to her bedroom to grab a pair of reading glasses and a small lamp.
Old scrolls. Herbs, medicines, poisons, antidotes, solutions that were dangerous if in contact with skin…All of those she had memorized. Why she was reading it again? A medic can never be too keen.
She paused in quizzing herself and her pencil stopped. She listened around the room.
"Kakashi, you can stop faking it. I already know you're up," She said as she pushed her glasses up her nose and her pencil continued to scratch more notes. From the corner of her eye, she saw him stretch his limbs and yawn.
"Oh well, I guess I'm caught." He cracked his neck a bit then mussed up his hair some more. Not like he needed it, the bed head he is. He leant forward and let his elbows rest on his knees and his face was placed in his upturned hands.
"How did you sleep?" She paused.
"Amazing." Her pencil continued.
"You liar." She took the glasses off of her face and rubbed her eye. She put out a finger in his direction.
"See, eye crust." He chuckled.
"Proves nothing."
"Uh-huh. It proves that my eyes were closed for a long period of time."
"It proves you cried and let your tears dry up." She pouted.
"What do you want, Kakashi."
"You didn't sleep." She set her pencil down on the ground and stretched. Hearing her bones pop satisfactorily, she rolled her scroll up and stuffed it under the couch.
"I did, I was asleep while you were. I just woke up before you."
"Sakura," He said in a tired tone.
"Why are you pushing this?" He sighed.
"Alright. You're not off the hook yet." She nodded.
There was a pop, then a cloud of smoke in front of her.
"TonTon!" The pig ran forward and Sakura picked her up to nuzzle her nose.
"Buhi! Buhi Buhi!" Sakura frowned.
"I remember." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Buhi, Buhi Buhi! Buhi…" TonTon turned her head and shot a look at Kakashi. His other eyebrow was raised.
"Another?"
"Oink." And she disappeared in another pop and a puff of smoke.
"And you…understand what she says." Sakura looked at him quizzically.
"You don't?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"What did she say anyways?"
"She reminded me of my appointment at eight, and we have another meeting at three." Kakashi fell back on the couch and groaned.
"What's your appointment for?"
"Anbu stuff," She went back to her notes.
"They're assigning you a new partner?" She stopped again.
"Why would they do that?" She took the last swig of her beer.
"I'm not your captain anymore."
And then she choked.
Thanks guys for bearing with me! More reviews? I would appreciate them. Anyways, Nao is coming back in the next chapter. And yes, Sakura can understand TonTon as well as Shizune and Tsunade can. 'Cause they're awesome.
Remember….Review!
-Keoo19