Sakura gaped at Kakashi.

He had pants.

Of course Kakashi had retained his bag, taking it with him when he left, the jerk! He had pants and he had just put Sakura through the embarrassment of- err.

She glared at her food with some indigence, grudgingly eating it as she snuck smoldering glances at the giggling Kakashi who was so far indulged in his book he hadn't touched any of the food before him.

Of course, he might have been waiting for her to distract herself so he could eat in privacy.

She wanted to punch him, but knowing that would be a bad idea in a fairly crowded place while they where being hunted… she opted for glaring at him and hopefully making him suffer some sort of hunger from her continuous gaze.

He wasn't even looking up from his damn book. Emerald eyes narrowed.

"Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi glanced up from his book at his suspiciously calm sounding female companion, "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly, "I don't suppose you would hand over those pants would you?"

Kakashi blinked his singular gray eye at her.

Sakura remained impassive.

"Sure, you can go change in the bathroom."

Was it her or did he sound a little bit too cheery for his own good? He probably was waiting for her to leave so he could eat.

Sakura sighed, knowing she had better take the pants and go before she decided to try and pick a fight with Kakashi. She had always had Naruto to distract her from Kakashi's ridiculous reading habits and Sasuke's annoyingly frequent grunts.

Kind of ironic, she thought, his mannerisms were annoying now… but that was beside the point. Sakura looked at Kakashi expectedly.

Kakashi was back to reading his book.

Sakura tapped her foot on the ground a few times; Kakashi glanced back up at her.

"Hmm…oh… right, just take the pack."

And with that Sakura was up and out of the bench being handed the pack as she huffed away from the annoyingly calm and forgetful copy-nin, now she knew for sure why he was always late.

Negligence.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

And she thought the outfit with the shirt, er…, skirt…dress, yeah, dress, alone was bad.

Sakura had managed to pull Kakashi's pants up high enough and roll them enough that they where tight around her hips and thighs and in stuffing the remainder of the pants in her boots the pants actually looked like they fit.

Wrapping the top of the pants with bandages she had found in Kakashi's pack she had managed to flatten the rolled cloth against her stomach and sides so it didn't much show below the stretchy blue fabric of the dress.

The halter part of the dress left much to be desired for ninja wear but Sakura was just thankful the damn thing had a bra built in, bindings would look awfully strange at this point.

But then bindings wouldn't look all that strange with her hitai-ate.

Her hi… tai… ate…

Oh boy.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Somewhere in the mountains, stopped at a stream, Naruto knelt on the ground trying to help Pakkun get his jacket back on after assisting the little pug with his wrappings, Pakkun used his little doggy paws to adjust his jacket before nodding at the repaired look of things.

"Wonderful and if you'll just hand me my hitai-ate Naruto-kun."

Naruto scratched his cheek, "Uh, sure Pakkun, but, er, which one is yours?"

xoxoxoxoxox

Sakura let her head fall forward and smack the mirror in the ladies bathroom, surprisingly it wasn't that bad of a bathroom, she supposed since mostly woman worked there they would be the ones to use it most often.

Sakura pulled herself away from the mirror and stared forlornly at the bangs framing her face and hair falling a little ways past her shoulders.

It was so going to get in her eyes, she just knew it, and when it did and she made a move to shove it out of the way Kakashi would notice she had gone and handed over her hitai-ate to Naruto, if he hadn't already noticed…

Maybe she was overreacting, I mean, Kakashi wasn’t Sasuke after all, he wouldn't belittle her for doing something so foolhardy right? I mean, it wasn't like she had left it back at the hotel…

Right?

She was just having a bad week…

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Kakashi glanced up the moment Sakura stepped out of the dark little corner the bathroom was in and immediately had to do a double-take.

Why was it that now that she had her legs covered she seemed to be drawing more attention then when she had them bared?

Very possibly it was the confidence she exuded as she walked through the room of smoke and shadow kissed bodies.

The easy way she just maneuvered past the waitress and a few chairs, the way she held her head and extended her strides towards the table.

That or it was the fact she had really great cleavage.

Kakashi turned his attention to the book in his hand and tried to get back to the paragraph he had been previously reading, but the combination of smoke, darkness and the sudden shift of blue in front of him proved to be too much of a distraction.

Sakura slid into the bench beside Kakashi and sighed, shoving the pack back under the table with her foot.

"Soooo, what's the plan?"

"Hmm, and what plan would that be?"

Sakura gave Kakashi a blank look.

"Kakashi…don't screw with me, what's the plan?"

Kakashi chuckled, "My goodness Sakura, you have quite the mouth on you, I don't think I ever noticed with drowning out Naruto and Sasuke's yowling all the time."

Sakura stared at the sliver haired man across from her, stared… not looked at or regarded, stared.

He had openly admitted to ignoring Sasuke and Naruto, which meant he ignored her too, not that she didn't know that but admitting it was something completely different, it was okay when he was 'absorbed' in his reading, but actually openly ignoring them…

"You know, I don't think I ever noticed in all the years of being on a team with you how negligent you are!"

Kakashi feigned a hurt look, "Negligent? Why Sakura-chan how could you say such a thing?"

Sakura regarded him suspiciously, "When's my birthday?"

"March 23."

Emerald eyes sharpened, "You only know that because you memorized our files, what's my favorite color?"

Kakashi sighed and sunk in his seat some, "Is this really the time? Don't you want to hear about my amazing plan?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously, "What's my middle name Hatake? That's not in the file and Naruto and Sasuke and even Sai know it."

Kakashi tilted his chin down and Sakura could see the curve of his lips through his mask and the straight planes of his nose, he had strong cheek bones and probably very noble features under his mask.

Emerald stared gray down until finally Kakashi visibly drooped, "Fine, fine, you don't have a favorite color because you have a silly notion that it will hurt the other colors feelings or something of that nature, I know because Naruto pestered you about it all through that mission two weeks from last Sunday, you don't have a middle name because your mother and father couldn't decide on one and just never got to giving you one.

I know this because you and Naruto where talking about the meaning of names to Sai last month. And personally I think indecision runs in the family…"

Kakashi glanced up at his pink haired companion to see her grinning widely at him, "Awww, Kakashi, I knew you eavesdropped on our conversations! I kinda feel special now."

Kakashi sighed, "Yes… well, anyway… about that plan?"

Sakura tilted her head to attention and Kakashi leaned back in his seat, straightening, "I say we take off tonight, head north and travel till daylight, once we reach midway up the mountain we send our trails off in multiple directions to confuse anyone following us, that way when we double back and continue on around the mountains anyone trailing us will be headed in a wild goose chase, and with any luck Naruto and Sasuke's trail will keep them searching the mountain passes while we make our way back to Konoha. Any questions?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "How much of a lead do we have on these guys?"

Kakashi glanced up at the ceiling, "Oh, I'd say…if they went after Naruto and Sasuke's trail then we don't have anything to worry about, if they didn't… then we should probably get moving."

Sakura glanced at the shady room around her, "Gee, can't say I'll miss it here, can we go now?"

Kakashi chuckled.

xoxoxoxoxxo

Sakura paused on the branch of the tree as thunder cracked above them and some ways ahead of them, the trees where becoming sparser as they went higher toward the mountain top.

She knew they needed to continue to the base of the tree line to start scattering their trails, but with the scarcity of the trees and ever growing rockiness of the terrain she was beginning to have second thoughts on anyone being ballsy enough to follow them into the mountains.

Kakashi paused a ways ahead of her, "Sakura, you feeling alright?"

Sakura glanced back up at Kakashi, "Kakashi, what is it that allows so many nuke-nins to gather in one place? Why doesn't a hidden village intervene?"

Kakashi sighed and dropped down from the tree he was in; Sakura dropped down from her tree and approached him, stepping over the rocky ground to stand before him in the darkness.

"It’s the mountains, the mountains block off a large area from any hidden village, any legitimate hidden village anyway, it’s a breeding place for scum and corruption because its hard to send large groups of ninja, or any group at all here and allow them to separate and still communicate."

Sakura frowned, "Why is that?"

"The mountains interfere with communication, not only that but the area in general has a pretty bad name, not so much the part we where in but… parts."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as Kakashi trailed off, "What's so bad about them exactly, about us being pursued? Not like it hasn't happened before," Sakura's eyes narrowed, something was up, "You know something don't you? About why this mission is so weird?"

"Not exactly… only rumors…"

Sakura's frown deepened and eyebrows drew down, "What kind of rumors."

It wasn't a question.

Kakashi let out a sigh and shifted to look over his shoulders at the storm brewing up the mountain a ways.

"Most of the nuke-nin around here are head hunters, they do anything for a quick buck, anything to survive, and to discourage ANBU and other head hunters they like to catch shinobi and… make examples of them."

Sakura felt her mouth draw into a frown and goose bumps break out on her arms, "Examples?"

Kakashi looked over at the emerald eyed female, "You're a smart girl Sakura, you figure it out."

Sakura swallowed, "So… this whole time… there wasn't a 'we might be pursued so let's split up' it was really 'we have a better chance of surviving if we slow them down' two to one chance."

Kakashi shrugged, "I didn't want to worry you."

Sakura felt her blood boil for a second, worry her, worry her!? Hatake Kakashi wasn't one to sugar coat things, he was… he was handling her with… with… kid gloves!

Sakura's eyes narrowed, "Wonderful, next time Tsunade threatens to ban Icha Icha from Konoha I'll be sure not to tell Jiraiya so that he doesn't disappear for a while to let Tsuande cool down, because, let's face it, I wouldn't want him to worry about the future of his book."

Sakura stepped past Kakashi and started her way up the mountain, "Or the next time a patient comes into the hospital and has a higher chance of contracting a virus or disease I'll just not tell them so they don't have to worry about getting the vaccination."

"Heck, while I'm at it I might as well cut off all my hair so I don’t have to worry about humidity."

Kakashi's hand came up a little as Sakura passed him, "Uh, Sakura, Tsunade really wasn't talking about banning Icha Icha was she?"

Silence met his inquiry, "Sakura?"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"That should about do it, don't you think?"

Kakashi stood by Sakura at the base of the mountain, back on the trail from where they started, Kakashi glanced around them rather impressed.

"Very nice, I don't quite remember teaching you that one."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me, mister copy-cat, but that-" Sakura motioned with her hand, "Was a Haruno original, and yes, you may be impressed."

Kakashi glanced over at Sakura through the corner of his eye, "Cocky are we?"

Sakura sniffed, "I'd like to see you do better."

Kakashi glanced at Sakura's not so obvious chakra trail leading up the mountain, it wasn't the chakra trail leading up that was so impressive though, it was that any ounce of chakra leading down was hidden perfectly within the confines of the former chakra trail, there was no way to know she came back down, in fact, if he had been tracking her by chakra he'd have been sure she went up the mountain and didn't come back down. Not this way at least.

His own was nearly indistinguishable, only an extremely talented chakra tracker would question it, but not with Sakura's nearly perfect trail leading away beside his.

"I should go on missions with just you more often," Sakura grinned at Kakashi, "Is it because I'm cuter then the others?"

Kakashi chuckled and the corner of his eye crinkled with laughter, "Not quite, but if it's any compensation you do smell better then them."

Sakura snorted as she and Kakashi resumed walking on the trail, mixing themselves in with the travelers before them, hiding in their trail and leaving none of their own, "That's because Naruto and Sasuke won't bath anywhere near each other after that incident with Sai last month."

"Oh and which one was that?"

"Oh you know, the one where Sai asked if Sasuke was the woman in the relationship because Naruto had a-"

"I think-" Kakashi cut in quickly, "I was elsewhere for this conversation…how exactly did you hear it?"

Sakura raised her eyebrow at Kakashi a wicked grin on her lips, "You don't think it's suspicious that you never hear girls speaking in more then a whisper at a hot spring?"

Kakashi gave her a weary look, "Not particularly…"

Sakura grinned, "It's because sound travels over those thin dividers," Sakura giggled, "Guys have the weirdest conversations when they think they're all by their lonesome."

"Let me get this straight, you eavesdrop at hot springs? You're almost as bad as Jiraiya…"

"Hey, it's not my fault Naruto has a loud mouth, you can hear him from the dressing rooms!"

Kakashi gave her a blank look, Sakura flushed, "What? What!? No seriously you can!"

"Mm, hmm."

"Kakashi! It's true!"

"Kakashi!"

xoxoxoxoxxox

Sakura stepped silently beside Kakashi, after a while of bantering back and forth both had fallen into silence, it was too dark for Kakashi to read still and a cold front was heading in, it had been a few hours since they had left from the mountain trail they had detoured at to throw off their pursuers.

Sakura took in a deep breath and winced, her body wasn't all that happy with her, she loathed the moment she was forced to use chakra in a large amount, it was one thing to gain her chakra back, it was a whole new ball game when she had to use it in a large quantity for the first time after gaining it back.

It was kind of like trying out a new work out, at first it was nice to have variety after the same thing over and over, and then the next day you remembered exactly why you did the same thing over and over, because some muscles didn't like to be worked.

Sakura took in another deep breath and released it, the sound bordering on a sigh. She was bored.

There, she thought it.

She wouldn't say it out loud, but she missed Naruto and Sasuke's banter, or at least… she missed Naruto's loud bantering at Sasuke, it was like he was trying to make up for every second they had lost during their younger years.

Sakura thought it was kind of sweet.

For the first half an hour… then she admitted a break would be nice. But this…

This was a little much.

Kakashi was usually fairly silent on missions, usually reading his book, only speaking when necessary. Really if Sakura had to do this all the time she would bang her head into a tree, she didn't mind not talking, but she had nothing to do… nothing to listen too, nothing to read…

Sakura's steps slowed a bit at the thought, emerald eyes zeroed in on Kakashi's pack and she immediately felt sweat gather on her brow.

When she had been digging for pants… she had found a second Icha Icha book, the cover was pretty worn so obviously it was one of his favorites, so… it was probably pretty good, right? And if he had two books he wouldn't miss the other right?

And with them traveling so slow… she could get it out when they stopped next time, I mean, she was over eighteen so it wasn't like she was doing anything bad, right?

Sakura had never bothered reading the books, in fact, neither had Naruto and to her knowledge, though she could be wrong, nor did Sasuke.

She knew Sai did because he wanted to know what made them so popular, something about understanding pop culture.

Sakura hadn't tried to stay away from the books, she just been… kinda embarrassed, she'd read smut before, after all she'd practically read every book in the Konoha libraries and some romance books could put Icha Icha to shame… or so she'd heard.

Sakura swallowed her suddenly dry throat, it wasn't the thought of reading Icha Icha that had her so nervous.

No, it was the thought of stealing something of Kakashi's, but it really wasn't like she could just walk up to him and ask… he'd probably feel her head for a temperature then carry her back to Konoha so she wouldn't injure herself further.

Sakura was so absorbed in her thoughts of stealing from Kakashi that she hadn't noticed she'd stopped walking until she heard Kakashi clear his throat.

Sakura's face immediately flushed at his concerned look, "Are you sure you're alright Sakura?"

Sakura nodded her head vigorously and started forward again, "Um yeah, I just realized I'd handed my hitai-ate over to Naruto with Pakkun's clothes! Ahah…"

Sakura knocked lightly on her head with her fist, "Brain dead apparently…"

Kakashi rose an eyebrow, "Not the best thing to forget…but then it's not in the worst place..."

Sakura nodded her head, her thoughts miles away, if stealing from Kakashi had her this freaked out then maybe boredom was worth the peace of mind.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

A/n: Why… Sora-chan where did you go?

Why… I didn't go anywhere?

But, Sora-chan, why so long since an update?

O.o

runs