That's MY Book!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. As if you didn't already know.

A/N: Mmm... cookies.... Oh yeah. And I, uh, didn't update before cuz... you see... I got... er, lost. Yeah. Haha. That's it. Lost in my own house.

Sakura: -gives incredulous stare- "Yeah, you've definately hung around Kakashi too much."

Kakashi: -looks indignant- "I could've come up with a better excuse than THAT."
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Kakashi and Sakura stared. Itachi glared back. Which only caused more staring.

"That's a good one." Sakura laughed half-heartedly, "You... sponsoring a mission..."

"Uh... Sakura...? I don't think he's joking."

Itachi backed Kakashi's statement as he growled, "I. Don't. Joke."

"But you ARE a liar." A new, more gravelly voice drolled from the shadows.

"EH?!?!" Sakura jumped up, green eyes staring as the maroon haired sand nin came sauntering out of the treeline. It felt like her jaw would drop right off, "G-Gaara?!"

'Itachi?! And Gaara?!? HERE?' Sakura tried madly to figure out how this could happen. How they could both be here when she and Kakashi just happened to be out on their mission. HOW was it possible?

"I sponsored the mission." Gaara said, his voice still monotone but spiced with a hint of indignation.

"Whatever." Itachi growled, turning his gaze pointedly away from the Kazekage.

'Hmmm, NOW I see what Tsunade meant when she said the origin of the mission was unbelievable....' Kakashi's thoughts murmured to himself, 'And she said the word twice...'

Sakura's thoughts, on the other hand, ranged from 'WHAT THE HELL' to... well, actually, that was about it. Except in a more repetitive style.

Gaara chose to remain standing, his stance stiff. He couldn't BELIEVE he was working with the likes of Itachi. The silver haired jounin and the loud chuunin he could stand. They were allies to the Sand Village after all. But a member of the Akatsuki? The Uchiha clan psycho? Well, not that Gaara hadn't had his own share of pyschotic tendencies in previous years... but that was only because of his fucked up past and the demon inside of him. But still...

Sakura's eyes were wide. She was glad Gaara was here. He was on THEIR side, at least. But the Uchiha boy... he was a sort of unpredictable element. Kakashi remained his usual calm self, his eye half-lidded in his lazy composure. Yet underneath it all, he was observing both newcomers warily. Were they who they claimed to be? Could he trust them?

Sakura glance shifted among them. Itachi was glaring into the fire. Gaara was glaring off to the side, into the forest. And Kakashi was lazily observing the two across from them.

'So they're here for the mission, huh?' Sakura frowned, 'Then why is it I'm still out of the loop?'

"Is someone gonna tell me what the mission is about?" Her creased frown remained, her gaze darting from the jounin sitting beside her and the two across the fire. Her anger slowly grew as the silence stretched. Itachi didn't even bother to look at her while Gaara gave her a slightly brow-raised look.

For the first time since Itachi had appeared, Kakashi allowed a real grin to appear on his face. Grabbing the surprised pink haired chuunin by the waist, he pulled her down beside him. Acting by instict, he placated her anger with a chaste kiss on the lips.

Sakura blinked. Did he just kiss her? In front of Gaara and Itachi??

"You know, you're cute when you're mad." Kakashi grinned like an idiot.

The chuunin's face burned just as red as the flame flickering before them. It didn't help any that Gaara had watched the whole scene. And it especially didn't help when Itachi chose that exact moment to look at them over the fire. His brow was raised in a mirror action of his younger brother.

Sakura blushed harder. 'Why? Why is this happening to me?' She would have felt more comfortable buried a few thousand feet under the ground. Inside a cramped cavern with no light. With rats. Okay, not with rats. Maybe worms? Yuck, no. Not even as a second option.

Growling, the kunoichi turned to face Kakashi, only to fall victim to his skillfully laid trap. She fell right into his waiting lips, kissing him. Blinking furiously, she tried to pull back to yell at him, but his other hand had slipped just behind her head, effectively keeping her from escaping. This time Sakura growled right into the kiss, her lips parting a bit. Unfortunately for the kunoichi, this was just the moment the jounin was waiting for. His tongue delved into her mouth, deepening the kiss as he did so. She gasped a bit at this, making Kakashi grin as he continued kissing her.

'What about the Kazekage and the psycho Uchiha?' She wondered worriedly. At which point Inner Sakura charged in, 'Who the heck cares?! Let them watch. Just KISS Kakashi back! Show him what you're made off!!'

Sakura grinned into their kiss. She couldn't just LET the jounin outdo her.

So she did what her insticts told her to. She pulled Kakashi slowly to the ground and kissed back. Kakashi's barely visible brow raised underneath the forehead protector, surprised by this side of Sakura. He didn't think she would be so bold, especially in front of two other shinobi. What had started with a chaste kiss soon deepened even more, their hands starting to wander.

Gaara blinked. Though he knew it would be appropriate to look away, his eyes didn't seem to agree. Itachi, on the other hand, was bluntly staring. The Kazekage shifted his gaze to the Akatsuki member. Noticing the disapproving glare, Itachi turned his own gaze towards the sand nin.

Ignoring the two shinobi making out to his left, Gaara questioned, "What are you doing here, Itachi?"

"I could ask the same." Uchiha Itachi stated curtly, his fingers steepled sharphly in front of him, elbows resting on his outstretched knees.

Having nothing else they wished to discuss, the Kazekage and the missing nin decided to ignore eachother. The only thing left, then, was to wait for Sakura and Kakashi to come back up for air. Or regain their senses and stop the kiss. Whichever came first.

A few minutes passed.

Gaara found it very hard to ignore the moaning. VERY hard. He remember the last time he had found them in this predicament, kissing as if their life depended on it. He had been so shocked. So damn surprised. It wasn't too horrible that he had basically dumped a nest of fire ants on top of both of them, right? I mean, come on, the Kazekage was confused. He panicked. Dropping biting insects on top of the steaming shinobi seemed like the most reasonable thing to do. Not only would it distract them from continuing to kiss in front of Gaara, but he would also discover whether or not the ants would be fried on contact. The shinobis' bodies, after all, had seemed to be producing an insane amount of heat. He could sense these things.

Like how they were producing a lot of heat now.

He hadn't MEANT to put that much fire ants on them. But now, thinking about it, maybe he hadn't put enough.

A few more minutes passed.

Itachi was back to glaring at them over the fire. Though he made sure it just looked like he was glaring IN the fire so the Kazekage wouldn't bitch at him. What were those two idiot shinobi doing anyway? They were on a mission. A mission of importance. And it was important because it had been ITACHI'S idea. THAT's right. Itachi's idea. And damn well no one else better think or say otherwise. How was he supposed to know that saying he had sponsored it wasn't the same thing. I mean- er, how could he, uh, NOT know. I mean... heh heh, the great Itachi couldn't possibly NOT know the definition of the word 'sponsor'. He's a missing nin. He's powerful. He's feared, definately feared.

And he doesn't quite know what the word 'sponsored' means.

'DAMN IT'. Itachi glared coolly, fingers tightening. 'I DO know what it means. I'll just... ask what the others think it means later. Wait, did I just say ask? HA! I'll demand to know what they think, or else... I'll kiss them to death. Damn straight.'

Itachi blinked. He looked calmly, collectedly, over his thoughts. No need to rush. Except for the fact he had just associated the word KISS with himself. The mighty missing nin and Akatsuki member. HOW could that have happened?!

Of course, it couldn't have anything to do with how he was watching Kakashi and Sakura make out like there was no tomorrow. And that he was wondering what it would feel like to be in the kunoichi's arms like that...

An hour passed. At LEAST.

Gaara didn't know why Itachi continued to curse under his breath. Or why his hands were clasped so tightly together that his knuckles where a deathly white from cut off circulation. Of course, the sand nin wouldn't mind if the 24 year old Uchiha had his fingers fall off. All the more easier to kill him later on, when they weren't working together.

The sand nin's light green eyes narrowed. Why was he working with the Akatsuki member again?

'Hmm... best not to dwell on it now...' He decided, turning towards Sakura and Kakashi.

At which point, he blanched. They were still freakin' kissing!!! HOW was that possible?! HOW?!?!

His gears were turning as to what horrible horde of insects he would use his sand powers to gather for him next, when a decidedly calm voice spoke up from his right.

"Would you like some tea." Okay. So the voice was NOT calm. It was as taut as a strained violin string.

But still.

Gaara couldn't help but stare at the missing nin. Had Itachi just asked if he would... LIKE some TEA?! Wait... no. That couldn't be it. There were no question marks after his statement. So it couldn't possibly be a question. Grr, damn Itachi and all his non-question marking ways.

"Do you want it or NOT?" Itachi growled. He was a patient man. Sometimes. He threw the tin cup at the maroon haired sand nin, which Gaara caught out of reflex.

Gaara's light green eyes darkened. Damn the arrogant bastard.

Gaara sipped, his gaze narrowing.

Damn Itachi. Damn him and his damn good tea.

Finally.... FINALLY... after two more hours, Kakashi and Sakura broke up their kiss. They couldn't go any farther, after all. At least, not with an audience. A little lightheaded, the two Shinobi turned back to their current comrades. CURRENT. Because they still realized they might have to kill Itachi if he turned on them.

A dopey grin was plastered on Kakashi's face. Sakura's face was flushed, her lips a tad bit puffier due to the prolongued kissing. Who knew you could kiss someone for that long? Well, thanks to them, now four people knew.

That's when Sakura's green orbs caught sight of Itachi's tin cup. In Gaara's hands. She blinked.

Sighing audibly, Sakura stated, "Why are you guys drinking Itachi's tea? You know he could've poisoned it, right?"

Itachi fastened his dark gaze on hers. Sakura's breath caught. Had she offended him and made him go psycho? Giving them the chance to kill him off?

"Do you not like tea?"

No. Darn.

Gaara's nonexistant brow raised. Had Itachi asked a question? At the same time, Itachi realized it himself and scowled. But it didn't matter now. What would Sakura say in reply to his ques-er, statement?

"I like tea." Sakura said guardedly.

Itachi was suddenly in front of her. He had moved so quickly no one had seen it. He was crouched, eye level with her. His voice was suddenly low.

"Do you now...?" The dark haired Uchiha said, too close for comfort.

And it didn't help the kunoichi that he just moved closer...