That's MY Book!

Disclaimer: Uhh... if I stop writing that I don't own Naruto, will anyone forget? This IS the 23rd chapter, after all.

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"WHY do we have to change rooms??" Sakura asked with a drawn out sigh.

"Maybe if someone's laughing fit hadn't entirely destroyed the room we were in, we wouldn't HAVe to change rooms." Kakashi stated dryly.

"Well then, why are we walking all the way across town to get another room?" Sakura asked, playfully jumping on top of Kakashi from behind in hopes of making him fall flat on his face.

But the silver-haired nin just kept on walking on the dusty road, equally oblivious to the stares he was getting as much as he ignored the lithe bundle of pink-haired kunoichi currently sitting on his shoulders.

"Because I'm hoping the inn all the way on the other side of this small town hasn't already heard of the mess you made. All the inns surrounding the one we were in already heard and won't even look at us much less open their doors." Kakashi explained in a droll tone, not even bothered by here small weight at all.

Sakura sighed. Loudly.

Taking that as his cue, Kakashi inquired absentmindedly, "What is it, Sakura?"

"Do we HAVE to share a room with those two??"

"If we don't, that's more money out the funds for this mission."

"So?" Sakura whined.

It was Kakashi's turn to sigh. He knew how persistant the leaf nin could get.

A few feet behind them trailed the firey-headed Kazekage, and a few more steps back and to the side walked a sullen Itachi.

"I don't believe it. First she gets us kicked out and now she acts all carefree?" Itachi muttered under his breath, eyes narrowed as he glared holes into the backs of Kakashi and Sakura.

"Why do you care?" Gaara commented off-handedly, glancing sideways at the Uchiha beside him, "One inn's the same as the next."

Unable to think of a good comment, his tone bitter, Itachi shot back, "Why do you care that I care, sand freak? People think you're a monster, don't they? Even now. What good would your advice do me?"

Gaara didn't even flinch. He simply stated aloud, "My family tried to kill me and you actually murdered your own." With a gaze that could crack stone and pierce your soul, Gaara focused his green eyes on Itachi, "Who, I wonder, is the real monster?"

That said, Gaara faced forward and continued walking. Without having said a word, Itachi knew the Kazekage had ended the conversation. To try and start it again would seem childish.

"Whatever." Itachi muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he continued his walk in silence.

"You know... despite appearances sake, I actually have my hair messed up just the way I like it." Kakashi commented, his half-lidded eyes opening wide enough for him to stare dully at the face looming over his head.

Grinning widely, Sakura practically crowed from her perch on his shoulders, her hands entangled in his hair as she leaned further forward to meet his eyes upside down, "Are you hinting at something, Kakashi?"

"I have no clue what you're implying, Sakura."

"Well... Kakashi, I think you're hinting that you don't want me... to do... THIS!"

With as much fervor as she possessed (which was a lot. HELLO, we're talking about Sakura here) the pink-haired kunoichi attacked the messy head of silver hair with her hands. But try as she might, after a few seconds the hair would always 'sproing' back to its original form.

"What the hell!" Sakura's eyes widened as she sat straight up, inspecting the hair from every angle possible from ontop of Kakashi's shoulders, "All right, what's up with your hair? Do you have uber amounts of gel in it or something?"

"Nope," Kakashi stated happily, his exposed eye curving into a smile, "No gel. It's against my religion."

"What?" Gaara questioned, utterly confused at what the jounin had just said.

With an exagerrated sigh, Kakashi looked over his shoulder, which was somehow more difficult due to the fact that Sakura was sitting on it, to look pointedly at Gaara, "Have you ever tried getting gel out of your hair?"

"Er... no?" The Kazekage answered, unsure.

"It's not hard to get out." Sakura said knowingly.

"Well, try doing it after the first few weeks." Kakashi said, facing forwards once more.

"Baka! What are you doing with the same gel in your hair for a few weeks?!"

"Sakura," Kakashi took the time to sigh deeply before continuing in a dry tone, "Obviously you haven't been listening to a WORD I've said. I don't have gel in my hair."

"Stop dodging the question!" Sakura berated, knocking him on the top of his head, "Why did you have gel in your hair for weeks?"

"Ow." Kakashi rubbed his head before replying, "I'm NOT dodging the question. That would imply that there is physically something to dodge and since a question is more or less intangible then I, therefore, cannot be dodging it."

"See? You're doing it again?" Sakura sighed audibly, beginning to climb down from his back, "You're almost as hopeless as Naruto."

"Almost, huh?" Kakashi questioned, pivoting around the moment Sakura's feet touched the ground. Not expecting that Kakashi would stop walking much less turn around, Sakura gasped in surprise as she stopped a split second from walking right into him.

Unfortunately, a well-placed stone that was on the ground, TOTALLY not put there for the conveniance of the author, made Sakura trip over her own feet and stumble forward.

A breath later, Sakura found herself in the embrace of one warm, muscled, silver-haired jounin. And it was a position Sakura felt comfortable and safe in.

"Almost as hopeless?" Kakashi drolled, looking Sakura in the eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Even with everything they'd been through, Sakura found herself fighting down a blush from rising. Unfortunately, inner Sakura was just as subdued by Kakashi's closeness as outer Sakura, and the blush won hands down.

Kakashi smiled and Sakura had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

Not to be outdone, Sakura snaked her hands around his neck, glad he wasn't too tall for her to do that as she said slyly, "Well... if you're gonna take that... then I guess I'll take this."

Standing on her tiptoes, Sakura pressed her petal soft lips against those of the pleasantly surprised Sharingan-user Kakashi.

"Get a room." Itachi muttered as he walked past.

Breaking the kiss immediately, the two leaf-nins glanced around in surprise.

Itachi was throwing a heated glare back at them as he continued past. But Gaara was already yards ahead of them, appearing to not have stopped walking at all.

"Oh yeah... the room." Kakashi stated haltingly.

"Kakashi... why do you sound like you don't know what he's talking about?" Sakura asked, stepping back a step to eye him critically.

"Of course... I do... know what he's talking about, I mean..." Kakashi said in a tone that made both Sakura and Itachi disbelieve him even more.

"It IS the whole reason we're walking." Itachi stated, staring blankly at the silver haired jounin in their midst. 'Can this really be the infamous Copy-nin?' Itachi wondered, disgruntled.

"The room. The room? The.. uh... rooooom..." Kakashi said aloud, almost as if he was testing the feel of the words on his tongue.

Suddenly Gaara was there again, his gaze directed towards Kakashi though he wasn't really looking at him, "The room we need to get because the other was... demolished."

"OH," Kakashi perked up with a big smile, suddenly remembering, "THAAAT room. Of course I didn't forget." To which three pairs of blank stares met his single one, "... What?"

"Did you really have to say it like that?" Sakura asked, turning to Gaara, "I mean, come on... DEMOLISHED is a bit much, isn't it?"

"More like utterly destroyed." Gaara said.

Not going to let the red-head top him, Itachi added, "Or pulverized."

"Obliterated." Commented Gaara.

Itachi frowned, "Annihilated."

Still oblivious to the Uchiha's glare, Gaara added, "Or torn down."

"Or totally ruined." Itachi's fist clenched.

"Smashed." Gaara said.

"Trashed." Itachi shot back.

Sakura had been watching the display, eyebrow raised, but she could see Itachi was getting more than irritated now, for some odd reason. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Kakashi beat her to it.

"Now, now, children. Chill out. Relax. Stop blaming the poor Sakura who wrecked the entire room to a point where it's now beyond use." Kakashi said camly with a tint of the berating tone he would use on his students.

Of course, maybe he wouldn't be sounding so calm if he had noticed the pillar of fire that was Sakura behind him.

"Ka...KA...sHI!" Sakura practically thundered. Gaara could've sworn he saw lightning strike the spot Kakashi had been a second ago.

But all that remained was a wisp of dust. Which was soon explained if you followed it to find the dust trail that led to a familiar bob of silver hair speeding forwards a couple miles away.

"Come on. The unbought room waits for no one!!" Was Kakashi's barely heard and shouted excuse.

Itachi opened his mouth to address Sakura, but he was dumbfounded to find the one and only Kazekage dragging him away by his arm.

"What is the meaning of this!" Itachi demanded.

"If you're smart, you'll let her simmer for a while so she can cool down on her own later." Gaara said in a tone that let you know he meant what he said. Of course it was only slightly different from the monotone that he always uses, but who keeps track anyways?

Itachi was about to argue when all of a sudden he saw three trees to either side of the road instantaneously burst into flames, all three crumbling into ashes a blink later.

Snatching his arm back, Itachi sped up his pace and said, "Let's make sure the Copy-nin gets a decent room this time."

Gaara agreed with a grunt and followed suit.

Plopping herself down in the middle of the road, Sakura mumbled to herself, "See if that Baka will be getting a kiss from ME ever again."

Miles away and in front of an inn at the furthest edges of town, Kakashi suddenly had a bad feeling. Maybe he shouldn't have provoked Sakura so much.

"All I did was tell those two boneheads to stop fighting." Kakashi sighed aloud.

Beside the entrance, an old man perked up and commented, "A women, eh? Those are tricksy creatures, those are. But if you spare a few moments of your time, I can give you the secret of them vixens. The secret is-"

But Kakashi was already gone inside the inn.

The old man shrugged, "Your loss."