Double Edged

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is in response to an anonymous review that I received regarding the paintball scene in the last chapter. I just wanted to mention that ALL of the dates these two will be going on are based off of my OWN experiences, whether they were actual dates or just really fun times with friends. Of course these experiences will be tailored to fit with the Naruto verse, but they’re things I’ve done before and thought were a blast. Also, if you wouldn’t mind including a link to the fic you mentioned contained the paintball in it, that’d be great. I’m always looking for good fics to read! Thank you for the constructive review. Normally, I don’t tend to make review responses public, but in this instance I thought it necessary since I don’t want anyone else to think I ganked this from someone else’s fic.

Oh, and one final note of thanks to Godsspike for the AWESOME fan art! Go check out her website link to see it for yourself. It’s utterly drool worthy!

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Song Reference: Something To Talk About
Artist: Bonnie Rait
Lyrics: People are talkin’, talking ‘bout people/I hear them whisper, you won’t believe it/They think we’re lovers kept under cover/I just ignore it, but they keep saying/We laugh just a little too loud/We stand just a little too close/We stare just a little too long/Maybe they’re seeing something we don’t, darlin’
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Sakura shrieked as the curtains blocking her windows were suddenly shoved open to allow the early morning light to blind her through her closed eyelids. "INO! DAMN IT ALL!" she shouted as she whipped a small pillow in the direction of the other girl's snicker.

"What's wrong, Sakura, didn't get enough sleep last night?" Ino taunted as her roommate stuffed her head under the collection of pillows pushed to one corner. A wicked light came to her eyes as she wormed her hands under the blankets to latch onto Sakura's bare ankles.

"AHHH! COLD! Get 'em off me, Pig!" Sakura screamed, squirming and kicking to get Ino's ice cold hands off of her legs. Snarling, she twisted around until she was sitting up and grabbed another pillow to beat the evil blonde with. "You. Are. Sick!" Each word was punctuated with a blow from the pillow, forcing the other girl to retreat with her arm raised protectively. She only stopped when Ino moved out of range, laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world to put freezing cold hands on a sleeping person's ankles.

Huffing, Sakura flopped back on the bed and hugged the abused pillow to her chest, glaring as Ino all but howled with laughter. Her scowl turned into a look of homicidal intent when she glanced at the clock and saw it was only seven in the morning. Damn it, she had training with Tsunade today! She could have had an extra hour of sleep, but nooooo! Ino-Pig had to wake her up for the third time in one week!

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Ino very wisely opted to sit on the bench at the foot of Sakura's bed rather than on the bed itself. She knew very well what a chakra infused kick felt like and didn't really want to feel it again, thanks. "Well, what do you expect when you go straight to bed without telling me how it went?" she chided, her grin widening further at the furious glare from the pink haired girl. "C'mon, I'm dying to know what happened!"

"Then just go and die already," Sakura snapped back. "I'm tired and I've got my session with Tsunade-sama today. You're just damned lucky I don't sleep with a kunai!"

"You don't sleep with anything, Forehead," the blonde girl joked before ducking the pillow flung at her head. "Since you're already trying to seduce Kakashi-sensei, why don't you fix that and sleep with him while you're at it?"

"INO! OUT! NOW!"

Still chuckling, Ino stood and waved over her shoulder at the seething, trembling mass of rage that was Haruno Sakura. She knew when enough was enough. It was too bad Sakura didn't know how to take a joke. Now, she'd be damned lucky if she heard about last night's date. "Remember, we're going out for dinner tonight with Hinata. Don't be late, Sakura-chaaaaan!" Ino shut the door just in time to block the barrage of pillows flung in her direction.

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Stupid Ino... waking her up and saying things like that! Sakura's scowl deepened as she walked down the hall leading to the Hokage's office at a quick pace. Not only had she been woken up rudely again but now she was running late and as a result of that she hadn't had breakfast. Manipulating chakra first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and with a sleep deprived brain was not fun.

And now, thanks to Ino, she had that plaguing her thoughts. As if she'd have sex with Kakashi! Just who did Ino think she was talking to anyway? To actually suggest sleeping with Kakashi… She could barely get her head around the fact that she might actually have to kiss him! Not to mention all the rumors she was certain would be starting any day now. There was no way she could keep it a secret that she was dating Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Nin.

Sakura paused and took a deep breath to calm herself down before knocking on the door to the Hokage's office. A few seconds passed, which allowed her more time to cool off from her morning, when the door slid open as Shizune stepped back with a smile to let her in. Sakura blinked in surprise to see the Hokage's assistant back in the office. When had Shizune returned? "I didn't know you were back, Shizune!"

Laughing, the dark haired woman shrugged and nodded subtly back toward Tsunade. "I was here all yesterday straightening the office out. Remind me later to go over how exactly the Hokage's desk is to be organized so it doesn't get so disheveled, okay?"

"I will. I'm glad you're home. It wasn't too difficult was it?" Sakura stepped into the office and waited for Shizune to close the door.

Shizune's nose wrinkled as she teetered her hand back and forth. "It was a little difficult considering I haven't actually been on a mission in quite some time, but nothing too bad. The only real injury came at the end of the mission when one of my team mates twisted his ankle up pretty good. Unfortunately, my chakra was a little too low to do anything for him, so he had to make do."

"If you're done gossiping," Tsunade snapped from the general area of the couch that faced out toward the balcony. "I need a few words with Sakura alone. Shizune!"

"Yes, ma'am?" Shizune practically snapped to attention under Tsunade's sharp tone.

"Have the mission requests sorted and on my desk by five. I also want a written status report on the reconnaissance done at the borders of Mist by five as well, or there will be hell to pay. Oh, and one more thing... water. Lots of it. And get that before doing anything else."

Sakura and Shizune exchanged glances at the last request, the younger girl fighting not to smile while the older one shook her head disapprovingly. Whenever Tsunade made a request for water, lots of it, that meant she'd been drinking the night before and was trying to beat back the hangover. A little bit of chakra used at the temples would have worked just as well... but Tsunade didn’t have the focus to use it on herself and neither of her students had the compassion to do it for her.

Sighing, Shizune bowed in the general direction of where Tsunade was probably stretched on a couch and murmured, "Yes, Hokage." Still frowning, she edged out of the room quickly to get the requested water. The door closed softly after her, leaving Sakura alone with her hung over mentor.

"C'mere, Sakura. And keep your voice down," Tsunade practically groaned, her hand appearing over the back of the couch to beckon the girl closer.

Slightly irritated that Tsunade was in the condition she was, Sakura went over to her and stood before the prone woman. "Shishou?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a disapproving brow as Tsunade blinked blearily up at her.

"Oh, don't give me that look," the Hokage muttered grumpily. "It was a productive evening."

"Yeah, with a sake bottle," she snapped back. "Where did you find it anyway?"

Tsunade managed a brief chuckle and waggled her finger in Sakura's direction. "Wouldn't you like to know, Pink? There's no way I'm telling you. Next time, you won't hide it there!"

"Fine. Shizune-san and I will just go through every hiding place we have and find the one that's missing."

"...Damn."

Grinning at her teacher's dismay, Sakura sat on the edge of the table, purposely placing herself between Tsunade's squinting eyes and the sunlight streaming through the open balcony. The gesture wasn't at all lost on the older woman, who smiled her thanks and patted Sakura's knee in a display of affection. "Shizune opened them, claiming to get some fresh air in here. I think she just wants to make me suffer."

"Mm... maybe. So, what did you want to talk about, Shishou?"

Tsunade's eyebrows rose, her bloodshot amber eyes giving Sakura a surprised look. "What else would I want to talk about? How is it going with the mission I gave you?"

"Okay... I guess. I don't have any books yet, if that's what you want to know," she answered, running her finger tips back and forth along the edge of the tabletop idly.

"Shizune saw you last night with him. She said you two looked like splattered fireflies."

"She did not say that!" Sakura yelped indignantly. Then, it hit her what exactly Tsunade had said and all the fight was immediately sucked right out of her. She’d been seen on her date with Kakashi. Great... the rumors were going to start already. She was beginning to think a year of midnight shifts wouldn’t be that bad after all.

"Fine, fine, she didn't. I was paraphrasing, and keep your voice down. Sweet mercy..." Tsunade cringed, momentarily pressing one hand over her eyes to relieve the ache caused by Sakura‘s raised voice. "So," she continued after the headache resided to a dull throb. "I take it you're at least making some progress then?"

Sakura shrugged indifferently and continued rubbing her fingertips along the table top. "I guess. Last night was only the second date but he seems to be interested. It's just... Shishou, I don't think I can do this after all."

Tsunade smiled wryly and lifted her hand enough to meet Sakura's earnest gaze. "Are you saying you want to work all those graveyard shifts then?"

An angry red tinted her cheek as her green eyes snapped fiercely at the amused woman. "No, and it's really low to blackmail me like that!"

Completely unsympathetic, the Hokage sighed and patted Sakura's knee again. "If I didn't think you could do it, Sakura, I wouldn't have bothered asking. But my gut's telling me that something else is going on instead."

The silence and the deepening of color to her cheeks told Tsunade she was dead on. She couldn't help chuckling to herself despite the fact that it set her head to hurting once again. "Keep your head together, girl. It's not like you to get distracted so easily."

"I'm not distracted! What could possibly make you think that?" Sakura said, speaking much too quickly.

Tsunade smiled weakly again and was about to answer when Shizune slid the door open and came over with a large container of water in one hand and what looked like plain rice balls on a plate in the other. "We'll talk more later, Sakura-chan. Now, get out of here since I‘m not in any condition to teach you a blasted thing. And be here promptly tomorrow morning, got it?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," she muttered back, embarrassed once again that she’d been late in the first place.

“Out of all the habits of Kakashi’s to wear off on you, you had to choose his timing,” Tsunade teased, earning her a glare from her student.

Sakura chose just that moment to stand up and move out of the way, allowing the sunlight to hit the hung over Hokage's eyes dead on. The sharply inhaled hiss of breath and the choked off cursing made the girl smirk as she rounded the couch and headed for the door. Groaning and covering her eyes with her hand again, Tsunade waved Sakura off, uncaring that the girl was already half way across the room and moving quickly for the door.

As soon as the office door was closed again, Shizune cleared her throat as she settled the water and rice balls on the table within reaching distance of Tsunade. "Forgive me, Tsunade-sama, but I was wondering how you felt about Sakura-chan seeing Hatake Kakashi on a more personal level," she said quietly, standing a respectful distance away from the older woman with her hands folded before her neatly.

Arching a brow and lifting her head just enough to look at Shizune, Tsunade managed a very convincing look of surprise. "Why should I care one way or the other who she‘s dating? Seeing as I just heard about it from you, I haven‘t had the chance to even think about forming an opinion."

"I'm a little surprised you didn't know already. Considering that you changed her schedule around so drastically." There was a shrewd look to Shizune's dark eyes that said she guessed that the Hokage was somehow involved with the topic of discussion.

"A coincidence, I assure you. I thought perhaps she needed a small break from working so hard, but had I known she was using the time to play around I would have reconsidered. Well, so long as it doesn‘t affect how either of them perform for missions, I don‘t see why it should be a problem. However, if you want to invite Kakashi up for a talk..." She affected a wicked smile to let the other woman know just what kind of talk she was referring to.

A smile came to Shizune's face as her shoulder dropped ever so slightly. Giving a relieved sigh, she said softly, "Thank goodness! For a moment, I truly suspected that you had a hand in this rather sudden love match. Seeing as you didn't, I can't find an objection to Sakura-chan dating Kakashi-san.”

Smirking, Tsunade settled back against her couch again and draped her arm over her eyes. "We’ll just sit back and see what happens for now. And if he does something stupid… then we’ll step in. Sound good to you?"

“Yes, Tsunade-sama.“

Tsunade sat up slowly, wincing as the sudden change in altitude hit her aching head. She downed half the container of water in three large gulps, sighing contentedly as she sank back against the couch. “Since I’m obviously unable to oversee Sakura’s lessons today, she’s at your disposal. Use her how you see fit.”

Shizune smiled and bowed respectfully to the Hokage before leaving the office. Tsunade sighed again, this time out of relief. It had been a close call, but she’d miraculously escaped the morning without a lecture from Shizune about her habits. Perhaps there was a god after all.

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Shizune caught the door to the records room with her hip while adjusting her grip on the stack of charts tucked precariously against her chest. Sakura moved quickly by her, her lips pressed in a firm line of concentration as she hurried set the stack of charts on the table for sorting. Tsunade thought she was insane because she liked doing paperwork and organizing everything, but Shizune couldn’t help it. It was thrilling, in a way, to take the everyday chaos that was a hospital and force it into some semblance of balance and control.

Fortunately for her, Sakura had proven that she was just as precise about keeping things where they belonged as well. Whenever the girl wasn’t busy with her rounds at the hospital, she occupied herself with all the various organizational tasks that came with being a medic. It was a true blessing to Shizune that the Hokage’s apprentice wasn’t just another sixteen-year-old girl with little care for anything except her appearance. She’d been leery at first about taking on someone as young as Sakura… but Shizune was happy to admit she’d been proven wrong in that regard.

“Two more loads you think, Shizune-san?” Sakura asked with a huff of breath as she neatly separated her stack into two equal sized piles.

Shizune did the same with her charts as her lips twisted into a thoughtful pout. “Mm… Possibly. It might have to be three trips, but we can aim for two.”

Sakura nodded, though it was obvious from the disappointed flicker to her eyes that she’d been hoping for only two more. Sighing, she swiped her hands across her skirt and put on a cheerful smile. “Well, I suppose we should just get it all done and over with then!”

Smiling back, the older woman led the way from the storage room and back through the winding halls of the hospital to her own little office. Her office had been made even more cramped that week when the front desk workers had begun going through the charts up front to get rid of any irrelevant patient information. For some reason, everyone thought the unnecessary charts should be placed in her office rather than direction into the archival room. It was a very annoying habit but one Shizune and Tsunade both had failed to break everyone from.

This was why she and Sakura were now moving those charts to the archives room where they belonged. The archives room was located at a relatively unused wing in the hospital and was basically one gigantic room full of shelves. Each shelving unit of charts was organized between ninja and civilian. Both were organized alphabetically of course, but the ninja one was broken down even further by active, non-active and deceased. Every three years, the deceased category was weeded out and the oldest files destroyed completely after being read to make certain any unique procedures were documented into the master files.
Gathering that information from the charts had become Shizune’s long term goal as well as one of her favorite past times. It was so fascinating to her to read about the different techniques used to perform certain procedures. Genma thought there was something wrong about her enjoying her work to the point of bringing it home. If he only knew the amount of information that she’d uncovered though… well, he still wouldn’t be interested.

Shizune was just about to open her office door when someone called out from down the hall, “Shizune! Hey, do you have a minute?”

Motioning for Sakura to proceed her and load up with charts, Shizune turned to see who was addressing her. A bright smile spread across her cheeks when she saw Kurenai walking quickly toward her. Kurenai had been the first female friend she’d made upon returning to Konoha. The two of them had actually met at Asuma’s birthday almost a year and a half ago. While Genma and Asuma had been busy singing loudly (and off key) on top of the bar, she and Kurenai had sat at a corner table and pretended they hadn’t known either man.

“Kurenai, what a pleasant surprise,” Shizune greeted as the other woman jogged down the hall toward her. Sakura edged past them, glowering slightly when it became evident Shizune wasn’t going to be making this trip with her. Smiling to reassure the younger girl, she added, “I’ll take the rest of them, Sakura, if you want to get started sorting them out.”

Nodding her agreement and looking a little appeased, Sakura hurried down the hall with her bundle of charts.

“I was hoping to catch you before you were too swamped with catch up work,” Kurenai said a little breathlessly once Sakura was out of earshot. “Do you have a minute to spare?”

The slightly nervous look to Kurenai’s eyes made Shizune’s skin run cold. Something had happened. Something that had her friend scared to the point of looking like she was going to be sick. Nodding quickly, Shizune stepped inside her office and shut the door once Kurenai was inside. “What can I do for you, Kurenai?” she asked softly, guiding the other woman to one of the chairs with a gentle grip on her elbow.

The look on Kurenai’s face made Shizune swallow as she took the other seat. Her eyes, an unusual shade of brown that looked almost crimson in certain lighting, were wide and shining with unshed tears. While naturally pale, her cheeks were now almost ashen. Shizune’s stomach lurched with worry as she reached out and rubbed Kurenai’s arm soothingly. “Hey... what happened?” she asked softly.

Kurenai swallowed heavily as she took a shallow, shuddering breath. “Shizune,” she began in a choked voice. The area around her eyes was beginning to redden, as was the tip of her nose as she sniffled. Shizune reached out and settled her arm around Kurenai’s shoulders, offering whatever comfort she could while her friend struggled to find her words.

“Kurenai, what is it?” Shizune pressed as she knelt in front of her friend and began stroking her soft, curling hair away from her face gently. It wasn’t like Kurenai to be so worked up. Whatever it was, it had to be pretty awful to get the normally collected woman to break down.

“I-I... Shizune, I think I might... I...,” Kurenai couldn’t finish what she was trying to say, opting instead to close her eyes and shake her head miserably. She wiped the back of her shaking hand across her eyes, her breaths coming in short, choked gasps that weren’t allowing her enough air to speak.

Fortunately for her, Shizune pieced together what she was trying to say. Eyes widening and her own breath catching a little, Shizune swallowed and nodded resolutely. “I see. How late are you?”

“Two weeks,” Kurenai answered quietly, her fingers twisting nervously into her skirt. “We were so careful, Shizune. Asuma and I... How did this happen?”

“Well... contraceptives aren’t completely foolproof. Especially if all you were using were condoms.” This was exactly why Genma not only used condoms when they had sex but why she was also religious about the chakra procedure that prevented pregnancy in women. Originally, it was used to protect women who were unable to give birth to children for medical purposes, but the procedure worked very well as a method of birth control as well.

Kurenai groaned and clutched her hands together in her lap so hard that her knuckles turned white. “Shizune... can you tell if... Is it too early to tell?”

Shizune smiled gently at the desperation on her friend’s face and used her thumb to wipe a few tears from her cheek. “No, it’s not. It can be tricky at such an early stage, especially if the mother’s chakra signature is particularly strong, but it is possible to detect the baby. Do you want me to try?”

Hesitating only the briefest of moments, Kurenai nodded and gave Shizune a weak twist of lips. Giving her cheek one final caress, Shizune settled her hand on Kurenai’s flat stomach and released the barest thread of chakra into the other woman’s body. Kurenai stiffened at first to the feel of someone else’s energy flowing inside her, but she forced herself to relax as Shizune began her examination.

Frowning in concentration, Shizune very carefully searched for signs of foreign chakra inside Kurenai’s womb. Part of why it was difficult to tell if a woman was pregnant through chakra use at such an early stage was because of how frail the new life was. Even the slightest imbalance in the energy surrounding it could harm it irreparably if done incorrectly. It required precision chakra control to do the task, which was something she excelled at.

Shizune’s eyes widened when she finally felt it, the barest spark that differentiated itself from Kurenai’s energy. It was so minuscule that had she not been looking for it she would have easily overlooked it. Pulling back her chakra as quickly and as carefully as she could, Shizune removed her hand from Kurenai’s stomach and met wide, anxious crimson toned eyes.

“Well?” Kurenai asked, though it was obvious from the paling of her skin that she already guessed the answer.

Shizune couldn’t have kept her smile back if she’d been inclined to try. “Kurenai... you’re a mother,” she breathed out excitedly. While children weren’t in her plans anytime soon, she was truly happy when people she knew would make wonderful parents conceived. Kurenai and Asuma were two of such people.

“I... I’m going to be a mother?” she whispered back, her own eyes widening as she pressed a hand to her stomach.

“Yes,” Shizune laughed, shaking Kurenai’s shoulder lightly to break her from her daze. “You’re going to have a baby! Kurenai, you have to tell Asuma!”

Kurenai blinked numbly, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “But... I’m a kunoichi. I can’t have a baby!”

“I hate to tell you this, but kunoichi have uteruses just like every other woman in the world. With few exceptions, we can still get pregnant.”

Her comment was met with an irritated roll of eyes. “That’s not what I meant,” the other woman muttered.

Shizune smiled and ignored her bad humor. “I know what you meant, Kurenai. You’re concerned about what to do about your job as a ninja.”

“Yes! I can’t go on missions with a baby in me!” Kurenai exclaimed. “I’m not even sure if they’d let me still teach. Maybe at the Academy level... I‘ll have to ask the Hokage about this. Eventually.”

Shizune couldn’t help smiling at her friend’s growing irritation with her condition as warmth filled her chest. “So you’re going to keep it then?” she murmured, drawing a startled look from Kurenai at her question.

“Of course I am! Why would you ever ask something like that?!”

Shrugging, Shizune rubbed one hand down her own arm as she glanced away sadly. “A lot of kunoichi opt to abort rather than give up on their life to raise a child. It’s more common than you might think, actually.”

Kurenai’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as Shizune continued to stare at the floor. “Did you have anything to do with that?” she asked.

Shizune shook her head and ventured a glance up at her friend’s face. “I’ve been asked more times than I can remember to simply ‘get rid of it’... but I’ve never gone through with it. How can I when the baby has no say in whether it will live or die? So, I’m sure you can understand why it makes me happy to hear you won’t be going down that road.”

Snorting as a rather intimidating look came to her face, Kurenai said fiercely, “There’s not a chance in hell of me getting rid of this baby. Asuma would never forgive me if I did anyway. Regardless of what he wants, I would never harm anything that he had a hand in creating. This is our baby.”

Laughing and dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve, Shizune stood up and pulled Kurenai to her feet. “Kurenai... you’re going to have a baby!” she repeated, this time with a good deal less awe and a great deal more happiness.

Kurenai grinned and hugged her arms across her stomach with a loving look to her face. “I honestly don’t know why I was so freaked out before, Shizune. But now... damn, I’m going to have a baby!” Her expression sobered briefly as she grabbed Shizune’s hand in a firm grip. “Don’t tell anyone, please. Not unless Asuma agrees to say something.”

“I understand,” she replied, patting Kurenai’s hand reassuringly. And she did, too. As the son to the former Hokage, Asuma was constantly under public scrutiny. Everything he did was watched very keenly by everyone within Konoha, especially those of higher ranking. It was one of the reasons that he and Kurenai had kept their relationship so secretive. They hadn’t even risked having a real wedding for fear of having their privacy invaded too much. It had been a simple exchanging of rings one evening with only their closest friends present to bear witness and nothing more. While Kurenai was by no means an unworthy match for Asuma, the village elders were keen to fix him with a woman of a more notable status.

Relief swept over her features before Kurenai leaned in and gave Shizune a warm hug. “Thanks,” she whispered before drawing back with a little laugh. “I guess now I have an excuse to eat all the ice cream I want.”

“Actually, did you know it’s not good for the baby to eat ice cream?” Shizune replied before grinning at the horrified look on Kurenai’s face.

“Don’t even joke about that! I will be eating ice cream, and if this kid has any problem with that... he can just deal with it!”

Shizune laughed and settled her arm around Kurenai’s waist as she guided the woman out of her office once again. “Spoken like a true mom, Kurenai!”

“Yeah... here’s hoping the dad is completely on board with this, too,” the mom-to-be muttered nervously. Shizune smiled and gave Kurenai a reassuring squeeze. She really couldn’t understand what the other woman was so nervous about. Asuma was a very caring and understanding man, from what she knew of him. She refused to believe he wouldn’t be thrilled to learn that they were going to have a baby.

Or... at least that’s what she was desperately hoping for, for the sake of Kurenai and the unborn child. The happy romantic in her was trying very hard to beat down the cynical medic that kept reminding her how a good portion of the kunoichi that had decided to keep the baby ended up doing so alone because their partner didn’t want any part of it. She sighed softly and continued to smile for Kurenai while praying with all her heart that Asuma wouldn’t shatter her opinion of him.

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“Sakura! Over here!”

Sakura scanned the crowded restaurant for where Ino’s voice had come from. She caught sight of the blonde wildly waving her hand from a corner booth and began making her way back toward their table. When she finally reached them, she purposely sat next to Hinata, smiling as the other girl gave her a shy greeting and obligingly moved over to give her room. Yes, she was still pissed about what had happened that morning and she wanted to make it very clear to Ino that she was.

Ino rolled her eyes and matched Sakura’s glare with one of her own. “Oh, please! Are you seriously still fuming over that?” she demanded irritably.

“Gee, what makes you think that?” Sakura shot back dryly.

“Come on! I was only kidding! Besides, Tsunade-sama cancelled the training today. So really, you shouldn’t be so sore seeing as you didn’t have anything to do today.”

“Just because I didn’t train with Tsunade-sama doesn’t mean I didn’t do any work, Pig,” the pink haired girl seethed. “I ended up running around with Shizune instead!”

Ino huffed and slumped back on her side of the booth, folding her arms under her breasts and scowling. Hinata, who very wisely opted to stay out of their spat, was gazing from one to the other with wide, startled eyes. It was always so frightening when those two were arguing. She really wished there was something she could do to ease the tension... but she didn’t want to interrupt and have that negativity turned onto her.

“I was only teasing you about sleeping with Kakashi,” Ino grumbled, causing Hinata to gasp and blush darkly at her words.

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT SAY THAT AGAIN!” Sakura shrieked, causing the people around them to stop everything and stare at their table nervously.

“And I don’t see what the big deal is!” Ino shouted back, slamming her palms on the table top hard enough to upset the salt and pepper shakers. Hands shaking a little, Hinata returned the shakers to their upright positions and shrunk as far as she could into the corner of the booth.

Sakura gave an annoyed growl and flopped back in her own seat. The angry puff of breath she released blew a few stray pieces of hair out of her eyes as she glared angrily at the wall. Ino in turn redirected her glare in the opposite direction, neither girl willing to talk any further.

Hinata shifted nervously in her corner and cleared her throat lightly as she prepared to cut into the tense conversation. “I-I’m sorry?” she whispered.

Both Ino and Sakura turned to look at her in confusion. Blushing and squirming a little under such close scrutiny, Hinata continued softly, “Maybe... we should reschedule? I-I don’t want you to feel obligated to be in each other’s company when you... well...”

Ino sighed heavily as her shoulders curled forward ever so slightly. A guilty look washed across her face as she mumbled, “No... We’re sorry, Hina-chan. This has nothing to do with you. See, Forehead here can’t take a joke-,”

“Hey!” Sakura snapped, her irritation returning instantly.

“-and I don’t know when to quit picking on her,” Ino finished, her blue eyes silently telling Sakura to shut up and let her finish speaking.

Sakura’s cheeks were a little pink as she caught her lower lip between her teeth and pressed her palms flat against the table top. “We didn’t mean to ruin dinner, Hinata,” she added.

“O-Oh! You didn’t,” Hinata said quickly, horrified at the very idea. “I...I still want to have dinner. If that’s alright?”

Grinning, Ino slid a menu across to Sakura and opened hers up to start looking over. “That’s more than alright with me! Though, I probably won’t eat that much. I’m trying to diet.”

“Again?” Sakura complained as she scanned her menu.

“Whaddya mean again? This is the same diet I’ve been on for the last six months!”

“If it hasn’t worked by now, don’t you think it’s kind of a bust?” the pink hair girl mused, her smirk hidden behind her menu. Retribution was such a lovely thing!

The grinding of Ino’s teeth could be heard over the sounds of the restaurant around them. “It is not a bust! The edame and tofu diet has been proven to work!”

“Then why bother looking at the menu at all if you’re just gonna get edame and tofu?”

“Because I like looking at the stuff I can’t eat, that’s why!”

Sakura made a disdainful sound at her reply. “Sounds a little masochistic to me,” she remarked coolly.

Hinata gave a startled ‘eep’ as Ino let out a low growl and leaned threateningly across the table. “Look, Forehead, you’re really pushing my last-,"

The waitress chose just that moment to come up to their table with a smile and a pad of paper for their orders. "Do you girls know what you'd like yet, or are you still looking?" she asked brightly.

"Well, I know what I'd like," Ino replied with a pointed look at her roommate. Sakura stuck her tongue out in retaliation before flipping through the menu quickly to pick something out. Smiling back at the waitress, the blonde said sweetly, "I'd like a plate of edame and tofu, please. Steamed."

Arching a brow and wearing an expression that said she was hoping Ino's order was a joke, she shook her heard and mumbled, "Of course. And for you?" She directed the question at Hinata, who gave a start at being addressed so soon.

"Oh... um, may I please have fried shrimp and miso soup?" she asked as she handed the menu back to the waitress. The woman nodded and wrote the order down while Ino's nose wrinkled at the thought of fried food.

"And I'll have the... seaweed salad with chicken," Sakura finished, passing her menu to the waitress after she'd finished adding the order.

Smiling, the waitress said, "I'll get this going for you girls then." She hurried away from the table and disappeared behind a swinging door that led to the kitchen.

"Sooo... how's it going with Kakashi anyway?" Ino drawled, her eyes sparking mischievously as Sakura fixed a hard stare on her.

"Yes, I was curious about that as well," Hinata chimed in curiously, smiling softly. She never would have had the nerve to do what Sakura was doing. To seduce a man fourteen years her senior... No, she couldn’t do it. She was very curious to see how Sakura was handling the ordeal.

Sighing, Sakura leaned back against the booth and shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I mean, it's not like I have much to compare notes with since this is, like... the third guy I've ever dated. He's definitely more fun than I was expecting. And he doesn't act like a pervert either, which is beyond shocking, I know. Plus, he's... what?" She stopped when she noticed her two companions gaping at her.

"Sakura... do you actually like Kakashi?" Ino asked as a slow, knowing smile began to curve across her lips.

Sakura scrunched her nose at the idea and resisted the urge to kick Ino under the table. "Just because I said he was fun that doesn't mean I like him! Geeze, Ino..."

"I'm just saying, it sounds a bit like you do from the way you were talking about him. Don't you agree, Hina-chan?"

Hinata gave the barest of nods, flinching a little as Sakura let out an exasperated groan. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I agree with Ino. I-It does sound a bit like you...well..."

"Aw, come on, you guys!" Sakura exclaimed, propping her elbows on the table to hide her face in her palms. "All I meant was that dating him isn't as bad as I thought it would be. That doesn't mean I wanna have sex with him! Besides... I'm not sure the plan is working anyway."

Ino paused in sipping her water to give Sakura's covered face a confused look. "Huh? Why not?" she asked.

Sakura lowered her hands to the tabletop and sighed dismally. "How am I supposed to get those stupid books without him noticing?"

"Sakura. You've only gone on two dates. You have six months to get Icha Icha. There's plenty of time to make this work," Ino reasoned.

"She's right, Sakura," Hinata agreed, smiling reassuringly as Sakura glanced her way. "In order for this to work, you must earn his trust. That's something that takes a little time."

"I knooooow," the pink haired girl groaned. "But I don't think he'd just let me have them even if I gained his trust. Look at what he did to Genma, and they're friends!"

Ino rubbed her eyes as a small migraine began to take shape. Great... just what she didn't need right then! "We'll think of something, don't worry. Just don't get frustrated and try to make a move too- you did, didn't you? You tried to get a book already?" It was the grimace on Sakura's face that prompted Ino to ask.

Sakura's cheeks rivaled her hair for color as she mumbled, "Maybe." Then, in a louder voice and as if she were trying to defend herself under Ino's disparaging expression, she added hastily, "But it didn't work, and I covered it up!"

"What did you do, exactly?" Ino demanded.

"Well... last night, we played paintball tag," she began, shifting a little under Ino's stern gaze. "And at one point, he was hugging me-,"

"-He... He did?" Hinata interrupted, her eyes rounding in surprise.

"-Not like a real hug, Hinata," Sakura corrected. "It was more like we were wrestling and he kind of... I don't know, was trying to pin me. Anyway, while he was doing that, I went to grab the book from his back... and it wasn't there."

"Wait... he didn't have it?! He always carries that thing with him!" Ino interjected. Hinata's eyes had gotten impossibly wider and her jaw was slack from shock.

"I know!" Sakura replied, just as shocked as her companions were. "So, just in case he noticed I was searching for something, I pretended I'd checked his supply of paintballs. Thank God he really was empty, otherwise I would have been so screwed!"

Ino snorted, a small smile touching her lips as she shook her head in amazement. "You got really lucky, Forehead. But good cover."

Beaming at her own cleverness, Sakura leaned back as the waitress returned with their orders. She waited until the woman left once again before continuing. "But that's the problem, Ino. If he doesn't bring the books with him, then dating him is pointless."

"Sakura, even if he did, it wouldn't do you any good."

"Huh? Why not?"

Hinata paused in blowing across her spoonful of soup to explain, saying, "Because Kakashi-san would notice very quickly if his books started disappearing every time he was out with you."

"Bingo!" Ino exclaimed, grinning at Hinata for saying exactly what she was thinking. "Stealing isn't an option here. You need to get inside his home to take them all at once. Like a raid operation. If you start taking individual books, it’s not gonna take him long to know you’re behind it. And then he’s gonna bring the wrath of hell on your ass."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror as all color drained from her face. Dropping her fork and shaking her head vehemently, the pink haired girl said in a voice that wouldn't allow any arguing, "Ooooh, no! No, no and NO! I am not going home with him. Ever! That's taking it way too far, Ino. It's bad enough I'm dating him under false pretenses, but I will not sleep with him! There’s gotta be another way to do this."

"Get your pink head outta the gutter," Ino sneered. "The only one here thinking about sleeping with Kakashi is you! You know, it is okay for a girl to go to a guy's house without fucking him."

"Ino!" Sakura shrieked, beyond amazed to hear her friend talk like that. Hinata's face was so red that it looked like she'd gone face first into a cherry pie.

Ino waved off her friends' shocked expressions airily. "Please, like you two haven't heard that word before! My point is, you can get Icha Icha Paradise by going over to his place sometime. But the only way you can go over to his place is to gain his trust. And the only way that's gonna happen is if you keep dating him. So... stick with it. And don't screw him. Or, if you do, you better give me all the details." There was no doubt to either of her companions what ‘other details’ she was referring to.

"INO!" Sakura dropped her chopsticks entirely and pushed her plate away. She couldn't eat now. Forget killing Ino, all she wanted now was to die herself.

Ino popped a piece of tofu into her mouth before leaning across the table with an eager glint in her eyes. "So... is he a good kisser?" she asked with a snicker as Sakura's eyes narrowed in a silent warning.

"I wouldn't know," Sakura replied dryly. "We've only been on two dates, after all."

"And he hasn't tried to kiss you? What's wrong with him?!"

Both Hinata and Sakura exchanged confused glances over the blonde's outrage. "I-Is it normal for a man to kiss a woman after only two dates?" Hinata asked quietly, the piece of shrimp completely forgotten between her fingers.

Ino rolled her eyes and gave a disdainful snort. "The first date, it's okay not to kiss. But the second one... Sakura, you need to kiss him."

"What? No!" she yelped.

"Stop being such a baby and just kiss him on the cheek the next time you guys go out. Maybe he doesn't think you're interested in him."

"Well, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are, Sakura! At least that's what you want him to believe, right?" Ino insisted. Honestly... sometimes Sakura could be so completely dense!

Sakura's lower lip turned downward and out a little. She knew Ino was right. Eventually, she would have to kiss Kakashi, whether she initiated it or he did. Still pouting over the fact that Ino was right, Sakura mumbled, "What if I like it?"

It was Hinata who answered her question, her pale eyes reflecting her quiet understanding for Sakura's reluctance. "I don't know as much as Ino-chan does about romance... but I do think it's okay if you like kissing Kakashi-san. If you enjoy it, then he will enjoy it just as much. O-Of course, I could be wrong..."

"No, you've got it right, Hina-chan," Ino confirmed, reaching across the table to give Sakura's hand a friendly squeeze. "Weren't you the one who said that just because you had fun on your dates with him that didn't mean you were falling for him? So, just because you kinda have to kiss Kakashi doesn't mean you aren't allowed to like it. Just... you better damn well give us details about it when you do!"

Sakura smiled weakly as she took a deep breath in and released it slowly. "Okay, okay... I'll do it. The next time Kakashi and I go out, I'll give him a kiss."

"That's my Forehead!" Ino laughed before snatching the check up as the waitress brought it over. "Dinner was my idea, so it's my treat." She dropped some money on the table and stood up, the other two following her lead.

"Thanks, Pig."

"Yes, thank you very much, Ino-chan."

Ino waved away their thanks breezily as they exited the restaurant and stepped out onto the street. "Don't worry about it. I know you'll both treat me sometime anyway." She flashed a grin and a wink to let them know she was kidding. She didn't want Hinata to think she was in debted to her and she'd had enough of Sakura's temper for one evening.

As was usual when the three of them went out together, they started off in the direction of Hinata's large apartment, a gift of sorts from her father when she'd found the nerve to ask him if she might live inside Konoha to be closer to her teammates. To everyone's surprise (especially Hinata's) Hyuuga Hiashi had agreed, claiming that living on her own would give her an opportunity to fend for herself, a trait that was needed for ruling the clan. And so, seeing as Hinata lived by herself, it only made sense that Ino and Sakura would see her home before backtracking to their own apartment. While Konoha was a safe place for them to live, there was still a need for safety in numbers. Especially when potential accosters were ninja like themselves.

The streets were fairly empty for that time in the evening. Only a few individuals and groups passed them as they went, many of them ducking into restaurants or one of the few bars in this area of town. This was nothing like where Kakashi had taken her on their first date, Sakura mused to herself. The atmosphere here was calmer, more relaxed...

“Hey, hey, girlies! Damn, you girls’re hot!”

... But there were still obnoxious drunks. Sakura clenched her teeth and ignored the group of men stumbling across the street toward them. She noted that all of them wore the standard issued flak vests that most chuunin and jounin wore, but she couldn’t see any weapons beyond the shuriken pouches on their thighs. There were seven of them total, which normally would have made her a little nervous. The fact that they were obviously drunk and barely able to stand tipped the scales in their favor if it came down to a fight or flight scenario.

She heard Hinata suck in a sharp breath and reached out to take the other girl’s hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. It didn’t do anything to ease Hinata’s concern. “Sakura... they’re following us,” she whispered. Sakura nodded but didn’t turn to confirm whether this was true or not. They were making enough noise to be heard a mile away.

“Hey, didja hear me?” the first drunk repeated. Sakura’s shoulder stiffened at the sound of fumbling steps moving much quicker and coming toward them.

“Sakura,” Ino ground out between her clenched teeth. A glance at the blonde told her that Ino was getting pissed. Sakura subtly shook her head and began walking faster, which forced the other two to do the same. Tsunade had always said that the best thing to do when faced with a drunk person who refused to leave them alone was to ignore them and simply walk away calmly. Yeah... calmly. Okay. She could practically taste her heart in her throat!

“I said yer hot! ‘Specially you, Blondie. Got some nice tits, don’tcha?”

Ino growled under her breath, her fingers curling into fists as she fought the urge to turn and beat the guy into fuzzy pudding. The only thing that stopped her was Sakura grabbing her wrist while picking up the pace and Hinata’s terrified expression. None of the girls paid much attention to the group of people they shoved their way passed, their entire focus only on getting away from the men following them. They were so focused on getting away from their pursuers that they failed to notice two very curious gazes following after them.

“Stop ‘norin’ me, dammit!” the man persisted. There were a few shouts from people as the man followed them through the group, his footsteps heavy on the pavement as he began to pick up speed. Ino snarled angrily as a meaty hand clamped onto her shoulder and jerked her around.

Sakura winced at the smell of strong alcohol hit her nose as she turned as well and shoved the man away from Ino. “Keep your hands to yourself, idiot,” she snapped, instinctively placing herself between Ino and the man. Ino instead moved to her other side defiantly, anger blazing through her blue eyes as she studied the man swaying in front of them.

The man’s bloodshot eyes darkened and an angry red tinge began to cover his face. “Ya bitch, I was just talkin’ to her,” he shouted, taking a half step toward her with his arm swinging back.

Sakura was just beginning to channel chakra into her fist when the man suddenly yelped in pain and dropped to his knees with his upraised arm twisted back at an awkward angle. Eyes wide, Sakura could do nothing but gape as a larger form pushed her back toward her friends. What in the...

“I think you’re done talking to her tonight, don’t you?” Asuma asked, his cigarette burning idly between his fingers as he stood his ground between the drunk man and his targets.

“Shit... I just wanna tell ‘em they’re hot,” the man whined. His whine turned into another pained howl as Kakashi applied just a little more pressure to his grip on the man’s arm.

“They’re not interested,” the copy nin said coolly. “Go home.”

For once, Sakura couldn’t have been more happy to see her former teacher. A heavy, relieved breath left her as she released the chakra she’d been gathering into her fist. She couldn’t help grinning when she noticed that the rest of the group Kakashi had been with were now fanned out and keeping the other drunks from coming to their comrade’s aid.

“’K-Kay,” the man on his knees whimpered, his eyes squeezing shut as thin tears seeped from the corners.

Kakashi released the man and moved away quickly, watching for any signs that the man was about to pull a weapon or attack. The man pushed to his feet, rotating his shoulder and wrist experimentally as he backed away toward his own friends again. As soon as he was passed the wall of jounin, he and the others half ran and half tripped as they hurried away from the scene.

As soon as they were out of sight, everyone relaxed again, some of the jounin muttering to themselves about what had just happened. Laughing shakily, Ino wipe the back of her hand across her brow and said, “Man, do you have awesome timing, Asuma-sensei! I thought for sure we were gonna have to take them on ourselves.”

Asuma grinned at his former student as he sent a wisping of smoke out from between his lips. “You better not do something that stupid, Ino,” he commented as Kakashi came over to join him. “Drunks don’t think like normal people. Especially when there are pretty girls walking around by themselves.”

“We weren’t by ourselves,” Sakura defended, blushing when she caught Kakashi’s amused gaze. She shifted nervously under that stare, a scowl forming when she caught the sly look on Ino’s face out of the corner of her eye.

“Well, I was going over to Hinata’s to borrow a cookbook,” the blonde began, grinning at the murderous glare Sakura was directing her way. “Sakura didn’t want to go, but she couldn’t very well just walk home by herself, now could she?”

Asuma arched a brow when Ino winked at him and looked pointedly from Sakura to Kakashi. It only took the bearded man a second longer before both eyebrows shot upward in surprise. No freakin’ way... Hatake and the Hokage’s apprentice? Wow! Clearing his throat, Asuma smirked and said, “That makes sense. Though I still don’t like the idea of you and Sakura walking back by yourselves, Ino.”

Ino shrugged and spread her hands out in a what-can-you-do gesture. “I had no intention of leaving Hinata’s house. Sakura though...”

“Shut up, Pig!” Sakura ground out between clenched teeth. Meanwhile, poor Hinata was left wondering what exactly was going on... and whether or not she had the guest towels available for Ino’s impromptu stay over.

“But Asuma-sensei has a point, Sakura,” Ino insisted, feigning an innocent look that Sakura really wanted to wipe clean with her fist. “It really isn’t a good idea to walk home alone.”

“I can take her,” Kakashi offered, tucking his hands into his pockets and looking as if it didn’t really matter one way or the other to him.

“You don’t have to,” Sakura said tightly.

The silver haired man gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “It’s no trouble.”

“But what about your friends? I don’t want to interrupt your evening with them.” Ino was going to die. She was going to die and it would be torturously slow.

He looked over his shoulder to where the rest of their companions were laughing and waiting for them. Then, with a beaming expression, complete with a happy eye crease, he said, “They’re not my friends. Do you have anything else or can I walk you back to your place now?”

Sakura raised one brow and lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m walking with Ino and Hinata.”

“Oh... I was gonna do that, actually,” Asuma said as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Then, catching the eye of someone in their group, he called out, “Kakashi and I are canceling tonight, guys! We’re gonna see that these girls get home okay.”

“Need a hand with that?” one of the jounin joked, grinning as those around him snickered in response.

A wide grin broke across Asuma’s face as he answered, “Nah, I think we’ve got it. See you!” He waved as the group continued on without them. Finishing his cigarette and flicking the butt away neatly, he jerked his head in the direction the three girls had been heading earlier. “Right, let’s get outta here. Your house is this way, Hinata?”

“Y-Yes,” she stammered as the perpetual blush shaded her cheeks once again as she gave a quick, polite bow. “Thank you so much, Asuma-san.”

“Eh, no problem. Ino, you ready?”

Grinning, the blonde winked at him and said, “I’m always ready, sensei. You know that!”

Chuckling, Asuma began walking away with Hinata and Ino right behind him. “Catch up with you later, Kakashi. Have a good evening, Sakura!”

“’Bye,” Kakashi replied with a halfhearted attempt at waving. Once the threesome was out of ear shot, he released a small sigh and turned toward Sakura again. She was still staring after her friends and there was a look in her eyes like she was trying to split someone’s head in half with a stare. He didn’t need to guess at whose head it was. Well... her friend did do him a service, though, whether she realized it or not. Anytime he could get her talking without being interrupted was a good thing.

She jumped when he took her hand in his and entwined their fingers together. Grinning as she looked down at their hands and promptly turned a new shade of pink he hadn’t seen before (how many colors was it possible for her to turn anyway? Hmm...), he motioned in the opposite direction her friends were walking and said, “Shall we?”

Sakura nodded and fell into step beside him, trying to ignore the fact that he really did have nice hands. She forced herself to smile and hoped that most of her irritation with Ino didn’t show through. Fine... Ino thought this would be funny? She didn’t think Sakura could handle having Kakashi walk her home? Well... she’d just have to prove her otherwise!