Chapter Text
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Prologue:
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Everything hurt. Their foolproof plan crumbled into ash. And Sakura was alone, in a strange place, without her teammates.
Shisui was simply – gone. He was snatched away by some orange-masked lunatic that could bend reality and warp between dimensions. Kakashi had fallen unconscious from extreme chakra exhaustion so Sakura had left behind a small portion of Katsuyu with his body and buried him in the earth. Only time would heal him, but she was still in the middle of a battle and he needed to be protected. Kakashi would be able to get himself out with his own earth jutsu and the slug summons would relay the newest develops and keep him healthy.
Meanwhile, Sakura shivered in the small pocket of air in the underwater cavern she’d been dragged into by one of the highest ranked shinobi in the bingo book - -Kisame Hoshigaki.
There was an icy burning sensation on Sakura’s wrists from where Kisame tugged on the chains that he’d used to tow her under the water. His accursed monster sword had drained her chakra reserves and before she could access her seal, he had snapped on the chakra nullifying chains to her wrists.
“Got your fill, Minnow?” Kisame sneered, his head bobbing above the water’s surface and his eyes a luminescent yellow in the gloom. “I’ll give you twenty more seconds then we’ll be under for at least two minutes.”
She wanted to ask questions – not that he’d answer. Sakura was patient though, she could bide her time. Shisui and Kakashi would be fine. They were both clever and resourceful. She was clever and resourceful too.
The Mist swordsman vanished back beneath the water’s depths and the chain on Sakura's wrists began to drag her down.
She took a deep breath and followed Kisame under.
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One month earlier...
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Kakashi
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This was his third visit to the hospital in the last four months. Frankly, these little admissions were his only break from his duties with Anbu. While some shinobi enjoyed sneaking out as soon as the nurses weren’t looking, Kakashi planted himself like a tree. He smiled to himself at the analogy. He’d have to share it with Tenzo— the wood user would appreciate it like none other.
Not only did someone else cook for him while he was hospitalized, but he had hours of uninterrupted reading time and could catch up on much needed sleep. Since he was fourteen years old, Kakashi’s life had been one A or S class mission after another, aside from the six month respite he’d had when the Yondaime ordered him to train a team of genin. His swift return to the ranks of Anbu was a source of constant ribbing from his subordinates— while his own team Ro were sympathetic, the other Anbu captains had been nearly belligerent.
That had been seven years ago.
The door to his room cracked open and Kakashi shifted his gaze lazily towards the medic that had come to check on him. He sat up in surprise upon sensing the familiar chakra signature. She must have masked it while in the hallway, because he’d recognize her anywhere.
There was always a tiny sliver of hope that Sakura would be the one to treat him during his stays, but Hospital Director Tsunade Senju’s apprentice was in high demand. Ordinarily when Kakashi was treated by Sakura, he'd be severely injured and often unconscious. From what he’d heard from Tenzo his former teammate would drop everything to tend to him in those situations. He wished he could remember.
“Yo,” Kakashi greeted, snapping shut his Make Out Paradise book and setting in on his bedside table.
Sakura flashed him an easy, somewhat bemused smile. “It’s good that you’re up, Kakashi-sensei.” She shrugged out of her white coat and hung it on the peg on the backside of the hospital door. Her heels clacked on the tiled floor as she strode towards the bed. “How are you feeling? You should be discharged in the morning. Do you need anything?” She sat in the chair next to his bed and picked up his discarded book, read the title and then set it back without comment.
He studied Sakura, somewhat confused about why she had shed her doctor’s coat. “First off, don’t call me sensei. And if we’re being honest here, I could use a sponge bath.” He grinned his happy eye-smile at her, the one she found endearing if Naruto’s gossip could be trusted.
Sakura laughed and folded her arms over her chest, showing off an impressive sliver of flesh at her belly where her shirt rose up. “I could call a nurse. I’m off duty.”
Kakashi pouted. “They already offered, I thought maybe you were volunteering.” He leaned against his pillow with a sigh. “Maybe you could at least help me to the bathroom and stand nearby in case I fall over?” He raised his hand and it shook with a slight tremor.
“You shouldn’t be that weak,” Sakura worried. She clasped his hand between hers and clucked her tongue. “Your hand is cold.” She gently laid his arm at his side. Her hand glowed green as she pressed her palm over his belly, assessing his chakra network. She cursed under her breath and a comforting warmth seeped into his body. “Just what kind of mission did this to you?”
“I imagine the details have already been redacted in the official report,” Kakashi murmured. He could feel his thoughts growing sluggish. At least this time he’d been awake during Sakura’s visit. Was she anesthetizing him? Or was he simply this tired?
When Kakashi opened his eyes, it was night and he wasn't alone. He felt the tickle of Sakura’s unbound hair haloed around her as she slept with her head cradled upon her arms, resting on the side of his hospital bed.
Kakashi felt rejuvenated. He had felt exhausted earlier but Sakura's miraculous touch had soothed his aching joints and that annoying headache that had nestled within his skull.
Kakashi brushed a strand of silky, pastel hair out of Sakura's mouth, resisting a smile at the image. He had a flash of memory of the old Team Seven genin sprawled out on the training grounds after a brutal workout when they’d been new graduates. Sakura was far from that little kid.
He raised his other hand, the tremor was gone. He must have been more severely injured than he thought. He’d been in the hospital for a couple of days though, how had something crept up on him while he was hospitalized in the greatest medical facility on the Continent?
There was one final strand of hair caught between Sakura’s lips. As his finger grazed her cheek, jade eyes snapped open at him. For a moment, they merely stared at each other. Kakashi pulled the hair out of her mouth and she sat up, straightening in the bedside chair.
“There was a poisonous residue within your system,” Sakura murmured. “I'll need to talk with the staff and see how they missed it.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and blinked up at the dark window and sighed. “I suppose this wouldn't be the first time I slept at the hospital.”
“I feel remarkably better, Sakura.” Kakashi reached for the pitcher of water on the tray by his bed. He poured a generous amount into the two cups and held one out to Sakura.
“Thank you.” Sakura drained it and then set the empty cup on his tray with satisfying click of wood on wood. Then with her lips parted in shock she stared at his unmasked face as he slowly sipped his own water.
Kakashi watched her over the rim of his cup with his right eye, his Sharingan closed tight. He set his empty cup on the tray and then slowly secured his mask, deliberately giving Sakura the opportunity to ogle him.
“We were in the region that Sasori is known to work,” Kakashi admitted. He was going to act like showing her his face was no big deal. He was not going to make it weird. Though, he was grateful for the familiar, soft black material as it hid the heat on his cheeks as he observed an accompanying pink tinting on Sakura's cheeks.
Kakashi was a grown man, he did not want people to know pretty people could make him blush. He did, however, enjoy being the cause of Sakura’s blush.
“Him again,” Sakura groaned. “His poisons are particularly difficult and hard to detect.” Her worried gaze trailed down from his face and over his shoulders, down his torso, and settled on his belly for a moment before she met his eye again. “If I hadn't checked on you, you might be dead right now,” she whispered.
Kakashi’s eye widened. Dead? He's felt a little dull, but he hadn't felt like he was dying.
Sakura worried her bottom lip. “I need to report to Master Tsunade and the Yondaime about this.” She reached over and settled the back of her hand upon his forehead, her touch cool against his warm brow. “Very low grade fever. You're staying for observation a little longer. I'll ask Shizune-senpai to do an evaluation too.” She rose out of her chair and started for the sink to wash her hands. “Master Tsunade thought I was being paranoid checking on you myself. Now I see I'm not.”
Kakashi fell back against his pillows as the sound of Sakura's heels faded down the hallway. He hadn't even realized this brush with death had been so close. Not for the first time, he was grateful Sakura had been reassigned to train under the Senju princess. He could teach Sakura how to take lives, but what she just did— it was beyond him.
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Sakura
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No sooner had she left Kakashi’s hospital room, Misao— one of the medic trainees — ran straight towards Sakura, panting with her hands braced over her knees. “Doctor Haruno! I am so glad you're still here! An Anbu team just came in — Team Karasu. Their captain is in pretty bad shape.” She started to lead the way down the hall towards the trauma ward.
“And the rest of the team?” Sakura asked. She was very familiar with the captain of Team Karasu. He went by the moniker of Bear and was the only one of Sasuke’s relatives that was even remotely friendly. She liked Shisui Uchiha and had taken it upon herself to stitch him back together more times than she could count. For someone so fast, he seemed to catch a lot of blades especially whenever his team came back from a mission in Mist.
Of course, Anbu missions were classified, but Sasuke had a habit of always letting something slip when he joined her and Naruto at Ichiraku’s for their Wednesday weekly ramen lunch date. Team Seven had only been an official team for half a year, but their bonds had been solid. It has been amazing when two years ago the Yondaime had them reunite alongside Kakashi for the occasional diplomatic mission. There had only been one mission every two months or so, but they had all been enjoyable for the company.
Someone-- namely her-- had to watch over both Sasuke and Naruto during their secret training sessions. As a reward for Sakura’s medical skills, her former teammates would take turns in a round of taijutsu or with simple ninjutsus. She taught them basic healing techniques, Sasuke taught her fire, and thanks to Naruto she could now manage a half-dozen clones at once. Kakashi was too busy with Anbu captain duties to join them in those practices.
“Crow and Hawk aren’t patients,” Misao assured her. “They were discharged almost immediately, completely unscathed.”
That was a relief. Sasuke was a terrible patient, always trying to escape the hospital. Itachi was soft-spoken and polite. The two of them were too pretty for their own good and distracted her hospital staff. Though, after what happened with Kakashi she'd visit them both back at their house later to be certain.
Sakura had used more chakra on Kakashi than she’d planned. He’d had a hairline fracture in his ribs that no one else had noticed as well as the insidious poison. He had a medic on his team – if he was this ill, how bad had it been on the field?
When Sakura entered Shisui’s treatment room she slipped into her medic mode. The normally tanned Uchiha swordsman was ashen and there were multiple lacerations upon his arms and torso. She particularly enjoyed staring at Shisui’s naked chest the few times she’d been invited over to swim at the Naka Lake within the Uchiha district. It would be a crime if any unnecessary scars marred his flesh.
While Anbu missions were kept secret, Sasuke often dropped enough context clues for Sakura to piece together where his team had been. Shisui was the captain of Team Karasu and she knew that they’d been out east, likely towards Mist considering the amount of sword injuries she dealt with on the three Uchiha men. Though, Shisui always had twice as many injuries as either Itachi or Sasuke. She knew it was because he used his body like a meat-shield to protect his younger clansmen.
So, the top two Anbu teams had been spending their time in the northwest and the southeast.
“Hey, pretty lady,” Shisui murmured, his voice groggy from the sedative he’d been given.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Sakura retorted, her smile tight and irritated. She wasted no time in laying her hands over him to do her own assessment of his health while her assistant began rattling off the known injuries. “You’ve lost a lot of precious blood.” She started repairing the vascular injuries and then replenishing his red blood cells, letting his own bone marrow do the work with a little encouraging nudge. “At least you kept your face out of the battle this time.”
“My mask got broke,” Shisui pouted. “Such a hassle getting a new one.”
“You should stop using your face as a weapon,” Sakura pointed out. She observed the multiple lacerations mend themselves, knitting the flesh back together – pink scar tissue fading into unblemished skin.
A faint smile crossed his lips. “Do you like my face, Doctor Haruno?”
“I like it more when I’m not having to fix it.” Sakura moved her attention to his Sharingan and his ocular nerves, calming down the degradation that happened with regular use of his family's bloodline trait. “You’d be blind by now if it wasn’t for me. Can’t you at least try to fight without your Sharingan on all the time?”
“It’s worth it. I like your hands on me,” Shisui teased and then he slipped into unconsciousness.
Sakura met the gaze of her blushing assistant. “Don’t take him too serious. Shisui Uchiha is the biggest flirt in Konoha.” She settled into the familiar flow of channeling her chakra into Shisui’s body, repairing the damage down to the cellular level. At this point, Sakura was now the expert medic when it came to dealing with the Uchiha Sharingan. She suspected that was part of the reason she’d become the default surgeon for Team Karasu as well as for Kakashi Hatake.
She appreciated the variety and complexity of the injuries she dealt with – chakra depletion being Kakashi’s regular friend, lightning burns between the frequent fliers of Kakashi, Shisui and Sasuke. Smoke damage was a major issue with the Uchiha clan’s fireball jutsu. Naruto tended to end up half-drowned with his Rasengan. She suspected after he became the nine-tails jinchuriki, she’d be unlikely to need to treat him again. The nine-tails had off-the charts rejuvenation abilities. Kushina Uzumaki had survived some rather harrowing injuries without medical intervention. With as accident prone as Naruto tended to be, it would be a nice bonus for him.
“So, how’s Ino?” Misao asked.
Sakura glanced up at her assistant. “Ino? She’s fine.” It had been at least a year since Ino Yamanaka stopped covering shifts at the hospital. She had enough obligations with her clan’s role in the intelligence division of Konoha. “She’s been working full time in another department.” She was the star pupil of Ibiki Morino. There’s been little need for the younger Ino-Shika-Cho trio to take missions. It had been years since the third great ninja war and most of the villages had at least tentative alliances.
“I miss her,” Misao murmured. “Is she still dating that artist?”
Sakura shook her head. “Maybe, I’m not sure.” She was not about to share the details of Ino’s love life with her assistant. Whether Ino dated Sai or someone else was her business. She’d hate to normalize gossiping about the love interests of staff – current or former – with her assistant. It would open the flood gates to Sakura’s own abysmal love-life. The only time she touched a handsome man was when she was healing either Shisui or Kakashi. It made it hard to seriously consider the date proposals she received when everyone fell so far short of those two men.
“Okay, I understand you don’t want to talk about her. What about you, Sakura-senpai?” Misao asked. She held a bowl of fresh water towards Sakura and she used a water jutsu to swirl the liquid in the air to wash off not only her hands, but Shisui’s body’s of any trace of blood.
Honestly, with as often as they were in her hospital, there didn’t seem a need for Sakura to date. The good looking men came right to her! Considering both Anbu captains were married to their career, their somewhat flirty interactions with her were likely the closest thing either of them had to dating these days. Though, she wasn’t foolish enough to think either of them turned down the scores of interested parties that propositioned them whenever they joined their acquaintances at a night at the shinobi bars.
Sakura tried to not be jealous. She had her career and if she wanted a partner, she could find one. Probably.
“When would I find the time for romance?” Sakura pressed her lips together in concentration. The closest she got to any romantic kind of action was whenever she borrowed Kakashi’s Make Out Paradise books. She only did it whenever he was unconscious in her hospital of course. She wouldn’t admit it, but the books were fairly entertaining. She could understand why he liked to escape into them. “The interesting men come to me,” she sighed under her breath.
As if roused by her soft-spoken confession, Shisui’s dark eyes flickered open and he stared up at her. He smiled faintly and then slipped back into unconsciousness.
“You’re so lucky, Sakura-senpai,” Misao said shyly. “What I wouldn’t give to have Captain Uchiha or Captain Hatake look at me the way they look at you.”
“They’re simply grateful for my competence,” Sakura assured her. The door to the surgery room swung open and Shizune entered. Her dark eyes swept over the operating table and the patient. “Busy night for you, Sakura. Did you even go home after your last shift?”
Sakura had in fact stayed overnight at the hospital. She’d intended only a short visit with Kakashi, but ended up needing to treat the injuries the other providers had missed. “I’m calling it a day after this.”
“You do that,” Shizune agreed. “Do you need me to take over?”
Sakura shook her head. “I’ll be done in another couple of minutes. He’s stable, I’m just tidying up.”
Shizune chuckled. “Oh, take your time. I know how you hate for there to be even the tiniest of scars on your favorite patients.”
“I take such diligence with all my patients,” Sakura protested. She drew her hands away from Shisui and finished washing away the last of the blood and dead skin cells. If she had wind chakra, she’d be able to dry her hands, but she had to use a paper towel. “He should be admitted overnight for observation.”
Shizune nodded. “I’ll take care of it. Naruto’s waiting for you anyway. If you don’t get him out of the hospital, he’s going to drive everyone bananas. Go home, Sakura. Lady Tsunade wishes to meet with you later. She’ll send a messenger.”
That probably meant their mutual summons Katsuyu. “Alright, take care of him.”
It wasn’t long before she found herself at the hospital lobby. Naruto was pacing and made a bee-line for her as soon as he saw her. Without asking, he offered his arm to support her weight, used to Sakura working herself to the point of exhaustion. The hospital staff tended to report whenever Sakura treated one of those particularly troublesome Anbu captains and Naruto would generally be waiting on his father’s orders to escort her home.
“You want to go straight home? Or you want to stop for some food first?” Naruto asked. “It doesn’t have to be Ichiraku.” He smiled at her. “Ma has plenty of left-overs and I know you love her rice balls.”
The idea of returning to her tiny apartment, with the baskets of dirty laundry no doubt piled up and the sink full of dirty dishes was not an appealing alternative. “Do you think I can sleep in the guest room for a few hours?”
“Absolutely!” Naruto’s smile spread further. “Sasuke’s back too. He’s probably already over.”
“Good. I want to talk to him about his captain’s reckless behavior,” Sakura murmured.
Naruto chuckled. “Pot meet kettle, Sakura. Pot meet kettle.”
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OoO
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Kakashi
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It has been several days since he'd been discharged from the hospital. How he let himself get dragged into socializing, he didn’t know. However, when Gai and Tenzo teamed up against him, Kakashi really stood no chance. He would have preferred to be at home, relaxing on his bed with his eight ninken piled up around him while re-reading Jiraiya’s beloved book series.
Though, about a half hour after he’d settled into the back booth, sharp eyes trained on the door as was his habit after years of infiltration work, he was glad for the escape. Arm-in-arm with the blond-heiress of the Yamanaka clan was his old teammate that kept his heart beating, mended his broken bones and staved off blindness from his transplanted eye. He felt a measure of pride as he noted her scanning the bar. Her bright eyes landed on him for a moment and she smiled faintly before continuing with her observation.
Kakashi pulled out his favorite book and buried his nose into the familiar pages, all the while keeping an eye on Sakura and her friends. He’d memorized the story long ago, but it provided a perfect cover for where his attention truly was directed
He was grateful for his mask, as it hid his annoyance when she strolled over towards a booth where Naruto, Sasuke, and a quiet boy named Sai waited. He considered going over to say hi– those were his former teammates after all. Though they weren't exactly former teammates. The Yondaime enjoyed Team Seven performing the occasional diplomatic mission over the last couple of years. Those missions felt more like the four of them (sometimes six when Tenzo and Sai were asked to join though they kept to the shadows) were being paraded around for the aristocracy.
However, Kakashi sat back and nursed his beer when the door opened and Shisui and Itachi Uchiha strolled inside. The two walked purposely to Sasuke’s booth and Kakashi narrowed his visible eye when Sasuke moved so that Shisui could sit next to Sakura.
“Oh, that’s interesting,” Tenzo mused. His wide, chocolate brown eyes followed Kakashi’s gaze. “That’s practically a table full of your old teammates. Maybe you should go say hi.”
Kakashi snapped his attention back to his book. He channeled his internal sullen twelve-year old self for a moment to sulk. Kakashi was their senior in rank and experience. The younger shinobi should come and say hi to him. He waved over the server and ordered another round of drinks for their table, as well as sent a drink and a plate of cheesy fries to Sakura. He knew she enjoyed indulging in the treat and he wanted to do something nice – she had saved his life – again.
A couple of minutes later, Sakura looked back over at him and flashed him a smile. She raised her glass of plum wine and then pointedly tossed a cheesy fry in her mouth. Kakashi rewarded her with an overly saccharine smile where he creased his visible eye at the corner.
“When Kakashi smiles like that, it’s never good,” Genma said, joining their table and pulling a chair to face Kakashi, effectively blocking the view of Sakura.
“I think it’s a great expression of his youth!” Gai protested. He smiled a thousand-watt smile. “Why don’t we harness that energy and since you’re in the village for a few days – let’s have one of our challenges, my Dear Rival!”
“Hard pass,” Kakashi mumbled, staring down at his book in irritation. He quickly felt guilty when Gai’s smile dimmed ever so slightly. He lowered his book. “What did you have in mind?”
In the back of his mind, he wondered if the latest challenge with Gai landed him with an injury if Sakura would treat him. It might be worth a grueling challenge with his old rival. Then again, she was known for her temper and he wouldn’t put it past her to purposely allow an injury he sustained in recreation to be treated by an inexperienced rookie. It had happened before and they weren’t allowed to use anesthesia with their lesser chakra control.
“We could run a lap around the village perimeter,” Kakashi suggested.
“On our hands?” Gai added, eyes comically wide.
Kakashi narrowed his eye. “No. On our own two feet. With shoes.”
“No flash-stepping,” Genma added. He wagged his finger in Kakashi’s face and the latter resisted the urge to break it. “No cheating, Kakashi.”
Kakashi was about to resign himself to a hard run around the village, when he glanced back towards Sakura’s table. He caught Shisui’s raised eyebrows as he purposely took one of the cheesy fries off the plate.
“I’ll meet you outside the Academy training grounds and we can start in about five minutes,” Kakashi suggested.
“Yes!” Gai rose from the table in a rush. “I will see you in four minutes!” He rushed out the bar and vanished in the street.
“Shouldn’t you hurry?” Genma teased.
Kakashi did the appropriate seals one-handed under the table to form a clone outside the bar. His clone glared back at him with a rebellious glint in its eye before it headed in the direction of Gai with a familiar lazy slouch.
“So Gai’s going to win this round,” Tenzo mused. “Your clones are rarely eager.”
Kakashi’s clones were as tired as he felt, but they didn’t feel the need to hide their fatigue. Faintly, he touched his fingertips over the hitai-ate covering Obito’s eye. The transplant was both a blessing and a curse – it saved his life countless times and he learned over a thousand jutsus. However, it also constantly drained his chakra.
“I need another drink.” Kakashi scooted past Genma and made his way to the bar. He requested another beer from the bartender, choosing to avoid hard liquor after his most recent hospital stay. He held the cold glass bottle to his forehead for a moment appreciating the sensation of the cold bottle.
He felt her approach, but didn’t react, not until she took the unoccupied stool next to him. Then he looked down on her arching his silvery eyebrow. “Yo.”
“I think you’re supposed to drink it.” Sakura’s eyes flashed in amusement as she indicated the bottle pressed against his forehead.
“Hmm.” Kakashi took a sip of the bitter brew.
“I was a little surprised by the appetizer and drink you sent to the table. I’m so used to you leaving your friends with your tab,” Sakura said quietly.
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at her abandoned table. Shisui watched the two of them closely, while finishing off the cheesy fries. He turned back towards Sakura. “I owe you my life, Sakura. I’m not going to stiff you the bill. I only do that to people that annoy me.”
Sakura’s eyes twinkled in amusement. “Good to know.” She leaned against the counter with her elbows braced behind her putting her chest on display, reminding anyone with eyes that she was a woman grown. “So when did I level up from brat?”
There was so many possible answers. One, she was still a brat. Two, after she continually saved his life. Or three, the honest answer, when he watched her in the third round of her second chunin exams when they were hosted in Suna. He’d been so impressed to see her dominate her opponent – so different from the ungainly little girl she’d been under his brief tutelage. And again, two years ago on the first diplomatic mission Team Seven took while escorting the Yondaime to meet with the Daimyos of Fire and Wind.
Before Kakashi could formulate just the right answer, Shisui Uchiha was suddenly behind them both. He leaned the bulk of his frame between them, accepting a drink from the bartender, and effectively destroying whatever mood might have been forming.
“Someone should teach you about personal space,” Sakura laughed breathlessly shaking her head at the dark-haired captain.
“Oh?” Shisui challenged with a flirtatious smile upon his lips. “Are you offering?”
Kakashi leaned to murmur in Shisui’s ear, his hand splayed across his low back— one lightning jutsu away from paralyzing the pride of the Uchiha. “Don’t interrupt me again,” he warned.
The smile never faded from Shishi’s lips, but his spine stiffened at the threat. He turned towards the bartender and held up three fingers. The bartender set three shots on the table in front of them. “A toast — to Konoha’s top two captains and the medic that keeps us healthy.”
Kakashi, Sakura, and Shisui each picked up a shot, clicked the tiny glasses together and drank in unison.