A/N: So sorry for never updating this fic!I keep going back and forth with this story in terms of the plan. Due to the headache that I have subsequently noped out on, I've decided to wing everything and watch ODNT either burn or smolder. No matter what, I at least hope it's fun for all of us.

Old Dog, New Tricks

chapter two

The truth behind Kakashi's living environment was a rather boring surprise. She'd expected more, honestly, but for the most part his apartment barely looked lived in. The biggest sign that someone actually inhabited the immaculately cleaned home was that there was a few picture frames to look at. One with a brunette, a raven-haired boy, a blond man, and Kakashi himself as a younger kid.

Whodathunkit? Inner asked with a grin, he's actually human!

Sakura was actually too sad to find humor in the situation. Mostly because she knew who these people were. Not in person, of course, but from others. Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and Minato Namikaze. All of them dead, and all of them looking so alive in the photo. It made her think of her own team picture and it made her throat constrict with feelings Sakura did best not dwelling in. Otherwise, she just felt too awful in everyone else's misery that she could barely think straight enough to form chakra scalpels.

Sasuke was enough to handle, she really didn't need to add on Kakashi's emotional baggage on top of it. But it wasn't really much good logically knowing she should keep out of it. As a medic and a naturally empathetic person, Sakura usually and instinctively did her best to fix people that were broken. She didn't have a good track record with actually helping any of them though, if Sasuke was any example to go off of. But she still tried.

Sakura eventually tore her eyes away from the photo as Kakashi came out from his shower. He was already dressed though his hair distinctively shiney with water. She couldn't help but frown.

"Sensei, you should know to dry off better than that," she scolded, doing what she did best when her teammates were acting like idiots, which was generally all of the time. Even Sasuke is an idiot, Sakura thought to herself with a sigh. Must be a boy thing.

"Should I?" he asked and for second time since being led to his apartment, Sakura wondered how he was taking all of this in so calmly.

She almost had to smile at it, and did for a second before it was swept away. Wordlessly, she walked over to the bathroom and grabbed a dry towel before trudging back out to the living room. Tossing it to him none too gently, she stared at him expectantly.

"I'm a medic," she explained as he gave her a funny look that couldn't be read very well with his mask fully in place, "and you getting a cold on my watch would only make me look like a bad one. Which," she gave him a hint of a smile, "I am not."

"Perhaps," he mused, "you stopping me from getting a cold will ruin the future for you?"

Sakura shrugged. "If you really want to get sick then go ahead, but by that logic, I'm not lifting even so much as a finger to help you out of a tight spot."

"Since when could I ever be put into a tight spot?" he questioned with wry amusement in his tone. Sakura had the feeling he was smiling but for all the years she'd spent reading him, she couldn't be sure about it.

"Sensei," Sakura said in a bland tone. "I know the future and I can assure you that you'll need plenty help in surviving what's to come." Especially 'cause you did actually die once, she thought but didn't dare say out loud. Admittedly, she was actually itching to see his reaction.

"How ominous," he noted and she did smile at that.

Now it was her turn to be all knowing and his turn to be confused. She could get used to this, actually. It was a nice change of pace, all things considered.

"So, have we gone on that C-rank yet?" Sakura asked, not really needing to be much more specific. In all of her genin years, it had been the most terrifying experience she'd faced up to that point and the one in which she'd realized just exactly who the real weak link in the team was.

It certainly hadn't been Naruto.

It wasn't her fondest memory to face and she didn't care to revisit it in person for a second time if she had the choice. Sure, they'd all made it out alive and relatively okay but well, Naruto had told her eventually the sort of life Zabuza and Haku had led.

After that, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them.

Kakashi gave her a look, one that she would eventually get used to the longer she stuck around but for now it was new and terrifying. "What C-rank? We haven't done much more than D-ranks."

Sakura paled and she blinked. "But...but I don't want to go through that again."

He lifted a brow in question.

Defeated, she sighed out before shaking her head. "Nevermind, you'll see soon enough."

Sleeping On The Couch

Sakura groaned as soon as she woke up on Kakashi's couch.

He'd offered the bed, but she'd refused to take it for the fact that while she could sleep just about anywhere for a mission, she preferred sleeping in places that she could put a claim to. Like in the hospital, after a grueling twelve-fifteen hour shift, Sakura had a special napping cot in the office she'd received since gaining more responsibilities as a medic. No one else slept on it and she had peace of mind.

Really, it was just her excuse not to reveal how much of a germaphobe she actually was.

Anyway, couches are not the most comfortable places to sleep on, though Sakura wasn't particularly upset at how badly her neck hurt. She could just use the Mystical Palm Technique on that (and she did) but what really goaded her on was the fact that she still had not been returned to her time. A part of her had honestly held out hope for her to wake up in her room or, worse yet but better than being in the past, in the hospital with Shizune there to tell her she'd blacked out and had only been dreaming.

But nope, here she was on her teacher's couch and the birds were still singing in their merry chirp.

Some things never change.

Sakura sighed as she rose from the couch and got the blanket and pillow folded and put away. Then, wandering over to the kitchen, Sakura checked the cupboards for anything worth eating. Apparently though, Kakashi didn't do a whole lot of home cooking. That, or he needed to go shopping. One of the two, though Sakura was certain it was the former. Mostly because she had eaten what Kakashi could cook at a camp fire and it hadn't exactly given her much faith in his ability to do anything more than burn food.

Usually Sakura had been the unfortunate chef out of her teammates as she was the only one who didn't throw ramen cups out of her bag and call that dinner. Instead she'd developed a certain knack for making meals out of limited supplies, if only so that she didn't have to sacrifice her taste buds to charcoal and ramen. Sasuke had been okay when he'd been with them, but Sakura couldn't remember if what he'd made had actually tasted good or just looked like it did.

With another sigh, Sakura rummaged around in the kitchen before pulling something together that was at least a little bit better than instant ramen. Ugh, she hated instant ramen. Naruto loved it, though he actually loved ramen in all forms. His parents had named him aptly, much like how Anko Mitarashi had been named. Her parents were less imaginative though and her hair color had pretty much dictated that whole naming business.

Of course, she didn't resent them for the sort of name that never got her treated seriously. No one shook in fear like they did of Tsunade, because Sakura was the sort of name that brought to mind the gentle spring when the cherry trees blossomed and coated the land in a cheerful pink. Not the image she wanted to maintain, exactly, but she supposed she'd grown into it. She was Sakura, part of the legendary trio that had faced down Madara at what had been the possible end of the world. She could handle anything that came her way and she did not break down at mission critical.

It was exactly the sort of pep talk she needed and she wilted only a little at there not being anyone around to actually give it. Some things were better said by a friend, after all.

With one last sigh, looking at her creation which was really just two simple omelets, Sakura exited the kitchen and wandered down the hall towards Kakashi's room. He opened the door before she could knock.

"I smell food," he said and Sakura gave a half-assed shrug.

"I made an omelet for you. Thought I'd save the village from any sort of fires that might break out with your cooking." It was a gentle jab, the sort she'd started saying since she could throw down with Kakashi and actually land a few hits in that even made him wince. Though her teacher honestly looked surprised.

"I've cooked for you three?" he asked, as if surprised that he could possibly lower himself to do it.

Sakura couldn't help but glare at him. "Once or twice. Pretty sure they were attempts to torture your students, which by the way," she sniffed indignantly, "you're too good at."

His eye wrinkled with humor clear in his gaze. "What other fun stuff have I done? Any sort of ideas you can give me?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted her hip out. "And become apart of my own trauma? No way, sensei." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"So you'll still call me that even when you're eighteen?" Kakashi asked, surprising her.

With a blink, she nodded dumbly. "Well, yeah, Tsunade-shishou kind of picks up where you fell behind as a teacher but for the most part, I'm really glad to have been put on your team."

This, she would never actually say to her own Kakashi.

It was far too embarrassing and well, she suspected that he did feel a bit like he'd failed the three of them. He sort of, in a way, had but she had forgiven him long ago for having been such a neglectful teacher. He'd simply had too much emotional baggage to properly deal with them, not to mention how Naruto was his sensei's son. It was no wonder that he'd been distant with them at the start, had even been mean about it all.

It must be a shame, she inwardly mused, to have all three of your genin students turn to other teachers. Especially for them to be the Legendary Sannin, well, that was just saying something. She herself would be a little sad if she never got a full blown apprentice and not just little genin to look after until they turned chunin. She just had too much knowledge to share, so much that she wanted to give so that a future generation could improve whatever it is that she left behind.

Kakashi didn't have a student like that and honestly, he was terrible with children so he probably never would.

She shook her head as her teacher stared at her with something akin to being stunned. Sakura didn't have anything else to add, so she spun on her heels and headed back to the kitchen to eat her omelet. It was one of her better dishes, after all, and high in protein.

"So," she started when he followed after her quietly, "today is going to be terrible. Explaining it to those two idiots is going to be terrible, and considering that you're you, I pretty much have no help at all in that department. You never were very good with the whole explaining bit," Sakura noted dryly.

"Is your entire stay here going to be highlighting all the ways that I fail as a teacher?" he asked after a moment's pause. It was said jokingly but she knew him well enough that she could detect a hint of...something. It made sense, no one really wanted to hear about their failures in life. Least of all him.

Sakura looked at him gently, her tone softening. "You aren't actually all that bad. Unfortunately, you got stuck with two headcases." One who happens to be your sensei's kid. Can't really be easy teaching him everything his dad taught you. She didn't really want to think to hard on all of it though, so she gave him a bright smile. "I was an alright student though."

What she didn't tell him was that she sometimes suspected that she was his closest student for the very reason that she didn't remind him of any of his bad memories. Rin had been a medic, sure, but the similarities had stopped there if Gai's recounts were anything to trust in. Sasuke was moody enough that very few people could stick around in the end, and Naruto, from what she could gather from the situation, similar enough to a younger Obito, his own mother, and with the right familial resemblance to his father, the Fourth.

So, over the years, Sakura had been the closest to Kakashi out of all of them. They were a little like friends now, with a respectful distance that implied a similar self erected wall to Sasuke's. She did not like dealing with those sort of people but alas, she attracted them one way or another. She simply couldn't fight the hand that fate had dealt and so she'd never really bothered to look past those walls.

However, every once in awhile the two of them went out to eat with neither of the boys around. Even with Sasuke back in Konoha, sometimes it was nice for them to share some quiet silence and eat at a place that wasn't Ichiraku's. It was never something that Sakura could call a date or to hang out with a friend because mostly, they were quiet. They didn't need to talk much, each other's presence being enough.

She knew that Kakashi at least appreciated her and so, for all his mistakes, Sakura had never felt resentment towards him. Well, perhaps not never. There was once, after Sasuke had left, that she'd resented everyone but it hadn't really been solely directed at him so it shouldn't really count.

Kakashi gazed at her with that Look again but Sakura stared back, unbothered.

Then, his eye wrinkled with humor once again and he said, "Maa, maa, Sakura-chan, are you going to tell me you're my favorite student?"

She simply looked at him in dry amusement. "I was the lesser headache of three, I know that I'm your favorite. And if you don't believe that, then you will soon."

You will soon, she'd said and she'd sort of meant it but only with half a heart. Thing was, Sakura wasn't all that confident that she was actually his number one. That was probably Naruto, if she were honest. Hard not to like that guy in all his irritatingly cheerful ways. He might've been stupid but most of the time he let people forget the world and just smile instead.

Sakura, she was quickly beginning to see, was just not the sort of person who was the favorite in anyone's world. She sighed, looking at her uneaten omelet. Kakashi's had miraculously disappeared from his plate but she'd long since given up on looking at his face. She actually kind of liked the mystery of it more. In her head too, it meant he was alive.

If he were dead, she could pretty much take the mask off with no problem. Mystery solved, done. A Kakashi that was alive would never let her get anywhere that close, which she took as a good sign.

Holding up her plate, she quirked a brow. "I'm not really all that hungry, up for seconds? Oh, and is it fine if I look through your closet? I need something other than this to wear."

He took the plate and nodded.

Which was really all she needed before heading into his bedroom. She'd seen it last night, of course, but with the morning light seeping in, it didn't look nearly as lonely. In fact, the sight of it gave at least a moment to herself that wasn't horrible by the fact that she was in the wrong time and everything hinged on her keeping her mouth shut. Which, thinking back on her discussion with Kakashi, hadn't gone very good on that front.

Moment over.

Sakura couldn't help the sigh that slipped out from her lips as she moved towards his closet. She checked for any traps, found none and opened the door with relative ease. What was there was really copies of the same thing Kakashi wore every day. No such thing as casual clothing for him it seemed, which explained why she'd never before seen him in some.

It made her ache for home, where she had a closet full of dresses and shoes she rarely got to wear but kept on the hopes that she one day could. Mostly she just wore her signature outfit that she changed up any time she got too bored with it. Which basically meant that none of what Kakashi had suited to her tastes and she was beginning to feel bleak again.

Steeling herself, something she'd have to do a lot in the coming days, Sakura undressed and mused over how she was going to work an outfit out of men's clothing. Though not as vain as Ino, it wasn't as if she wanted to purposely look as bad as she felt. A part of her would always exist that wanted to be beautiful, it was just simply there and no amount spent covered in sweat, blood, and various other bodily fluids had ever gotten in the way of that. Just like Tsunade, actually.

The two of them were surprisingly similar in a lot of ways.

Sakura grabbed a mesh shirt, rolls of bandages for binding, and plucked one of Kakashi's many black shirts off the rack. It was jounin wear, actually, with the high collar and long sleeves. On it was the red circle with the black swirl within, a symbol of friendship and bonds. She found herself smiling at it, just for a moment before tugging it on. Instantly she was swimming in fabric.

"This just won't do," she said with a forlorn sigh as she tried to adjust it around her waist. She was sure to look extra boyish, more so than usual and lately Sakura had been particularly aware that as time passed she became "one of the guys". It was that way at the hospital at least, but the notion still hadn't gotten to Lee who was still her biggest fan. She took that as a sign that things weren't exactly hopeless yet, though it didn't warm her heart any that it was Lee.

"It'll have to do," Sakura muttered, tugging the shirt off so she could get to binding her chest in lieu of not having a bra (not that her flat chest needing anything better than the bandages, bluh) and on her right thigh. Her emergency pack usually went there and without the binding around her leg, she'd have a miserable time trying to get the pack's latches to wrap around and grip. That and she cringed at the idea of the blisters it would cause otherwise.

She still had her arm guards though, had never even taken them off even to sleep. Not to mention her spandex shorts, which she's somehow been hoping Kakashi had a similar pair. Nope, just jounin administered wear. Sakura was feeling even gloomier than before as she tugged back on the shirt and reached for pants to wear.

Then she practically swam in the ocean of fabric as she pulled them on. She immediately took them off and put them back with a quick shake to her head. Not that desperate, she thought, then more critically, yet.

She put back on her white skirt which her mom had actually designed. It could zip up (or, really, down) if she wanted though it usually remained opened for better movement. She almost felt tempted to do it, to close it. It wasn't as if she'd need the extra advantage given how utterly useless she'd been as a fresh genin.

Still doing D-ranks, too. Her day was going to be terrible and boring. Terribly boring.

Sakura shook her head, folded up the rest of her clothes so she could get them washed, and headed back out feeling pretty much defeated by everything.

Much to her great disappointment, Kakashi was also gone. In his place was a note, basically telling her to meet up at the training grounds. So it also basically told her she had ruined whatever nice relationship they could have had and had officially been weirded out enough to avoid her. Which was, in a sense, depressing.

Kakashi never avoided her before.

Bet it's cause you come on strong, Inner noted and Sakura had to roll her eyes. What? It's why all of the boys run away from you.

She didn't really want to hear it in that moment but Inner had a point. Sakura could be intimidating if she wanted to be and it just so happened that she usually preferred to be. Otherwise, she would have attracted more idiots than she cared to handle.

Sakura let out a woe-is-me sigh before heading out of his apartment. Time to relive the worst parts of her childhood.

Sleeping On The Couch - End