Title: Sunset Silhouette

Author: ChibiLlama (formally animeaddict99)

Summary: A mission. An evil man selling sex slaves to twisted newlyweds. It seems easy enough. But nothing is ever easy when love is involved. KakaSaku (dark SasuSaku)

Author's Note: Okay…well…it's been a few years since I've written. Since then, I've been reading and reading and reading. Recently, the urge to write came back, so here I am! The new account is because I don't like my other stories…and don't really want to be associated with them, but people are still reading and reviewing them, so I didn't have the heart to take them down. I have a brand-spanking-new account though, and I pumped. It's summertime, so I won't be super busy (hopefully).

I got the idea for this story due to two things. My fascination for KakaSaku (best pairing ever!) and my other…slightly more twisted…love of dark SasuSaku fics. Ha. Ha. Well, here we go! I hope you enjoy.

Please read and review. Even if the review is two words long…I don't care. It just shows me you're there. Of course, long reviews are loved though, and they will be responded to if need be.

If you're interesting in being a Beta...please let me know. I need it. :)

Chapter One .

She wasn't that girl anymore.

Hell no she wasn't.

Haruno Sakura was strong, confident, sexy, and ready for anything. And she finally realized it.

After nineteen long, exhausting years, she had become the girl- no, the women, that she had always wanted to be. All that training, all those hours in the hospital, all those little cuts and bruises and those not-so-little breaks and fractures had been worth it. Damn straight. If she had to do it all over again, she wouldn't have changed a thing. She would've taken all the same fights and received all of the same injuries. She would've befriended the same friends and chosen the same enemies. She would've faced each and every situation the same way and acted…

Okay. That's a lie. Sakura averted her eyes from the dirt road. 'If only I had been stronger at an earlier time…if only I had stopped him from leaving…if only I had stood up to people more…if only I had done this and that.' She shook her head in disgust. What's done was done, and sadly, she knew that she couldn't change the past.

And, well, hey. She couldn't really complain about where she was now, could she?

Haruno Sakura's mouth broke into a grin. ANBU. She was finally ANBU. Sakura stroked her left arm, where a bandage was placed firmly over her new tattoo. She bit her lip, trying not to look too stupid as she continued her journey towards the bar. It was late, probably eight or nine-ish, but she didn't care much. She was ready to party. She deserved it, and she was ready to get trashed. Well, maybe not trashed, but Sakura wanted to drink. After the test…oh God that damned test…she was ready to relax and let loose.

Too say the ANBU exam was hard would be an understatement. Sakura briefly remembered signing the waver. It happened to mention something about the village not being held responsible for any injuries or death due to testing. She quivered. The test itself had been two weeks long in what basically seemed like the Chuunin exam on crack. After the physical part, Ibiki interrogated her. It was tough, but she got through it. Sakura was glad it was over and managed to finish with only a few broken ribs and some cuts and bruises.f

With the test over with and the tattoo done, Sakura had a few easy days on her own until she couldn't take the pestering she had been receiving from Naruto any more.

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" he had exclaimed repeatedly. "Let's celebrate! This is huggeee for you, and we need to go out and share it with the world!"

"Naruto, it's really not that big of a deal," Sakura had retorted, "We really don't have to do anything. I'm fine just having a few friends over for dinner.."

"No way! We're going ALL OUT, Sakura-chan…and you're gonna like it!"

And with that, the conversation was over.

So here she was, strolling down the street to her favorite bar. Bars in Konoha were pretty lenient about drinking age, especially with shinobi. They could die at any moment, so why not give them a drink? It all seemed to make sense and the act had caught on throughout Leaf over the years.

Sakura brushed a piece of pink behind her ear. Her hair had grown longer in the past few years, curling as it lengthened. It was homage to what could've been. Her teammate Sasuke had liked girls with long hair, and although her life had moved on and fascination with him had passed, Sakura's long hair reminded her of the battle that one day she and her team would have to face when he returned- whether it be peacefully or for battle.

Sakura had dressed up for tonight, much to Ino's joy. They often traded clothes. However, it mostly consisted of Ino forcing Sakura into what Sakura deemed 'stripper clothes.' They were pretty- but Sakura wouldn't be caught dead in many of the outfits. She didn't want to endure the cat calls and whistles. She had chosen the most modest of the collection- a strapless green number that brought out the beauty of her emerald eyes. The cut of the dress revealed two perky breasts, something Sakura was quite proud of. As a young teen, she had been convinced that her constant use of bindings over the years would make her flat-chested, but to her surprise, she had a full chest along with some curves. Compared to most though, she was still stick-thin.

Sakura tripped over her heels for a second. Black. Like her soul. She chuckled. If anything, her aura would be pink, like her hair. Sometimes soft, peachy, like a sunset, other times bright, fiery magenta.

She reached the double doors of the bar and stepped into the dim-lighted room. She looked around for a minute before hearing the intense cheer of her friends.

"Here! Over here, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, his grinning face penetrating through the darkness.

Sakura rushed towards her friend, and he grabbed her and gave her a huge hug.

"Haha, it's good to see you too!" she laughed. She turned to face the crowd. All her friends and supporters were there. Her strengths and weaknesses. She kept shifting until she found the face that she was looking for.

"Sensei!" she cried as she found Kakashi in the back. She reached forward and he grabbed her hand and brought her into his embrace. She smiled and placed her head on his shoulder as he gave her a pat on the head. "You're here on time. They must've lied to you on the meeting time," she joked.

"Oops, you caught me!" replied Ino. She winked at her pink friend.

Hatake Kakashi

Her confidant. Best friend. Mentor.

Over the years, they had become close. Once Sakura had come to the conclusion that she wanted to join ANBU, she had annoyed Kakashi to no end to take her back under his wing. And just like that- they began an intense training schedule in which they spent hours together every day. They confided in each other. They knew each other's deepest secrets. On a drunken rampage, Sakura had complained of her fears of weakness and uselessness, while Kakashi had shared with her stories of his youth.

There was one thing, however, Sakura was yet to see from Kakashi…and that was his face. It was a miracle that with all the time they had spent together, he had not slipped once, but he was a ninja after all.

'One day…' Sakura thought to herself. 'One day I'll rip that damned thing off of his face!'

"Wanna see?" Sakura exclaimed, pointing at her arm and spinning around in order to show all of her friends. The crowd exchanged 'yeses.' She grinned and did a striptease with her bandage, slowly lifting it up a few inches. The group 'oooooed' and 'ahhhed' in wonder. "It didn't even hurt," Sakura boasted.

"Enough of your achievements," Ino retorted. "Can we please drink now? Kakashi and Naruto are paying!"

Both Kakashi and Naruto's eyes bugged out for a second, fully understanding just what they had been volunteered to do.

Ino smiled, ignored their glares, and ordered a variety of stuff for the table, picking out everybody's drinks. She was used to picking out drinks due to the fact that she drank the most of the group.

"Ready?" Ino grinned.

They were having a blast. Everyone had a drink in their hand.

"Heyyyy," Sakura slurred. She turned to Hinata, who hiccupped and gave her a look. "Just kidding. I'm fine," she laughed. Sakura could hold her alcohol. She had control while still feeling the buzz. It had been about an hour, and the drinks had been poured and refilled. Sakura twirled the paper umbrella in her fruity drink. She had no idea what was in it, but it was damn good.

She took a deep breath.

"Kakashi?" Sakura whispered to her left, tugging on the copy-nin's sleeve. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

He rolled his eyes and clenched his beer tighter.

"Pweassseee?"

Kakashi nodded his head in approval. "I'll meet you outside in a few minutes," he answered, slightly behind in his response time. "Bathroom." He gave an exaggerated 'I have to pee' face.

Sakura giggled as they both stood up a little too fast before sitting back down to regain their balance. They looked at each other and broke out into laughter. Second time was a charm, and they stood up and walked in their respective directions and would meet again in a few minutes.

It wasn't terribly chilly outside, but it was cold enough. Springtime in Konoha was beautiful, especially with nature blossoming all around. Sakura took a deep breath as she leaned against the outside walls of the bar. She smoothed out her dress and sighed. The sky above was haunting and chock full of stars, so Sakura looked upward for a minute. When she finally looked forward into the alley across the street, she froze, shocked by the shadowy figure before her. Its form was tall and built. The way it stood kind of scared her. It emitted strength and power from its black shape.

"Hello?" Sakura called hesitantly into the darkness.

The figure didn't respond.

"Ummm…excuusee me?" she tried again. Sakura could make out what appeared to be a creepy smile from within the shadows. She could see it start to walk menacingly towards her. Sakura swore she heard it laugh. Slowly it continued with its journey to her. Stealthily. It scared the shit out of her. With every inch it moved, Sakura took that inch backwards. She stopped dead in her tracks. Then Sakura finally took a footstep forward, bending her knees and grounding herself so that she could prepare herself for the absolute worse.

A hand touched her shoulder.

"Ah!" Sakura yelped. She whipped her body around and found Kakashi, hands up in defense. He looked both confused and shocked.

"Uh, yo?" he muttered. "Sorry to have surprised you."

Sakura sighed in relief, but remembering the shadow in the alley, she looked over her shoulder.

Whatever it was…it was gone.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi stated softly.

"No, no, it's fine, sensei," she responded, crossing her arms.

Kakashi relaxed his facial features and emitted a small smile. "You said you had something you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

"Huh?" Sakura mumbled. "Oh, yeah, sorry." She grinned and looked up in order to meet his gaze. He appeared to be very clean-cut tonight. Brushed hair, nice black shirt and slacks…it was nice to see him in something other than sweat pants. She cleared her throat and placed her hands on her sides, clenching them slightly. She shook her head in order to get stray away behind her ear and began the speech she had been working on since that morning.

"I just, um, I just wanted to say thank you. Really, Kakashi-sensei. These past few years have been so great, and I have gotten so far. I remember when you took on Team 7 at the beginning, and you told us that we should give up trying to be ninja. Wow. That was so long ago, and I mean, look where I am now! I'm ANBU, and I never would've gotten here without your help. You're so incredibly amazing, sensei, and if I had an ounce of your natural talent, I would've gotten this far five years ago!" Sakura peered into Kakashi's eyes and formed her pearly whites into a smile. "You mean so much to me. One day I hope to be half as good as you are. So, arigatou. I promise I won't let you down. Ever."

Kakashi sighed as he took Sakura's hands. "It wasn't me. You did the work. You spent the hours. You did the fighting. It was you. All of it was you. Don't you dare tell me that I put some jutsu on you that made you ANBU."

Sakura protested and grabbed Kakashi's arms right above the elbow. She didn't even feel him flinch. "No, but you-"

"No, Sakura." Kakashi responded firmly. "You're giving me way too much credit. You've come this far because you have drive, and despite what you may believe- you have natural talent as well. Stop giving me compliments. I don't deserve them."

"Don't even say that, Kakashi-sensei. You deserve that and so much more." Sakura released Kakashi from her grip and titled her head to the side. They stood there smiling at each other innocently. It was clear the profound effect they had on each other's life.

"Hug?" she asked timidly. Kakashi smirked and put each arm out, inviting her into his embrace.

Sakura's laugh filled the air. Kakashi was rarely affectionate with those he wasn't close with, and he always found excuses to give his favorite student a hug or touch of the hand. She didn't ask why. She didn't care. She loved feeling his soft skin against hers. Kakashi was Sakura's best friend. Recently, she wished he was more. Reality had always shocked her back to earth, and she grinned and accepted that fact that Kakashi would always be close- just not that close.

Sakura went onto her tiptoes and thrusted her arms around Kakashi's neck and gazed into his eyes. She then rested her head onto his shoulder. Kakashi leaned back into the wall and Sakura fell further into his warmth, her feet barely touching the ground. Their bodies melded together perfectly, each curve fitting like a puzzle piece. Kakashi finally gathered some courage and wrapped one arm around her tiny waist and placed the other on her right arm, her stroking it gently. Sakura shivered with each touch.

"You're the best," Sakura whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment. She swore that the air was thickening because it was getting harder and harder to breathe. She hoped to God that Kakashi couldn't hear her heart pounding, for it was the only thing echoing in her ear. They stood there for a moment, and Sakura took in her surroundings. She inspired a deep breath. Of course, the stench of alcohol was strewn through the air, but she noticed the littler things. His shampoo. His detergent. His soft clothing. His toned chest. His long arms wrapped around her.

His beautiful face.

Which, by the way, had seemed to move closer by the second. Sakura's breath hitched, and her pulse quickened as Kakashi put his forehead against hers. They didn't need words. Their feelings were quite clear with their body language alone. His eyes were closed, as if he was contemplating the actions he was going to commit. Sakura's eyes shut slowly. She wasn't sure what was coming, but she knew what she wanted. She moved her fingers from his neck into his hair. She stroked a white patch gently. She then returned it to his neck and caressed the curve of it. She was scared, but the emotion she felt far more then fear was excitement. Anticipation. The forehead against hers was hot, and that heat traveled throughout her body.

And she loved every second of it.

Kakashi's masked mouth opened and he lifted his head and planted a soft kiss onto her forehead. His lips remained there, and he whispered, centimeters from Sakura's mouth. "Listen, Sakura, I-"

A sharp pain suddenly coursed through Sakura's body and she tensed as she cried out.

"Shit!" Sakura cried, pushing herself off of the Jounin. She bit her lip and held back tears as she fell flat onto the dirt ground.

Kakashi, whose eyes had been glazed over in the moment, snapped back into action, surveying the perimeter. "What hap-." He stopped and understood once he peered down at Sakura's left thigh, in which a kunai was deeply embedded.

"What the fuck?" Sakura cursed, breathing sharply. She wasn't expecting a random attack outside a bar. Then again, who would? Unless, that shadow-

"Well whatever it was, it's gone." Kakashi interrupted her thoughts. "Somebody must've been have a fight in the alley, made a mistake and ran off in fear once they saw that they had hit the great Haruno Sakura," Kakashi muttered lightly. It was unlikely, but neither had the energy to deal with some random thing that was already long gone. Kakashi placed his hand on Sakura's thigh. She shuddered at his touch. Kakashi put his face up to Sakura's ear. "Now hold still," he whispered. Sakura clenched her fists as Kakashi took a firm grip onto the kunai. "Ready? One, two…three!"

"Uhhh, God, I hate you!" Sakura grunted, placing her palms over her thigh in pain. It seeped blood. The area under Sakura's hands began to glow, and within the matter of a few minutes, the wound was gone. She took a deep breath and stood up. She was well again, but the romantic moment was over, and Sakura had the feeling that their only chance for…well, something, had come and gone. It sucked, and the worst part was that Sakura's heart rate was still fast and strong. Her pulse was still slightly erratic. "Um, Kakashi?" Sakura mumbled. She didn't know where to go from here. Would he try again? Would he pretend that nothing had happened?

"Let's go back inside."

'Oh. The latter. Great job, Sakura. You suck.'

"HEY SAKURA-CHAN! WHERE HAVE YOU AND KAKASHI-SENSEI BEEN FOR SO LONG?" Naruto shouted. "Were you havinngg a daddy-daughter momeement?" he joked. Sakura cringed. Daddy-daughter would be the last thing to describe that moment. With every word Naruto spat, more alcohol filled Sakura's nose. He was very drunk, but Sakura really didn't care at the moment. He could deal with his own shit. Her mind was preoccupied

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. We were just talking."

Naruto nodded slowly. It was obvious that she was lying, but in Naruto's drunken state, he didn't seem to mind Sakura's dishonesty.

Sakura sat down beside Ino, who was draped over some guy. Their mouths were all over each other, and neither seemed to notice her.

God, she needed a drink real bad.

When Sakura woke up the next morning (well, technically afternoon), she had a killer headache. She had moved out at eighteen, so sneaking in early in the morning wasn't tough. Her father was dead, and her mother had recently remarried into a large family, so moving out seemed like the best decision. It's not that she didn't love her new kin, it was just that ninjas often lived on their own early in life. Independence wasn't tough for them to deal with.

Uhgh, the headache intensified as Sakura opened her eyes.

She grabbed a bottle of aspirin and went at it with a large glass of water.

What a night it had been. What a strange, drunken night it had been.

Once the whole kunai situation had settled, Sakura drank. She drank with purpose. She didn't remember much…only that Shikamaru had walked her home. Kakashi had left, umm, well soon after their encounter. Usually it was his job to accompany the kunoichi down the street, defending her from the yelling perverts and usual jerks. Shikamaru had done a good job though, walking her to her door, helping her in, and even tucking her into her cozy bed. He was a good friend, and he asked no questions. At least, she didn't remembering him asking any. Sakura leaned back against her bedpost and then peered over at the blue alarm clock on the nightstand beside her.

2:16pm it read. "Fuck," Sakura cursed, rushing out of her bed so that she could get ready. She had her first mission debriefing as ANBU at 2:30pm. Promptly. She didn't want to be known the one who showed up late (much like Kakashi was known for). Sakura was not only known as Tsunade's apprentice but was also recognized as Kakashi's student. She didn't want people joking about how his time habits had rubbed off on her. Eh. Not good.

Sakura literally tore off her dress and jumped into the shower, wasting no time. After cleaning herself off a little, she grabbed a black tank and grey sweatpants. She had been around the king of sweatpants, Kakashi, and couldn't help but pick up the practice. She groaned. He had once given her a lecture on the importance of "ninja comfort." Mind you, he had been wearing sweatpants during this lecture- but it was nearly 80F outside at the time, so needless to say, the lecture was not very effective. Sakura threw her hair back into a ponytail and tied her headband around her waist. She put it there for maximum comfort- and maximum hotness. Yeah, that's right. It was like a cute belt, well, almost. She hated the way it made her forehead itch anyway. Sakura tossed on some makeup and pulled on her standard ninja shoes. Then, she was out of her apartment and into the street.

"Shishou, I'm sorry I'm late, I-"

"Picking up Kakashi's habits, eh Sakura?" Tsunade laughed. Sakura groaned. She had just had to mention that. "And his clothing style as well?" she stated, looking down at Sakura's grey sweats.

"You know what they say, shishou…" Sakura began, "great minds think alike."

Tsunade cringed. "I'm alright with that as long as you don't pick up Kakashi's…unsavory…reading habits." They both laughed as Sakura took a seat before her mentor. "First of all," Tsunade said, taking a moment to clear her throat, "congratulations on making ANBU." She reached across the desk and gave her apprentice and friend a genuine hug. "But of course- you already know how proud I am of you. Years of hard work, and look where you've gotten. You are truly inspiring, Sakura. Truly."

"It's all thanks to you and Kakashi-sensei, really. You guys have-"

"No, no, no. No, and no again," Tsunade interrupted. "Don't give us- especially that perverted Jounin- too much recognition. This is your moment. Embrace it."

Sakura nodded, and the two sat silently for a few seconds until Sakura remembered the reason she had been called to Tsunade's room in the first place.

"Uh, shishou. My mission?"

Tsunade blinked and smiled, reaching into a large drawer under her desk. When her hands appeared again, she was holding a large scroll. "Since your counterpart will most likely not show up for a few hours, I trust you to deliver this to him yourself after I fill you in."

"My what?" Sakura retorted, slightly confused.

"Of course he wouldn't tell you," Tsunade stated. She sighed. "I've asked Kakashi to accompany you on your first mission as ANBU. I know when people think ANBU- they think large groups of masked nins, but in reality…there are a lot of missions that require small groups, or even solo. This was a two person mission, so I grabbed it for you. It will, hopefully, give you an easy transition into the division." Tsunade unraveled the scroll onto her desk. "Alrighty. Your mission is fairly complicated; however, your directive is simple: to gather evidence on a missing-nin named Ichiro Suzuki. Once you gather evidence and conclude that his actions are indeed evil, you must kill him. Understand?"

"Hai," Sakura responded.

"I have to warn you, Sakura," Tsunade began, "this guy is sick. Seriously twisted." Sakura sensed the caution in her mentor's voice. "He was last seen in a resort town right outside of Suna. Normally, a mission like this would be under Gaara's jurisdiction, but due to the small size of their ANBU division, he passed it on to me."

Tsunade placed her elbows on her desk and grounded herself. "Here's the deal. This guy runs a slave ring that is full of civilians ranging from the age of five or six to about twenty." Sakura's attention was caught, and she scooted herself closer to the desk. "When I say slaves, Sakura, I mean sex slaves," Tsunade added bitterly. "When Suna first started looking into this matter a few years ago, they assumed that these slaves were being sold to thugs, but our newest information tells us otherwise." Tsunade grabbed a photograph that had been attached to the scroll and slid it forward. "This is the Hotel Sunset. We recently discovered the Suzuki is the primary owner. The city is located in Caba. As I said before, it is a resort town, but it is mainly inhabited by young couples on their honeymoons or vacations. We have reason to believe that Suzuki sells his slaves to twisted couples who have some sick fantasy or fetish they wish to fulfill. It's disgusting, and it may or may not be true, but we think there's some sort of connection." Tsunade paused as she attached the photo back to the scroll.

"This hotel. Sunset. This is where the deals happen. We don't know how Suzuki knows who wants the slaves, seeing as there is no way to contact him. However, considering the hotel itself in mostly full of rooms made for couples, he must have some way of advertising his motives somewhere in the building. Be careful though…he may seem like scum…which he is…but he's incredibly dangerous. Understood?"

Sakura nodded her head. "So you want Kakashi and I to go through the process…of…uhm…purchasing a slave?" she asked.

"Correct," Tsunade responded. "You two will be a newly married couple on your honeymoon. I chose him because you two seem close, and I thought it would be easier for you to deal with. I mean, he's been your teacher even longer then me."

Sakura frowned. If only Tsunade knew the truth. She wouldn't have dared put them together. Not after last night. Not after all her lead ons and let downs. It wasn't fair.

"Well, thank you for thinking of my feelings. I won't let you down, shishou," Sakura managed to state.

Tsunade smiled, rolling the scroll back up and handing to Sakura. "Read it over for a few more details. A picture of Suzuki is enclosed as well." Tsunade reached out her hand to Sakura and gave it a firm shake. "I'm counting on you, girl. Make me proud. I'll see you in a few months, and we can go over all the juicy details of your first ANBU mission, okay?"

Sakura gave a weak smile and stood. "Arigatou, shishou. I won't let you down."

It was Sunday. Sakura knew where to find her white-haired sensei.

"Hey there," she muttered to him softly. Kakashi sat in front of Obito's grave, holding a single yellow flower in his hand. Sakura had seen this man fight, bleed, and kill, but she had also seen him cry. This had been where.

Sakura kneeled beside him. "Hey Obito, is Kakashi being annoying again?" Kakashi turned his head and gave a soft chuckle. She noticed the redness of his one eye, and she could tell he had been crying. "Are you okay, sensei?" she asked quietly.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he responded. "Just a lot of shit has been- eh. It's no big deal. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," she whispered back. She didn't want any awkward silences, so she spoke again. "I brought this." She revealed a pretty flower with pink petals from behind her back. Kakashi gave a timid smile and took it. He placed both flowers on the grave.

Kakashi slowly stood up and reached his hand out to Sakura to assist her. He patted his friend's grave and turned to leave. The two began to walk towards town. "Is there something I can help you with?" he finally asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "Tsunade knew you wouldn't show up for the debriefing, so here." She handed him the scroll. "We leave at seven in the morning tomorrow. Please, please, please don't be late, sensei." Sakura pouted. "This is really important for me, okay?"

Sakura looked up into his eyes, pleading. "Of course, Sakura. Of course," he responded. "I'll be there. Maybe I'll even be early." He let out a chuckle.

They hit her road, and Kakashi and Sakura went their own separate ways. No hug. No handshake. No anything. Just a goodbye.

Sakura was no more than thirty feet away when she heard Kakashi's voice in the distance.

"Nice pants!"

Author's Note: That's all! I hope you enjoyed it. I like the story idea so far, although it is a bit whacky. And for those of you wanting Sasuke to come into the picture- have no fear that he will show up…and he will be twisted. And for those of you who are like…yay…KakaSaku smut? Don't worry. There will be tons of that too! And for those of you who are like, 'hey you can't start a sentence with and…what kind of writer are you?' I know. :) I just like the dramatic effect it creates.

I know my title doesn't make much sense, but I like the meaning behind it, and I like how it rolls off of the tongue.

Anyway, please review. I beg you. This is the first story on this account…so I have no 'author alerts' to help me along. Okay then…have a great day! More to be posted soon.