I hate my life, was the only thought that past through Kakashi's mind when he felt the explosion. Feeling his body being thrown into the air, he rolled, attempting a landing that would keep most of his bones intact and his brain whole. Clenching his jaw at the jarring pain of his shoulder being smashed against the ground, he asked himself why it never became easier. Even after so many years of having his body brutally pushed to the limit and having at least experienced one injury on every part of his body, it still hurt like hell.

I hate my life.

Letting his senses reach out, he tried to feel for another chakra signature. After finding no one, he surmised that the explosion was simply a trap triggered by them entering the room.

Sighing, he pushed himself upwards quickly like a good shinobi should, scanning the clearing, intent on revenge for the stupid scum who just tried his best to blow him up. Looking around, he saw Siren too on her feet, dusting herself off as if it happened to her every day, completely calm and uninjured.

Refraining himself from rolling his eyes at the kunoichi, he corrected himself. As far as he knows, it does happen to her every day. Squinting his eyes to try and pinpoint the rest of his team, he rolled his shoulder, content with only the minor pang that came with the action.

Spotting Karin groaning, he was about his make his way to her before he saw Suigetsu, by her side as he examined his teammate. Turning to the entrance they had made, Kakashi made out Naruto, one leg through the hole in the wall, his eyes wide with surprise, Sasuke peering over his shoulder to see if they were all dead.

Lifting a hand casually towards them, he regained his casual nonchalance, making his way to the pained kunoichi in the corner. From what he could tell, she hit her head, not being able to twist her body fast enough to avoid the injury, having been the one closest to the blast.

Looking over at Siren, he met her eyes, beckoning her over with a quick jerk of his head. The 'after the blast' phase was something he had always hated, his teammates scattered everywhere, and trying to make everyone's still hazy minds understand that they did not have time to recover and needed to regroup was something he found irritating.

Understanding his apprehension about being separated, Siren came over, Naruto and Sasuke following behind her after seeing that they weren't blown to bits. "Where's Jugo?" he asked calmly, not wanting to betray the slight pang of worry that suddenly shook him.

As soon as the question left his cotton covered lips, the remains of a smashed pillar moved, large slabs of stone sliding of the reveal Jugo, climbing out of the pile of rocks. "Alive" came his tired answer, rubbing his head.

Smiling slightly, Kakashi nodded. "And the rest of you?" he asked, his grin turning into a smirk with the pained grumbles of 'alive' that came from his team.

Twisting his head he looked at Siren, trying to ignore the stubborn male appreciation that swept over him as she bent over to grab a few senbon from a strap on her ankle, putting some of her tighter assets in his line of sight. Clearing his throat, she looked back and met his eyes, her face betraying nothing. Raising a silver brow, he stared back.

A moment of silence passed between the two before she dipped her head. "I'll follow you" she murmured, her voice smooth. Nodding minutely, he turned and examined the new room.

The chamber was a large space, with one doorway on the far corner, leaving the rest of the area almost barren of furnishing. Several large pillars stood throughout the room, holding up the roof, a couple smashed to pieces, courtesy of Jugo flying through them at high speeds. The only lighting in the room was the few candles that hung of the ceiling, their flickering light not helping in the already low visibility, once again thanks to Jugo destroying pillars and creating clouds of dust.

Holding up his hands, Kakashi waved his two fingers, motioning for his team to follow him as a dazed Karin got up, a murderous look on her already usual 'look-at-me-and-I-will-kill-you' face. Flickering over to the door, he eyed the rest, making sure everyone was prepared. Then, without hesitation, he opened the down and slipped inside, keeping well into the shadows, his eyes immediately roaming over the new room.

Like the other, it was completely bare, save for the desk sitting right in the middle and the small lantern that hung on the wall by the entrance. "Next time, I would appreciate it if you would knock. " a gravely voice said, the sound coming from a shadowed body hunched over the desk, stacked high with papers, reminding Kakashi of the Godaime's desk.

"We mean no harm-" Kakashi began, only to be interrupted by the man.

"If so, put the weapons away."

Kakashi remained silent, having no intention of putting his blade away. A chuckle came from the man as he stepped out from behind the desk, letting his form be bathed in the dim light coming from the lantern. "Then you do mean harm," he said. His was older, around his mid sixties if Kakashi had to guess, extremely old for a shinobi. His weathered face showed of harsh times, and a ugly scar ripped from the right side of his lip down to the bottom of his chin, making his expression seemed like a scowl. He wore the white overcoat of a doctor, but underneath was the standard garb for shinobi, complete with kunai pouches and leg wrappings.

"All we need are a few questions answered" Kakashi said cautiously, eyeing the man with distrust.

The man nodded as he surveyed their team, his eyes resting on Siren. Kakashi's lone eye narrowed, wondering just what this obviously battle worn man was thinking.

The man jerked his head towards Siren. "You got them in here" he declared, his eyes hard and sure. "What is your name?" he asked.

Sirens eyes flickered to Kakashi before answering. "Its polite to give your own name before asking others theirs" she said, staring at the man levelly.

The man dipped his head. "Your manners are sharp, however stupid it may be to use it in a Haven. My name it Ikumo."

Kakashi could see Siren stiffen, having to exert an actual effort not to bristle at Ikumo's words. He knew she was a proud woman by nature just by working with her for this short amount of time, and it was obvious by her reaction that she did not appreciate the old mans criticism.

"Siren" she bit out.

Ikumo paused for a moment before turning his sharp gaze back to Kakashi. "Leaf has decided to turn to thievery? I never thought I would see the day."

"Some Cloud nin came through here earlier for healing, and we know you dealt with them. What do you know?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Ikumo straightened, looking wary. "I don't want to get caught up in the Villages business" he said, his eyes narrowing. "They came here and I refused them. Simple as that."

"You lie" Sasuke said, making Ikumo whip his head to fix him with a glare. "I would advise against it" he drawled, letting his eyes bleed red.

The man let out a noise akin to a growl, before changing tune. "I healed them and they left. They wouldn't tell me anything, just gave me my pay and left" he said.

"How many where there?" Kakashi asked, knowing he knew more.

Ikumo sighed. "Six."

Kakashi studied him, wondering if there was more he knew. "Do you have any idea where they might be headed?"

Ikumo shrugged and answered, not meeting his eyes. "No idea" he said, he voice just a fraction quicker than it should have been.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and nodded. The blonde, having worked with him enough to understand the small signals, rushed forwards, easily slipping behind the other man, his kunai at his throat.

"Where?" Kakashi demanded, his voice cold and detached.

Ikumo was silent, making Naruto press the kunai into the tender flesh of his neck, just hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. Clenching his teeth, his eyes darted around the room, smart enough not to make hand signs, as he knew the blonde could kill him faster than he could complete any jutsu.

Just as he opened his mouth to answer, a strangled gurgle came from him. His eyes rolled up into his head, and his hands whipped up to grab at his chest, as if trying to rip out something invisible to the rest of them. Naruto pushed them man away from him in alarm just as a blood curdling scream came out of the man, his entire body shaking, blood now trickling down his chin. His body started to shake, and the middle of his torso began to glow a dull red, slowly growing brighter.

Kakashi was about to start forwards, to try and stop whatever it was from killing their informant before Siren yelled out. "Run!" she yelled, before turning tail and making a dash for the door, not waiting for the rest of them.

Not stopping to ask why, Kakashi sped after her, feeling the rest of the team behind him, leaving the now shrieking man alone. Pushing his body through the door he spun around the press his form against the stone, watching the rest speed out to take positions along the wall too. Siren slammed the door shut as soon as Naruto came out, pressing her lithe body against it to hold it closed. Everyone was silent, and the only sound that could be heard for a couple seconds was Ikumo's screams of pain.

And then a giant boom was heard, effectively silencing the screaming. The door jerked, the force of the blast inside almost pushing it open, but was held shut by Sirens body. Kakashi swallowed as the distinct sound of splattered blood reached his ears, dreading having to go inside the room once more and face whatever was left.

"Someone did that to him" the thief beside him whispered in horror, before gritting her teeth. "They don't to be found."

Nodding in agreement, he watched as Siren grabbed the handle of the door. Bracing himself, he watched as she turned the knob and pull, letting Kakashi step back in.

The immediate smell made him want to wretch. The room was undamaged really, but where Ikumo once stood was now just a small pile of chard organs, and other red objects that made Kakashi's stomach want to empty its contents.

At least my mask is good for one thing, he thought grimly, thinking of how the others would have to breathe in the full on smell, not the slightly filtered kind he had.

Looking back, he saw only Suigetsu and Siren followed him in, the others opting to stay outside and keep their cloths clean. Blood stains really bad.

"Thanks for the heads up" he said to the thief. "That would have been disgusting". She only nodding weakly, before whipping a hand up to cover her mouth, gagging at the stench.

Ignoring the squish his sandals made as he walked over the blood soaked ground, he marched over to the desk, steeling himself. Picking up a drenched red sheet by the edges, he dumped of the red pieces of flesh, clenching his teeth to avoid from gagging. Flipping through the papers, he found some at the bottom that were moderately clean of blood. Slipping them out, he opened up the folded parchment.

A wide grin spread across his face at what he found. Lucky, he mused, thinking of how often it was that things like this happened. Folding the paper up once again, he stuffed it into his pocket before turning around to look at the other two. "Found something. Lets get the hell out of here."

Nodding stiffing, Siren spun on her heal and made her way out of the blood soaked room, followed by Suigetsu who looked like the smell and sight didn't bother him at all.

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Kakashi left the room, erasing from his mind the gruesome room. Walking into the large area behind the door, he looked at Siren. "Your lead" he said.

Without a word she walked toward the hole in the far wall, her feet making tiny blood shaped prints with each step. Everyone was silent, still either thinking over what had just happened or looking forwards to getting out of these damn tunnels. The musky smells and dim lighting was starting to get to Kakashi too, and he found himself looking forward to the light of day.

The group padded along quietly, and when Kakashi heard the first sound of a kunai sailing through the air, he was not really surprised. They already got lucky once tonight by finding the parchment, and he would be almost suspicious if they escaped without any trouble.

Turning on the balls of his heels, he blocked the oncoming blade with his own kunai he had pulled from his pouch. Immediately, his team came together in a tight circle, their backs to each other as they gazed around looking for whoever dared attack them.

As soon as Kakashi deflected the first kunai, Sakura leapt forwards, moving almost on instinct to form the tight circle, a standard defensive formation. Almost at once their enemies rushed forwards, attacking them from all sides, their numbers quickly overwhelming the small group.

Sakura did her best to stay with them as she parried of each blow from her numerous attackers, but soon she was separated and backed into a corner, just as the rest of her team was. Gritting her teeth, she lashed out, kunai in hand, ducking underneath one masked ninja's swing only to elbow another in the gut. Jumping back, she barely dodged a roundhouse kick to her middle, as she attempted to twist in the air, not daring to use her true strength in the tunnels for fear of them collapsing.

She was a thief, not a fighter! Sure, she had the skills to make a man drop dead, but her usual goal was to avoid situations like these all together.

Growling in irritation, she landed, bending her legs to absorb the impact. Feeling another shinobi coming up from her, she dropped to the ground, feeling the heat of some katon jutsu he aimed at her fly overtop her head, barely singing the few strands of black hair.

Having enough of dodging, she spun around, fully intending of making whoever dared attack her pay dearly when she saw the others.

It was like a button had been pushed to make her heart squeeze painfully. There was the remains of Team 7, fighting tooth and nail, their moves so familiar that it made her stumble as she evade another fist that flew towards her face. Naruto making the familiar hand signs before more of his clones materialized, attacking ruthlessly with no real strategy or grace- just a flurry of fists and exuberant yells. Sasuke, moving fluidly in between opponents, his steps looking more like an actual dance than a fight, his face remaining calm and cool.

But what really made her pause was Kakashi. Sakura watched him from the corner of her eye, trying to pay attention to her own fight and failing miserably. Kakashi movements were not like the other men's styles. His grace was smooth, yet he lacked the almost feminine, floating movement Sasuke had, still keeping the aura of being collected and in control. But yet he still had that almost animal savageness that Naruto possessed, putting all of his being into the fight, and facing his adversary's head on without fear.

It was beautiful.

That was the only word Sakura could use to describe him at the moment. She knew that admiring the style of how one fought was a tad sadistic, and thinking that the way her former sensei moves was beautiful was wrong in more ways than one, but she truly couldn't help herself. The thought came to her mind without warning, and it has somehow dug its way into her brain, making her unable to forget it.

Shooting her leg out to kick away a kunai the flew at her, she tried to forget the way the muscles in his arm rippled whenever his blocked a enemy's attack, his lithe form coiling before lashing out and eliminating his opponent.

She started to manage to push all thoughts concerning the copy nin out of her mind, slowly easing his brain back into that easy routine were the only things she recognizes or feels revolved around the fight. She narrowed down her senses, trying to fide that space of mind were nothing else but the shinobi in front of her mattered, were the adrenalin rushed through her veins, lending her strength.

And she was succeeding. With brutal efficiency, she spun on the balls of her heals, smashing the side of her hand into one poor shinobi's temple, knocking him out cold as she leapt forwards towards the next opponent. Her mind began to narrow down until only her senses remained, pushing her onwards to eliminate all enemies.

That was until the strangely comforting sound of screeching birds filled her ears, and at the corner of her eye, she saw the man she was trying to push out of her thoughts create a sparking ball of concentrated chakra. She turned her head in shock at the feeling that rushed through just in time to see him shoved his fist through one mans chest, effectively finishing that fight.

Just the sound of the jutsu made her heart squeeze, and her treacherous mind once again reminded her how lonely she has been without them. He didn't need to shout 'chidori' for her mind to instantly recognize the chirping noise, the technique she had seen over and over again in their years together as a team. A technique he had used to save her life many times before, four long years ago.

She was so stunned by her minds reaction to the jutsu, that when the ring of a kunai flying through the air sounded in her ears, she hesitated. And that was all it took. A sharp pain exploded in her back as the blade sank hilt deep into her left shoulder, the force of the throw actually pushing her body forwards, making her stumbling.

Trying to regain her balance, she twisted, bracing a foot behind her as she whipped out her own kunai to deflect the second blade that was flying her way. Grinding her teeth together, she reached backwards grasping the handle of the blade in her shoulder solidly, knowing she did not have the time to wince and prepare herself. There was no way she would be able to fight with a kunai lodged deep into her muscle.

Clenching her eyes shut, she jerked back her right hand, pulling the blade out and immediately feeling blood soaking the back of her shirt. The pain was sharp and incredibly painful, reminding her how long since she had actually been hit if a simple kunai to the shoulder could hurt this bad. She didn't remember her enemy's attacks when they connected on her being this painful.

Not sparing any time to gather her bearings, she rushed towards the man who hit her, intent on revenge. This stupid thing will most likely leave a scar, and its not like she needs any more of those.

Deciding to finish it quickly as she noticed almost everyone else was finished up or done with their opponents, she pulled out one of her few remaining kunai. The shinobi drew back his left arm, intending to slash her with the short blade he held in it, but she swept her leg up, brushing his arm away with a practiced sweep.

Right away the mans fist shot forwards, aiming for her middle in a vicious punch. Sending just a tad of chakra down to her arms, she was able to grab his fist, gripping it tightly as she stopped the powerful swing from connecting, in the same moment using her left hand to shove her kunai into his chest, feeling his gasped breath tickled some of the choppy strands of hair that had fallen into her face.

She gave the kunai a twist, making good and sure the shinobi wouldn't be getting up again. As soon as the body before began to sag as all energy left him, along with his life, Sakura pulled her kunai out of the man and pushed him away, watching without remorse as his weak body fell to the floor with a undignified thump.

Turning her head away from the bloody man, Sakura looked back at the rest of the group, chest heaving in exertion, her breath coming in pants as the adrenalin started to die down.

Along with subsiding excitement that came along with the fight, the pain in her left shoulder began to make itself more prominent, and she knew she had the dress the wound and stop the bleeding soon before it became serious.

Trying to avoid looking at Kakashi in fear of whatever she saw in him before would reappear even when he's not fighting, she spoke. "Lets get out of here" she declared, making sure her voice would not waver in the least from the throbbing pain.

No one said anything, all completely agreeing on escaping the dark tunnels. It was obvious someone didn't want them to leave, knowing what they do about the shinobi who took the scroll from Konoha, and however hardened they may be, right now, all they really wanted was a good meal and be able to snuggle into their own comfy bed.

Highly unlikely.

As the group traveled towards the exit, Sakura wondered once again why she ever thought the life of a ninja was one full of glory and exciting adventures.

No, she thought wryly. You end up in some underground tunnels, with a damn hole in your shoulder as a parting gift.

Lips tight in a grim line, she quickened her steps, not wanting to die of such a stupid thing like blood loss. Mentally cursing Kakashi for being, well mesmerizing, she turned a sharp corner, facing once again the door she knocked down earlier in the night, splinters of wood strewn across the entrance, the only remains of what used to be a sturdy frame.

Not hesitating, she strode to the doorway, her feet kicking pieces of wood she ignored easily. Without looking back to see if the rest of the team was following, she marched up the steps, the torches that she lit up earlier still flaring brightly.

The stairs, unlike last time, seemed short, and the time passed quicker. Soon, after hearing a few squabbles coming from Karin and Suigetsu, Sakura spotted the large slab of stone that marked the end.

A rare smile adorning her face, Sakura lifted her right hand, unwilling to move her left due to the aching in her shoulder, and pressed it into the stone, pushing her chakra into its surface, feeling the tiny drain as it pulled her power into itself.

Finally feeding the stone enough, she stepped back as the entrance groaned, before the massive slab move out of her way, water pouring over the sides into the stairwell. Ignoring the cold wetness the soaked through her clothes, she launched herself up, sending chakra to her feet as she touched the surface of the water fountain before striding over to the side the jump off onto solid, dirt packed ground once more.

The sun was just beginning to come up, it's lighting glowing softly from behind the faraway mountains.

Dawn.

The were inside the tunnels most of the night, their time spent walking from one place to another, not wanting to use as much chakra as it would take to speed up, incase they were attacked.

The crisp morning air bit at her skin, and her flexible clothing, made for fighting, did nothing against the chill, making goose bumps appear on her creamy skin. Twisting around, she saw Kakashi emerge from the fountain, the last one of their team. Meeting his eyes, she dipped her head.

She had done her part. She had led them out, and now it was Kakashi's turn. This was his team after all, she was merely an extra brought along for convenience.

"Your call" she said, her smooth voice easily heard in the silent morning. Kakashi nodded, and set a brusque pace towards the inn, going for speed rather than stealth. The group matched his pace and soon the team arrived at the inn, slipping past the sleeping desk clerk once more and ghosting up the stairs silently.

"There's three rooms" Sakura said, informing everyone for the first time that they would be sharing rooms with each other. The five confused faces looked at her before understanding dawned on each of them, before their expressions turned sour.

Sakura inwardly groaned at their disgruntled expressions. This may be a long night.

Kakashi could feel the tension that was immediately created as she uttered those three words. Preparing his poor eardrums, he braced himself for the indignant screech that he knew was to follow.

"What?" shrieked Karin, knowing instantly that Suigetsu and Kakashi would pair up like always, and Naruto and Sasuke would of course do them same. But she always got her own room. Always.

"I was not aware there was a problem" Siren stated, staring fearlessly right back at Karin's glare.

"Well there is" the redhead snapped back. "There is no way I am sharing a room with you" she growled, her face twisting into a sneer at the thought.

"Has the thought of switching rooms with someone ever occurred to you?" Siren asked calmly, not flinching in the least as Karin sent her the best 'I-hope-you-know-how-much-I-hate-you' look. "Nothing is set in stone and I am sure someone would simply love to spend the night with such a lovely individual like yourself" the thief intoned smoothly, sarcasm thick.

Karin snarled, if such a thing was possible for a human, and Kakashi decided to put an end to everything before it got out of hand. "Yare yare" he murmured, putting his hands up in a pitiful attempt to calm the irate kunoichi. "I will bunk with Siren"

The gray haired jounin fought to keep his face expressionless as Naruto's head whipped towards him.

"You can't bunk with her Sensei!" he cried, looking positively disgusted. Kakashi chose to ignore the fact that the blonde still referred to him as sensei, even though time and time again he had told him that he was no longer his teacher and hadn't been for a long time.

Sasuke snorted. "Dobe, why not?"

Naruto stared at him as if he were stupid any was missing a painfully obvious fact. "He's a pervert!" the blonde cried unabashedly, unaware of the sag in Kakashi's shoulders at that statement. Where was their respect for a poor old man? He was only arranging the rooms to keep his teammates from killing each other, yet he was to be mocked as a pervert? Granted, the woman he suggested he would bunk with was rather attractive, but seriously, he had some self control.

"No need to panic Naruto, I am sure Kakashi wouldn't do anything to compromise my fragile virtue" Siren said, her feminine voice completely monotone

The way the thief said the sentence led Kakashi to believe that she really could care less about her virtue. From the way she acted, he could guess that she way not one to shy away from extracurricular activities, and he highly doubted she had saved herself for prince charming who would sweep her off her feet and take her away. She was a kunoichi, and held no room for rose colored delusions

His thoughts drifted as his team began to argue, forever unable to merely let things be. His eyes glanced at the new addition to his team, her stance self confident. The woman knew who she was and was comfortable in her own skin.

The thought merely confirmed his suspicions that she was no stranger to physical encounters. It was extremely unlikely that a woman as visibly hardened as her would suffer from a sick dream that many young kunoichi harbor. And as his eyes glided up and down her body, not at all helping Naruto's earlier statement that he was a pervert, he had to admit that she would be someone who he wouldn't mind warming his bed.

The thought shocked him out of his reverie. What? The only thing that was weirder than contemplating if Siren had had sex or not was thinking that if she came on to him, he would take her up on her offer.

A sighed left his mask covered lips. He truly was a pervert. Drifting off into space with his mind in the gutter while on a mission. A new low.

Pushing all thoughts of Siren and him revolving around sexual encounters, he turned his mind back to the present.

"-eme, shut up!" cried Naruto.

He noticed Siren growing increasingly irritated, her normal fake smile or smirk slowly dissolving into an annoyed look that was the exact replica of a fading ghost from years before. A ghost that now haunts his team, a young woman from a different lifetime.

"Silence" she snapped, her patience obviously wearing thin. "Sasuke and Naruto will share rooms, Suigetsu and Jugo will take another, and Karin, you can have one to yourself" she growled

Blinking, the Copy-nin followed her obediently, not wishing to see what would happen when she lost her temper. Raising a lazy hand in goodbye to his team, his left the young group, all wearing rather identical skeptical expression, though some were more obvious than others. He stepped alongside his new roommate, looking at her from the corner of his eye, noticing although she said she had no problem spending the night in his room, her body was tense, the nervousness so minimal that only someone extremely experienced in reading people would be able to tell.

Her normal smooth, graceful steps had become slightly more jerky, a barely perceptible change to the naked eye, and her back was straighter than need be, as if preparing herself for some kind of battle. Reaching their room, Siren entered through, leaving it open for him before throwing her bag at the single bed farthest to the wall. "I call first shower" she declared, heading off towards the bathroom with a purpose, almost daring him to say no.

He merely dipped his head in response and unpacked, his back turned to her. The soft click of the door closing followed shortly after by the sound of rushing water. Kakashi plopped his body down on the bed and closed his eyes, resting his sore body, trying not to think too much about the fact that she was in the next room. In the shower.

Naked.

His jaw clenched. Great.

Sakura bit her tongue, trying to hold back the long stream of curses that threatened to spill out as the steaming hot water rushed over her. She had managed to hide her wound from almost everyone, save Sasuke, who had stared at her but said nothing, obviously trusting that she could look after herself, or, more likely, not really caring.

Damn Sharingan.

She grit her teeth as the searing pain hit her in full, the adrenalin finally dying down and letting her brain focus on her injury. Forcing herself not to jerk away, she let her shoulder sit in the path of the water, the pain excruciating as the water turned a red-pink color, before being washed down the drain.

She tried not to think of how long it had possibly been since the tub had been cleaned, as she repressed a disgusted shiver, and made a mental note to wash her feet afterwards, lest she get some kind of infection from it. She had stayed in worse places, and even a flee-bag motel beat sleeping in a tree, but that didn't mean she had lost all sense of hygiene.

It had become crystal clear to her the first few months after her defection from Konoha that simple things like three square meals a day and comfy beds to sleep in were luxuries she could no longer afford. The transition was hard, from being a respected kunoichi of one of the great hidden villages, to a missing-nin with an impressive bounty on her head, but she had learned quickly.

In her life, there was no room for mercy, compassion, no time to sleep, and she could trust no one. It had been a serious life style change, and it had been hard, but it had helped her survive. If anyone wanted to live long out here, they had to abide by those rules- it was lonely, and got seriously difficult at times, but that's just the way things were.

She let out a long sigh, rather disgruntled by the way she had let her mind wander through the things she had learned once more. It had never happened before, but when her old team came along, it was almost like some sort of subconscious part of her had wanted to bring forward everything and rub it in their sad little faces, and show them that Haruno Sakura never needed their help, that she had survived.

A small smile graced her lips as she thought. They had certainly done a number on her, making her mind revert back to a time were she had thought she needed their approval to succeed.

Seeing that the water had begun to run clear again, she pulled herself out of her mind, moving calmly out of the stream and turning the tap off. She stepped out of the tub and walked up to the full length mirror, twisting her torso so she could see her shoulder, not paying any attention to the numerous scars that now littered her lithe form. She lifted a hand up and laid it on the wound, wincing as the motion caused hurt muscles to tense. Bringing forth her chakra, she slowly sealed up her skin, carefully mending the broken tissue and knitting the muscle back together, trying to stay still as her shoulder twitched in pain. Once it was whole again, she let her hand down, testing her job as she rolled her shoulder, spotting only a small but sharp pain that would disappear in the next few days.

Satisfied with it, Sakura grabbed her towel and froze, only just realizing she had left her cloths in her bag outside in her haste to make it to the bathroom. That meant she would have to go outside and grab it, clothed in only the short little towel that just barely covered her ass and fetch them.

Resisting the urge to swallow, she steeled her courage. Grasping the doorknob, she pulled it open, immediately feeling the rush of cool air that was let in, before stepping outside. She rushed over to her bag, trying her best to not look nervous and completely embarrassed, avoiding his eyes.

Latching her one hand around the small pack, she attempted a calm walk back, her other hand holding her towel securely around her chest. Closing the door as normal like as she could, she breathed a quiet sign of relief. No awkward flashing when she bent down for her bag or the cliché accidental towel drop.

She wanted to laugh. What did she expect? That his eyes would be fixed on her and she would become so flustered that she would drop the tiny fabric that covered her naked body?

Of course not. In fact, from the quick glance she got of him from the corner of her eye, he was reading. She was acting like a teenage girl around her first crush. The attraction was one sided, she was sure. Kakashi may be a pervert, but he was extremely professional, and she doubted that he would tolerate with his temporary criminal partner.

Chiding herself lightly at being so silly, she dressed and ran her brush through her hair harshly. Staring at the mirror, she renewed the long-term genjutsu she had placed on her hair, hiding the bright pink threads. Never before had she detested her hair so much, as the roots stood out so brightly that any color she had dyed it was a stark contrast, making her identity exceedingly easy to spot. In an act of desperation, she stole a scroll with a concealment jutsu on it, putting her exceptional chakra control to use and renewing the jutsu every once and a while.

Satisfied that her true hair color would be sufficiently hidden and not even one as skilled as Kakashi would be able to sense at it, she looked at her appearance in the mirror. A woman, a thief, a criminal stared back, jade eyes so familiar yet so different. She felt like a stranger in her own skin.

Closing her eyes, she turned and whipped open the door. Walking past Kakashi, she plopped herself down on the bed next to his, telling him he was free to go in. She felt rather than heard him leave, before the sound of the door closing softly and shower turning on reached her ears.

The almost silence felt like a weight on her body, and she felt all her energy slowly ebbing away, her eyelids drifting close. She wasn't sure how long she had drifted off for, or even when Kakashi exited the shower, but her eyes snapped open when she felt another presence enter the room, her muscles tensing as she jack-knifed into a sitting position before recognizing the chakra signature.

She heard him chuckle. "Do all wanted fugitives do that or are you a special case?" he asked, settling down in his own bed.

She smiled thinly. "Depends on which ones your talking about. The dead ones or the ones still alive?" she responded.

He looked at her, his eyes sharp. She resisted the urge to fidget underneath his piercing gaze, feeling like he was looking for something she hadn't meant to say. "At first glance you don't look like you belong with either one" he said carefully, holding her gaze.

She swallowed. "Appearances can be deceiving" she replied, averting her eyes at last.

The silence stretched, and she felt his eyes on her still burning a whole in the back of her head. "That they can be" he replied, finally turning away and shutting of the small light on his bedside table.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to erase his words. She didn't look like she belonged with any wanted fugitives. She wasn't sure how to take the comment, at face value or something deeper?

Darkness surrounded her, and she felt the familiar weight of fatigue weighing her down once more. Letting her conscious go, she fell softly into the deepest sleep she had had in four years, sure that if anything happened, her teammates would protect her.

(A/N) Well here it finally is. I would like to apologize for how long it took, but don't want to promise any set time for the next chapter either as I'm not sure I will keep it.

More KakashiSakura moments will be coming soon, but first I feel I need to build up base relationships with the rest of the team. I have really almost the whole story planned out, and the bonds with the whole team are important, though of course Kakashi is the main focus.

I feel like I also should bring some more of what happened four years prior to the story to light, but that may or may not happen for a chapter or two, you never know.

If anyone has any wishes or suggestions for the next chapter, let me know, as like I said, I will be building up some relationships with characters, both good and bad.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail me, review, or just post a message for me on my profile. I assure everyone, I WILL NOT ever discontinue this story, however long it may take for an update ;)

Thank you for everyone's support, you guys keep me going! Enjoy!