Reformatted. This used to be a part of Chapter 1 but I split it. So some of you have already read it, so skip if you like, seeing as I didn't add anything.
Disclaimer: Naruto © to Kishimoto Masashi.
Escape, Chapter 2
Sakura awoke, if it could be called that because it was more like being dead to the world one second and then painfully aware of her surroundings the next. Kunai clutched in her right hand, blade pointed away from her body, she swept it up and forward.
Kakashi woke at the same instant and slapped his palm over her fist. Only a fraction of a second later another palm smacked over his hand to stop Sakura as well.
"Fast." Genma said calmly helping Kakashi hold Sakura's quivering arm from slicing him across the chest.
Sakura had her other hand placed on the bed, trying to thrust her entire body into the motion of her arm against the man that snuck up on her. Kakashi squeezed her arm, he was surprised that two men were having trouble holding a thirteen year olds fist back.
"Sakura, stop." It had only lasted a moment before recognition entered her eyes as she stared at the unfamiliar but plainly Konoha jounin. Then she breathed out shakily and relaxed her body.
Kakashi sat up and pulled her closer as Genma let go of her hand. Sakura's eyes shifted to the second male jounin standing close by, his eyebrow quirked in amusement.
"…let go. Sakura give it to me." Kakashi had been talking but she'd missed it. His meaning was obvious though as both arms were around her body and his hands were prying her fingers open.
Dropping the kunai into his hands Sakura let her hair slide over her face in embarrassment. Nervously she tugged her hitai-ate into a less strangling position around her neck before turning to look at Kakashi.
"Forget how to knock?" Kakashi said and then winced as he shoved the kunai beneath his pillow only to hear the sheets rip.
"We heard you had a little body guard and came to see if it was true." Raidou said pulling a chair against the opposite wall up to the bed.
"Ah, we thought you might need some company, but seeing as the rumors are true…" Genma smiled at Sakura kindly around his senbon as he grabbed the other chair in the room and pulled it next to Raidou's.
Kakashi glanced down at Sakura's deepening blush. He wasn't sure what to think about people knowing she was staying here, other than it being completely inappropriate.
"Well I hear I am in need of the protection." He prodded. Raidou and Genma gave him cool looks.
"Getting paranoid old man?" Genma asked leaning back, hands behind his head.
"Don't pull this shit on me." Kakashi said quietly. Sakura's wide eyed looked didn't perturb him however. "Tell me what's going on. Now."
It seemed to work though. Sakura watched the other two men glance at each, exchanging a silent conversation. She thought it might be a good idea to leave. Kakashi's arm slipped from around her waist as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed to slip on her sandals.
"I'm going to go…um, get a drink." Sakura said bowing a little to the two men before hurry out.
"Now, tell me what's going on." Raidou sighed and leaned forward, a grin twisting his scar, although his eyes didn't look at all amused.
Sakura sat in the cafeteria of the hospital for about twenty minutes, just watching and occasionally exchanging polite hello's with nin she knew before deciding it was probably safe to go back.
She walked into Kakashi's room carrying a tray of cups filled with hot tea. The jounin were still there and she was glad she'd brought enough for everyone. Their conversation ceased as soon as she entered the door.
"Here." Sakura held out a cup to the nin she recognized and had tried to gut a little while before. "Sorry I tried to, uh, cut you…" She trailed off as she realized she didn't know his name.
"Genma." He said smiling. Sakura paused awkwardly and Kakashi picked up on it.
"Shiranui Genma." He added helpfully.
"Sorry Shiranui-san." Sakura said and gave him the tea. He shrugged and took the cup.
"Namiashi Raidou. And what's the name of the kunoichi who would have eviscerated our very own Genma?" Raidou said taking a cup as she bowed her head quickly.
"H-Haruno Sakura, Namiashi-san."
"Fitting name." Genma commented and ruffled her hair playfully. Sakura frowned but allowed it because she still felt guilty at almost hurting a fellow konoha nin.
Placing the tray on the ground she got back on the bed with the last two cups in hand. Kakashi took his and pulled down his mask to drink. Sakura noticed that neither of the jounin sitting across from her seemed all that interested.
"Sakura-chan, you were on the mission with Hatake, weren't you?" Raidou asked kindly.
"Of course, I usually only go on missions with Kakashi-sensei when I'm not training with Tsunade-sama." Sakura said while blowing on her tea.
"Has a tendency of going overboard doesn't he?" Genma said, the senbon staying in his mouth as he drank.
Sakura shrugged a little, although she completely agreed. Genma's senbon staying in his mouth as he talked was a bit distracting and she couldn't help but stare at it.
"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei did what he thought was best." Sakura interjected quickly. Raidou and Genma grinned at each other.
"Well, Kakashi-sensei usually does think he knows what's best…" Raidou stared at Kakashi as he said it. Sakura realized they were teasing him, probably because of her. Kakashi seemed to be ignoring everyone in the room as he drank his tea.
"Why do you have that, that thing hanging out of your mouth all the time?" Sakura said still staring at Genma's senbon. She couldn't help her curiosity and the fact that she sounded rude. It was too hard to resist.
"What thing?" Genma leaned forward while setting his finished tea on the ground.
"That thing. Your senbon." Sakura leaned over Kakashi and pointed at it. She was at least, she thought, successfully distracting them from making fun of Kakashi.
Sakura watched mesmerized as it swung back and forth before settling to one side of his mouth, the tip swinging up to point almost at the ceiling. Sakura's eyes moved with it and she missed his hand out of her view reach up and snag her arm faster than could be followed.
"Because it's distracting." He grinned as her furious green eyes blazed out at him.
A tug to try and get her limb back was useless. He continued to grip her upper arm, firmly but painlessly. Sakura held out her cup of tea.
"Take this." She said to no one in general. Raidou took her cup and placed it on the ground next to his.
Another tug and her hand gripping his as she tried in vain to pull away. Genma calmly smiled and held on, watching her attempts with amusement. Sakura raised her free fist and light blue green chakra surfaced.
"Play nice Sakura." Kakashi wrapped a restraining hand around her wrist. Sakura looked at him pleadingly.
"I wasn't really going to use it on him." Sakura said sweetly. Kakashi didn't believe her for one second.
"Play nice Shiranui." Kakashi sighed.
"Doesn't it occur to her she could just ask to be let go?" Genma said incredulously.
"Probably not…" Kakashi admitted looking at his student's petulant face.
"Let go!...Shiranui-san." Sakura ended her remark sweetly again, this time aimed at the older jounin. Genma laughed and released her to sit back in his seat.
"You should have hit him Sakura-chan. He needs it." Raidou said, egging her on even as Kakashi glared at him.
"Hmpf." Sakura responded pretending to ignore them both. Kakashi gave his friends a pointed look.
"Well, we've got missions to do, sake to drink…will you be joining us anytime soon Hatake?" Raidou stood and Genma followed suit. "Or has Tsunade-sama commanded you to sit and stay?"
"Actually Namiashi, I think I'll be out soon. Come back if you find out more."
"Will do. Bye Sakura-chan." The girl had turned around to watch as they got up to leave. Raidou's hand came out and gave her quick pat on the head.
"If you get sick of training with the old man you can come and try that punch out on me Sakura-chan." The mans senbon bobbed dangerously and as his hand came out, Sakura ducked and tried to escape. He pulled her across the bed in a headlock, giving her a thorough hair ruffling before letting go.
"Maybe I will!" Sakura called after their retreating backs. This was met with deep masculine laughter as they left the room.
"Ready?" Sakura gripped her partially empty black bag as Kakashi slipped on his hand guards.
He was standing steadily enough and it was quiet out in the hall. Tsunade had come in purposefully just that afternoon to tell him he needed to stay at least two more days. But seeing as he wasn't in that much pain he figured he could escape.
"Alright, let's go." Kakashi said stepping over to the window and sliding it open. Fresh cold air buffeted his face as he climbed onto the window sill and jumped onto a lower section of the hospital's roof.
Sakura followed suit after shutting the window behind her. Kakashi's hand came up to his stomach but he jumped away with surprising speed, leaving Sakura rushing to catch up.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're…going too fast!" Sakura huffed behind him.
"Almost there." He called over his shoulder at the skinny shivering girl. She was still wearing the same pajamas and it was colder than she thought.
Landing outside his door on the exposed walkway against the building, Kakashi's legs threatened to turn into jelly. Sakura watched him lean against the wall and she was there at his side. Dropping the bag and letting him rest his hand on her supportive shoulder as he pushed the door open.
Helping him into the apartment and to his bed she let him plop down before rushing to grab her bag partially full with weapons and locking the door. When she returned he was stripping off his vest and outer clothing.
Hesitating for a moment Sakura set her bag down and pulled off her sandals near his bedroom door before getting under his covers. Kakashi was pulling out clothes to sleep in as she crawled between his sheets.
"Sakura-"
"They're still out there!" Sakura began, her eyes showing more white than was normal. Kakashi sighed in defeat yet again. He was just too damn tired to try and reason with her.
He crawled in after her, motioning for her to move closer to the wall on the inside of the bed. This was more wrong than his mind could deal with at the moment so when she pressed her thin limbs against him he didn't resist.
Once again her presence and warmth worked their way into his body and made him drift quickly.
"Kakashi-sensei…"
"Go to sleep Sakura." He said, if she didn't say much maybe it would make this easier.
Sakura didn't say anything else for a moment. Then she shivered quite hard against his side. Kakashi had obviously turned off his heat when they had left for the mission and his thin blanket was definitely not enough for the poorly dressed Sakura.
"I'm cold." It was soft and he was almost sure he had imagined it. But she shivered again in the silence.
"Turn over on your other side." This was so wrong in his mind he could hardly believe he was letting it happen.
However Sakura turned away from him without question and he rolled onto his side draping an arm around her as he pulled her against his chest and stomach. Sakura shuddered but not from worry. She'd never been close to a man who wasn't a part of her family. But Kakashi was different; she didn't have to think of her own safety when near him.
Curling up a little more she was pleased when his arm tightened around waist and his body hunched a little more around her. His warmth and form lowering her into the most relaxed sleep she had ever experienced.
It was warm in the sun and the breeze was pleasant on Sakura's face. She followed close at Kakashi's side and stopped when he was called over by some fellow jounin on the other side of the street. They ignored her for the most part so she paid little attention to their conversation as she stood patiently at his side.
Soon the conversation went a little downhill and all the men were laughing deeply, even Kakashi. Sakura smiled to herself, turning her face away so they couldn't see. Their topic was extremely adult but she was ignored because she was still a child. But even so she understood exactly what they were saying and what it meant.
"Don't listen." Kakashi said down at her and placed his hand over her ear, bringing her head against his side, ineffectively trying to deafen her.
Sakura didn't mind. She understood what was going on and that was enough. She couldn't help but smile again as she listened to the rumble of Kakashi's laughter roll through his side. Lifting her head, cheek sliding against his vest she watched him shake his head at another male jounin.
The group started to break up but Kakashi's restraining hand stayed in place as one last parting remark from a nin sent the remaining into surprised laughter. As they all left Kakashi loosened the pressure of his hand, letting it come to rest on the top her head.
"Catch all that?" He asked looking down at her. Sakura gave him a huge smile and nodded her head. "Thought so." He sighed, walking away with her keeping in step at his side.
Yay, this chapter was easy to write! Seeing as I just cut it.
A little time jump at the end there folks. But remember, Sakura was 13 in chapter one and she still is at the end here. I'm just using the words 'time jump' so that Kakashi can be all healed. So really it's probably only weeks/month time jump in the story.
Your Nushi