A/N: This turned out to be much longer than I anticipated, so I split it into two parts.

It was nice to wake up to the sound of voices and birds singing outside the window rather than the annoying buzzing of an alarm clock. Stretching her arms, Sakura sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Nice hairstyle. Bed-head is very becoming on you."

She stuck her tongue out at Kakashi. "I don't think you really get to critique my hairstyle."

He tilted his head. "Touché."

Propping herself up on her elbows, she gazed at him and smiled. "How're you feeling?"

He shifted slightly beneath her. "I can't feel my leg." She rolled off of him and he sighed, bending his knee. "Much better."

"Seriously, how are you feeling?"

"Okay. Kind of sore."

"Being used as a pillow will do that." She blushed. "Thanks for that, by the way." He just shrugged.

"Well," she said, climbing off the bed and stretching again, "I should probably do a follow-up and make sure you've healed okay."

"All right."

Throwing back the sheet, Kakashi extended his leg and she ran her hands the length of his thigh. The bandages had stopped glowing, and he didn't flinch when she prodded the wound. "I think you're better," she said, looking up at him as she grabbed a pair of scissors off the bedside table. "Let me just make sure it's healed completely and you can go home."

"Can I have my clothes back?"

She grinned mischievously. "Maybe."

"How about my book?"

She chose not to respond, and he sighed again.

As she began to snip away at the cloth and gauze, he straightened up and she could feel his eye on her. "Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"There's a spider behind you."

She turned around, prepared to smash the offensive bug with her shoe, and instead felt the breath leave her lungs.

A vase filled with lush pink carnations and wispy baby's breath stood perched on the edge of the desk. Even from across the room, the bouquet's heady perfume flooded her nose. She stepped toward it, unable to speak, and plucked a card from between the petals.

'Sakura,' it said, 'sorry about our date last night. I hope these make up for it. Have a wonderful day. Love, Tomoya.'

Sakura smiled, hugging the card to her chest. She just had to be the luckiest girlfriend in the world!

"Who's it from?"

She turned back and smiled at Kakashi. "Tomoya. To make up for our date last night."

He rolled his eye. "If you're going to start in about how great and awesome he is," he said indignantly, slumping down in the bed, "then feel free to leave and gush to one of your giggly coworkers."

"Stop it," she said teasingly, walking back and flicking his forehead. "You just don't want to hear about him because he makes every other man on earth look bad." He just grumbled something under his breath.

Shaking her head, she finished slicing away the bandages and examined his leg. Except for being unusually pale—and unbelievably muscular—it appeared to be a perfectly normal, healthy leg; no injuries or scars in sight.

"I think you're all better, Kakashi," she said, tossing the soiled bandages into the little trashcan. "Once you're dressed, you can go home."

"Really?"

"Yep."

She stood and he shifted so his legs were dangling over the side. As he started to rise, she glanced back at her bouquet and couldn't help smiling again.

It took her a moment to realize Kakashi was speaking to her. "Sorry, what?" she asked sheepishly.

He tilted his head. "I asked if there are any nasty side effects I should be worried about."

"Unfortunately, that medicine is ineffective against swollen egos."

"Very funny." He gestured to the desk supporting her flowers and a neat stack of fabric. "Could you hand me my clothes now?"

As he changed behind the curtains surrounding the bed, Sakura buried her nose in the blooms. No one ever gave her flowers. If only men realized that the way to a girl's heart was with pretty bouquets. Well, that and chocolate, of course.

"Sakura, I think I dropped a glove. Is it out there?"

She looked at the table and spied it half-hidden behind the vase. "Yeah, I found it," she replied, picking it up.

"Could you hand it to me?" A long arm parted the curtain and waited.

"Sure." As she placed the glove in his outstretched hand, she noticed that the tip of his index finger was stained blue. The stain hadn't been there yesterday and, now that she thought about it, it seemed to match the blue ink on Tomoya's card.

Studying the card again, she realized she'd missed the blue fingerprint on the back, as if Tomoya had started writing and then smeared it with his finger. But the fingerprint was too big to be Tomoya's, and he never wrote in pen anyway…

The curtain drew back and Kakashi stepped out, looking like his old self as he adjusted his forehead protector. "I never did thank you," he said suddenly, his right eye crinkling up as he grinned beneath his mask. "Thank you, Sakura."

She smiled slightly in return, but she hadn't really registered his words, her mind preoccupied with the smudged ink. There was an awkward moment of silence before Kakashi cleared his throat, patted her head, and quietly stepped into the hallway.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kakashi headed for the exit, the expression on Sakura's face still fresh in his mind. He was glad he'd thought of the bouquet. While it might not clear him of any blame for her missing her date, it at least cleared his conscience.

It hadn't been easy smuggling those flowers into the hospital. For one thing, he couldn't even leave the room without looking suspicious, so he'd had to summon Pakkun and send him out to buy the flowers. And once the little dog had retrieved the bouquet, he had nothing to write on. Sakura probably wouldn't miss the seven of hearts from her deck, right?

Even if she did, it was worth it. The smile on her face when she read that card was just breathtaking.

Although he still wished she'd given his book back. Now he was going to have to buy another copy, and who knew if there'd still be any left in Konoha by—

"Kakashi!"

He stopped and turned. Sakura was jogging toward him, a panicked expression on her face. "Did I forget something?" he asked, checking his pockets to make sure he had his house key, his wallet, his weapons…

She shook her head, then extended her arm. He stared at it, dumbfounded.

"Take it before I change my mind," she said sternly, so Kakashi reached out and she placed his brand new book in his hands.

"What's this for?"

"For playing Go Fish with me when you didn't have to." He started to go again when he felt her hand on his arm stopping him, and before he could protest there was a soft pressure on his cheek. He entire face began to grow hot as Sakura leaned back and bit her lip.

Once he'd lowered his heart rate, he mumbled, "And what was that for?"

She shrugged even as her cheeks reddened. "Just 'cause," she whispered. A few awkward moments passed, and then she straightened up and frowned. "You should probably leave before the nurses assault you or something."

"Right." He tilted his head. "See you around then?" She nodded. Bowing his head, Kakashi spun on his heel, shoved his hands back into his pockets, and strode down the hallway and out into the bright sunlight, a content smile on his face.