Kakasaku Holiday Exchange
For the studious and hardworking Samurai_girl93. Who gave her anonymous free range, and simply wanted a kakasaku fic to cheer up the holiday. I hope your exams went well. Enjoy!
Title: Team Seven on Ice
Rating: K
Word Count: 4,500
++++++++++++++++++++
“WHOA. There’s a knife on this shoe!” Naruto said. He snatched the skate off the display rack and immediately began slashing it around in the air. His breath came out as a silver cloud, while flakes of snow brushed off his cloak.
The rest of Team Seven slowly made their way around the snowy path and surrounded the interesting spectacle. In a long stretch of rugged wilderness, this humble hut and outdoor marketplace was the first sign of civilization they had seen in over two days. It had been a cold trip full of endless trekking around small hills, and finding pathways marked out by frozen rocks and bushes. The only distraction they had for the mission was the sweeping beauty of Snow Country. More specifically-the tall, delicate pine trees that spiraled up with staggering beauty, and clear blue skies that drifted down to white mountain tops.
“Is it some type of new weapon?” Sakura asked. The ground crunched as she stood on her toes for a closer look.
The blonde boy twisted the shoe around in his hands a couple times, examining how the blade was attached to the shoe. Tiny screw kept the metal in place. “There’s only one way to find out,” Naruto declared.
With a serious look, he pulled his arm back and chucked the shoe forward with a mighty swing. True to his aim, it smacked into the nearest tree, then bounced off and landed in the snow with a quiet plop.
By this time, Sasuke had made his way around the pathway. A melancholy look darkened his face as he examined the mark left behind on the tree trunk. “It’s not very effective,” he noted.
Slightly put off by Sasuke’s indifference, Naruto stomped over and picked up the shoe blade again, this time determined to make it work. As far as he was concerned, it was the greatest invention ever created (even if he wasn’t completely sure what it was), and he was going to prove it. His brows were pointed downward as he pulled his arm back again. “Okay. It’s time to get serious.”
“Maybe it’s better suited for kicking with?” Sakura suggested lightly, noting how the blade was very much on a shoe, and perhaps not meant for throwing. She kept her hands clasped behind her back as she observed.
Kakashi slowly tilted his head up as he reached the clearing. “Wait. Stop! These aren’t weapons.”
He arrived just in time to smack Naruto’s hand down. Then with a tired sigh and a casual wave to the surrounding trees and hills, the jounin indicated the other people playing around the valley.
Previously unnoticed by the younger members of Team Seven, there were children and adults bundled up in warm cloaks, and wearing colorful scarves and hats to ward off the cold air. Sounds of laughter echoed off from the hills as they moved across the ground with smooth speed. It was if the rough terrain had no grasp over their feet and limbs as they sped from one spot to another.
“They’re all wearing the shoe blades,” Sakura observed. Her green eyes were wide with interest and wonder. “It’s still strange though… the idea of slapping shoes and knives together.”
“They’re not blades. They’re ice skates.” Kakashi rapped his knuckles across the wooden sign hanging over the door of the hut. “And if you pay money, you can rent them too.”
Naruto suddenly pointed down the valley. “Hey, look! That one guy is spinning around all crazy! I WANT TO DO THAT.”
His blue eyes were bright as he shouted. By this time, Naruto was beyond all stages of excitement. There were times during the mission when he ran around the snow, and whacked Sasuke in the head with snow balls. That energy slowly waned as they trekked across the country, and as he became singed by too many of Sasuke’s returning fire-blasts. However, it would seem he was once more in the mood for euphoric revelry.
“Hey, Sasuke. Want to go spinning with me?” Naruto asked.
“I’d rather stab my rare, precious, sharingan eyes out with an icicle,” Sasuke spat back.
Nevertheless, the Uchiha continued to watch the people in the distance with an intense interest. Then turning with quiet dignity, Sasuke silently began considering the skates on display. Naruto had already kicked off his sandals, and was in the process of cramming his feet into a pair of skates. Snow flew everywhere from the flurry of his movements, as if a mini-blizzard had blown into the area.
Sakura fretted to the side, quietly trying to hide her anxiety. The green threads of her gloves had frayed from the constant, subconscious act of running her fingertips over the edges of her scarf.
If Kakashi noticed this nervous tic, he did not mention it. Instead he stuffed his hands into his pockets and waited for Sakura to voice her thoughts. A cool wind blasted by, swirling ice crystals across their cloaks. A few stuck to Sakura’s pink hair and eyelashes, and sparkled under the bright Snow Country light.
Sakura finally stopped fidgeting around.
“Hey, Kakashi-sensei?”
“Yes, Sakura.”
She looked at him with wide green eyes.
“There’s no rush to complete this mission, right?”
A puff of silver cloud left Kakashi’s mouth. “Our destination is still pretty far from here, and with the predicted storm it would be better if we continued without delay.”
Sakura’s shoulders drooped, as if she had been expecting the dreadful verdict all along. She closed her eyes and gave a quiet sigh. While nothing life-threatening had occurred in the mission yet, it had taken its toll on the team, especially with the hiking and constant need to adapt in the extreme weather change.
Another puff of silver left Kakashi’s mouth. “But then again, if you haven’t noticed by now… Naruto and Sasuke made their getaway. It would be a pain to hunt them down, tie them up, and drag them back here.”
Sakura blinked then looked around, noticing that Naruto and Sasuke were indeed gone. Only a trail of erratic footprints pointed to the direction they went.
“Hm. Very true,” Sakura agreed. They must have been as wound up by the mission as she was, and eager to cut loose.
“Not to mention,” Kakashi continued, “that the Hokage forbade me from abandoning chuunins at obscure Snow Country outposts. No matter how brat-like they behave.”
“Tsunade-sama didn’t say that.”
Kakashi nodded with a serious air. “She said, and I quote: ‘Listen to me, Hatake Kakashi. No matter how tempting it may be to feed your team members to the fabled snow monsters of Snow Country, you will not abandon them there.”
Sakura seemed skeptical at this, but nevertheless gave a small smile. “So then we’re staying?”
Instead of answering, Kakashi pulled coins from his pocket and dropped them at the hut’s service window. The sound of metal clinking against countertop filled the air.
Sakura could not hide her glee at this welcome respite, and it was hard to say if that blush across her cheeks was from happiness or from the extreme cold.
It wasn’t until a moment later when her happy face changed to one of sheer terror. “Wait a minute. What did you mean by snow monsters?”
++++++++++++++++++++
It took some time before Kakashi finished his descriptions of the supposed snow monsters in Snow Country, and for Sakura to vehemently deny all of them, and to call him out for being a horrible liar (or at least, she was pretty sure he was lying…). But even so, it was not long before they caught up to Naruto and Sasuke soon after.
As they searched through the valley, they discovered it was not the ground that the people slid around on, but on pure ice. There were countless ponds and lakes hidden in nearby hills and trees. As they trekked downward, the main pathway dissolved. They were forced to go from one winding path to another as they searched along the frozen ponds and lakebeds for their missing teammates. Only the hint of erratic footprints led the way (along with a snow angel with devil horns, a half-completed snowman, and a trampled area where a tussle no doubt happened).
They found Naruto and Sasuke in an isolated grotto, ready to step on to the ice.
Naruto placed far too much power into his first step and cut out a hole in the surface as he spun around. The following scream and splash as he fell into the water induced two smacking sounds as palms hit foreheads, and the low, surprisingly manic laughter from the last team member. Which team member did what will not be clarified here.
Five minutes later Naruto dragged himself out of the ice and was safely dry once more from the use of the nine-tailed demon fox’s supernatural, intensely hot chakra. He took more care with his second time around. Sasuke soon followed after.
Sakura turned to Kakashi with a smile. “Will you be joining us, sensei?”
While the chaos unfolded before them, Kakashi had already pulled his Icha Icha book out. Apparently, his intentions were to stay on the shore, rather than frolic around with his rowdy teammates.
“It’s too cold to get on the ice,” he replied, which barely passed as an excuse.
“Isn’t the temperature the exact same?”
“I can tell the difference. It’s definitely colder out there.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re lying again,” Sakura said.
“Rest assured, Sakura. Once you’re a jounin, you too will be able to discern even the slightest change in temperature drops; know where other people are without looking; and survive for weeks on end with only bread crumbs and dew drops as sustenance.”
“Oh.” Sakura blinked. Then she averted her eyes.
She could tell this conversation would only go in circles if they let it. The more Kakashi had his mind set on something, the more obscure his excuses became. And while Sakura could be his equal in wrangling them out, she didn’t feel like being that sort of person today.
“So then… you don’t want to go ice skating?” she asked, point-blank.
“No thank you,” he said politely.
“Okay then. Enjoy your book, sensei,” Sakura said.
As she turned away, she did well to hide her disappointment.
++++++++++++++++++++
Sakura was all speed and quick motion.
The first few steps were clumsy, but it didn’t take long to get used to the slippery terrain. After a few experimental motions, she dug her blades deep into the surface until bits of shavings flew up. Then she was off like a shot, speeding by as the world became a blur.
The wind was far too cold and burned her nostrils and lungs with a freezing bite, and her eyes watered up from the stinging pain. But she felt free and weightless too, as if gravity no longer had control over her body. It was like nothing she had felt before. It was almost like the sensation of freefalling she sometimes had when jumping through the trees, except that sensation wasn’t constant. This one continued on and on, and surely… this is what flying must have felt like.
There were frightening moments when she would teeter on her feet as she lost balance and nearly skittered over, and her stomach would give a horrible lurch, but she moved so fast it was easy to stumble into the next motion, and momentum prevented her from toppling over completely.
There were no restraints. No limitations. Just the feeling of the blades as they ground into the ice and led her from one unsteady moment to another. Soon she found herself staying upright as a trail of cut ice followed her feet. And all the colors of the sky and ground melded into each other until there no longer separation between any of them, and the sensation of speed and fluid freedom became her only reality. It was a wonder that in all her years of living that she had never felt something like this before.
Time went by, and her lungs began to burn and a dull ache grew in her legs. She pulled to a sudden stop, making her arms and legs be still. But the previous momentum forced her into a spin and half-stumble before she regained her footing. The world whipped around and around her dizzy eyes, and it was a long time before the trees and hills separated, and her surroundings made sense once more.
“Wow,” Sakura whispered, in awe of the experience. She was covered in cold sweat and her lungs worked hard from the exertion. Far on the other side of the lake Sakura could see blurs of blue and orange. Sasuke and Naruto were still sliding across the ice in a ruckus, as they attempted to outdo the other in levels of bravado and recklessness. She could hear their shouts and see the flecks of ice jump off from the surface with each sharp turn and boisterous movement. Naruto must have said something really insulting to get Sasuke so riled up. Or perhaps they were both high on the new sensations just like her.
A prickle went down her neck, and Sakura became keenly aware of another pair of eyes watching her back.
Or course, there was only one other person it could have been. She slowly spun around to lock gazes with Kakashi. He stood on the shore with his book half-lowered, and wearing that quiet look he often took on when analyzing their moves on the training field. But instead of being intense or calculating, he seemed relaxed and caught up in quite a different thought.
Sakura could not help but give a small smile as she approached the shore. While Kakashi tucked the book away and put his hands in his pockets, Sakura could sense his distant curiosity. He was interested. Despite his previous effort of turning down her down.
“It’s not too late to go back and grab some skates,” she suggested, as she pulled close to the shore and came to a stop.
Kakashi shot a lazy glance over his shoulder, taking in the long distance between the lake to the rental building, and of all the snowy hills in between, before returning his gaze.
“Too far. And not necessary,” he said. When Sakura was about to ask if he planned to hijack shoes from Naruto or Sasuke, she suddenly became aware of the shifting energy in the air. A faint glow caught her attention from the ground and she realized Kakashi was focusing chakra to his feet. It was not long before a slow tumbling energy reached out from the bottom of his sandals and formed two keen edges.
Sakura examined the blades with surprise. They were made from Kakashi’s unique brand of glowing white chakra, and shaped exactly like ones on the bottom of her shoes. They did not sparkle like the snow, but they were equally as bright. Sakura was both impressed and dubious.
“Won’t the heat from the chakra melt the ice?” she asked.
She also wondered if wasting chakra this way was really such a good idea for a man who was notorious for burning through his supply. Fainting from exhaustion on a random lakebed in Snow Country didn’t sound very fun, and neither was the thought of carrying him back. But she remained tactfully quiet on that front.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Kakashi said.
He reached out and lightly placed one foot on to the surface of the lake. There was a faint crackle from the static of chakra hitting the surface, and shards of ice jumped from the charge, but beyond that not much else happened. Sakura didn’t know if she was happy or disappointed that the surface didn’t crack open to swallow Kakashi whole in a dramatic and chilly death. She could just imagine his hand waving up in the air as he sank through the ice, disappearing from sight… subsequently resulting in the jounin’s first failure of a B-class mission. And last one. Forever.
Kakashi gave her a blank look. The one that said he had some idea of what she was thinking about, but dreaded to really know the details, and would appreciate it if she stopped now. Which in turn made Sakura feel very foolish.
He let out a small sigh. “You know... you get this really strange look on your face when you fantasize of murderous thoughts.”
She politely coughed into her hand, and mustered up some sounds of admiration. “Hmm. The chakra seems to be working, sensei.”
Kakashi placed both feet on the ice, standing in perfect balance. He didn’t seem to have any of the trouble Sakura initially had of locking her knees on the unfamiliar surface. Nervousness made her rigid at first, even to the point of painful muscle strain, until she found enough confidence to take her first stumbling steps.
The jounin slowly pushed off and slid a step forward. Then pushed off again with the other leg with smooth timing. Sakura moved back to give him more room to practice the rhythmic movement, and watched the easy way he took to the ice with a growing sense of admiration and jealousy.
He moved about with ease. Each movement had purpose as he smoothly dipped and shifted his weight around the ice. It was as if he had years of preparation for this moment, though Sakura was almost certain this was his first time doing this, too. Perhaps he had been a penguin in a previous lifetime.
It wasn’t until he began skating backwards that Sakura lost all sense of patience.
“Is there anything you’re bad at?” she asked in exasperation. She turned her head to follow his movement around the ice. He was now going at a steady pace in a circle around her, with a faint line trailing after him in the ice.
“Using my personal chakra instead of a blade probably helps,” he admitted, in a calm voice. “Though it takes a lot more focus.”
And he seemed focused, with his eyes fixed on the horizon along with each thoughtful step, and chest moving with deep even breaths. It was not long before he slowed his actions down and pulled in front of Sakura with a smooth stop. She suddenly found herself aware of her sensei’s close proximity, and of how his silver hair glinted in the bright Snow Country sun and subtly shifted with his every movement.
Kakashi held out his hands. Sakura stared.
And stared some more.
Until she finally understood.
“You just got on the ice a minute ago, and now you want to teach me how to do this?” Sakura asked. Her voice was flat with disbelief.
Kakashi was full of confidence, which was perhaps justified considering the level of skill he displayed while experimenting around and learning the activity. “You force yourself to move fast so you won’t fall, but still end up stumbling around. I can show you how to move without falling.”
Sakura could feel her cheeks heat up with a flush. “Maybe I enjoy skating fast,” she mumbled.
The jounin shrugged. “Perhaps. But your face might become acquainted with the ice soon if you keep it up.”
Sakura’s focus drifted. In the background she could see that Naruto and Sasuke were engaged in another obscure high-energy competition across the lake. Then behind them were the tall mountains, intense blue sky, and endless hills of snow. The ground glimmered with beauty and the endless pine trees were gorgeous with their iced over branches. It was if she stood in a world of glass. Yet the rocky cliff side were a reminder otherwise.
Pure, crisp, and clean. The world was just as strong and expansive as it was fragile and delicate. Yet somehow until this very moment, she had missed everything. Perhaps it really was impossible to appreciate the surroundings when colors blurred together at such dizzying speeds.
Finally, her green eyes settled back on Kakashi. As they stood together she could gradually feel herself becoming sucked into his warped version of time, which moved at an infinitely slow and calm pace.
“I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he said, at last.
“Well… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try,” she replied. Then lightly took hold of his hands.
Kakashi dragged her forward with a leisurely tug, while he skated backwards. He pushed off with steady and even steps, forcing Sakura to do likewise. She wasn’t used to the slow pace, but every time she stumbled Kakashi was there to steady her movements with his grip. Time stretched out and slowed down. After going halfway around the lake Sakura could already feel her center of balance readjusting. It was a familiar feeling, well-honed from years of training-just slightly different on the ice.
A breeze swirled past her pink hair, and she let out a small smile.
Soon, she was able to focus on other things. The cold air. The smooth movement. The rough texture of Kakashi’s fingerless gloves. Even in the mountains he refused to change them into something better suited for the weather. His grip was warm, and he smelled good. Even from the slight distance she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Perhaps it came from the higher level of energy he needed to produce to keep up the steady flow of chakra. Even so, it did not explain why Sakura’s face felt so heated at the moment.
Or why her heart was beating harder, even though relying on Kakashi required less effort for her body. Or why skating at this slower pace still made her feel so dizzy and light-headed.
Every movement had purpose and rhythm, and it was intoxicating to fall under that lulling trance. Like an easy dance, it required no thought. Sakura only needed to follow after Kakashi’s movements and hold on to his steady grip. There was the calm world and the beauty.
The first time they circled around the lake, Sakura thought she might have been blushing. Though the extreme cold made it easy to mistake any redness from the air’s chilly bite.
But after the second time… and the third time around… it became harder to denying the situation for what it was. There was no use fighting her body’s natural reactions. Her face felt heated. Even the sky seemed to follow her lead with the slow turning colors blushing against the clouds. They had spent the whole evening on the lake, and now the sun had reached the ultimate end of its journey.
In Snow Country, the wild landscape was set ablaze by the dusk. Dark shades of crimson streaked across the sky, casting the hills and valleys into subtle shadows. The frozen trees and snow reflected the sun’s fiery color, and the lake became awash in this glow-until everything took on a brilliant pink splendor. Suddenly there was no more world, no more boundaries, but just them on this smooth glowing surface. It was a slow stroll around infinity. Timeless.
Kakashi stopped leading her movements a long time ago, and now Sakura held on to his arm as they pushed off side-by-side, in a lazy stroll over the ice. It was supposedly so that Sakura could learn to skate on her own, but she suspected they had both also forgotten this pretense a long time ago, because they continued to move together across the glowing ice as the hour slipped by. He was warm, and she made good company. And the feeling of freedom made it easy to forget that there was any other purpose in life.
If this is what being in sync with Kakashi felt like, then Sakura thought it was easy to understand why he was late all the time. What was the purpose of keeping time anyway, when the world continued to march on regardless of a person’s actions? As her sense of morals slowly slipped away one by one, she let her head drowse against his arm, and took in his comforting presence.
When all at once Kakashi became very tense, and pulled to a stop.
“Where did Naruto and Sasuke go?” he asked, suddenly.
Sakura paused and glanced around. They were the only ones left on the frozen lakebed. It would seem that while they were distracted, the other two had slipped away for more mayhem and mischief.
“Maybe they went to get food.” Sakura said. Team Seven traditionally ate dinner on missions around nightfall. Now that she thought about it, she could feel the hunger pangs. No doubt, the other two would be starving as well.
“Or maybe the snow monsters got them,” Kakashi said, quite seriously.
Sakura let out a huff. “I know that snow monsters don’t exist, sensei.”
“Whatever you say…” He drifted off with a mysterious air.
In the stillness, Sakura became aware of the fact that she was still gripping on to Kakashi’s arm. Though Sakura was no expert at reading Kakashi’s masked face, she could tell he was uncomfortable. Was it because he became so distracted that he lost track of the other team members?
Sakura had to admit that it was an unprecedented occurrence. Even when in the thralls of reading Icha Icha, he never once lost sight of their activities before-on missions or when training. If possible, he seemed even more focused then, as if he was gifted by some strange sixth sense.
But now…? To be honest, Sakura couldn’t recall ever seeing her sensei so distracted before.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, carefully avoiding her gaze. “I suppose we should head back now,” he said.
It was hard for Sakura to understand his feelings at the moment. Or really… it was hard for her to understand her own feelings for that matter. She only knew that if possible, she wished they could go back to that time when they were skating together on the ice, oblivious to everything but each other and the glowing world.
They pushed towards the edge, and Kakashi’s chakra blades disappeared the moment they hit the bank. Overhead, faint stars glimmered in the darkening sky. He sagged forward with weariness before stuffing his hands into his pocket. Sakura was grateful for the fact he didn’t lose consciousness, though he looked drained. It would have been a pain to be the only one around to drag him back.
Kakashi cocked his head towards her. A silver breath left his mouth.
“Want to grab some hot chocolate?” he asked. “I saw a vendor back in the marketplace.”
Sakura glanced up in surprise. “What about finding the other two?”
“Those two are more than capable of handling themselves. Wouldn't you agree?”
When Kakashi offered his arm, Sakura couldn’t help but smile.
“You may have forgotten because you passed over this phase so quickly,” Sakura began. “But rest assured, sensei. When you’re a chuunin you enjoy every opportunity to relax during missions; taking long romantic strolls in foreign countries; and sharing warm drinks with friends.”
There was a long pause in which the jounin processed her words.
“…was that a yes?” he finally asked.
“Yes,” Sakura reaffirmed. And she took a hold of his arm.
They would spend the rest of the long, cold night in warm company.
++++++++++++++++++++
Happy New Year, everyone!