Memories
Okay, I think that I am happy with this one. It's only 554 words over the 500 max for a drabble. Oops.
Memories
Sakura stood before Chouji's Tree.
This was the Rookies' memorial. Not a wind-bitten rock but a living breathing testament to continuing life. Many of their firsts were here, along with their losses. She traced the arrow Shikamaru had carved so many years ago. Her fingers wandered to other marks slowly.
This was the date she and Naruto carved to memorialize the loss of Sasuke, when they finally admitted that even if they did get him back it wouldn't be the Sasuke they remembered.
Here, the date of her first death -the first patient she wasn't able to save.
Here Kiba had added the date they became teammates. Neji and Lee added the date they reached jounin. Akamaru's first litter he sired. Chouji and Shikamaru added the date of Asuma's death, along with the birth of his son. She gently touched each memory. A far cry from the pain and laughter that the carvings represented.
And here...the date that she married Kakashi under false pretenses. Sakura's fingers stilled.
“With everyone cutting the tree, it will wither and die.” Kakashi commented from behind her. He took in the mused hair and wrinkled clothes. It was obvious that Sakura had slept poorly or not at all.
“No, Yamato-taichou looks after it for us.”
“We need to talk.” He frowned at the humorless laugh that escaped Sakura's lips.
“What's there to talk about?”
“A lot.” Kakashi watched as Sakura reached into her medic pouch and pulled out a slip of paper by touch alone. She tossed it over her shoulder, dropping it at his feet. Raising a eyebrow at her attitude, Kakashi bent down and picked up the paper.
“That's what you came for. You should go. I...have something I need to do.”
“Sakura-”
“Just burn it and go already!” Her voice was barely controlled.
“Why?” He asked as he turned the tattered and much folded paper in his hand.
“Thought you were a genius, Kakashi.” Sakura pulled out a kunai and tested the edge.
“Humor me.” It was his no nonsense-answer-the-damn-question tone.
“No...I don't think I will this time.” She quietly commented and began to scrape away the date. Kakashi considered her reply for a moment before acting.
“If I remember correctly, you're not supposed to do that.” His hand gripped her wrist, controlling her movements, his body flush against hers.
“I think they would understand. After all, I broke both trust and teamwork by lying. Wasn't that the gist of what you said at the hotel?” Her voice was harsh with anger.
"Sakura, stop. You-” He was suddenly silenced by a kunai against his jugular. Sakura's breath puffed against his uncovered ear. It was unexpected and Kakashi was surprised at her aggression. When did Sakura begin to move that fast?
“Let us simply say that my self destructive behavior led me to this situation. I'm not in the mood for lectures, Husband.”
“This conversation is far from over, Wife.” Kakashi warned.
“Funny, I think it's completely over. All of it.” The bitterness in her voice stung like acid.
The pressure on his neck eased and a wisp of smoke drifted by his eye, telling him Sakura had run away yet again. Sighing in frustration, Kakashi reached out to the wound on the tree.
“This complicates things.” Would it hurt for you to stand still for 10 minutes??
“Godaime, you requested the A-27209 mission file?” Ibiki asked. Tsunade turned from staring out her windows to acknowledge him and motioned for the file.
“Yes.” She scanned the documents quickly. “I see you took the contract out.”
“It was placed in the Anbu restricted files at Haruno Sakura's request.”
“Ah.” She dropped the file carelessly on her desk and ground her palm into her forehead in annoyance.
“Am I to assume that Kakashi has been made aware of his marriage?” Ibiki inquired carefully. Tsunade absently nodded in his direction, her mind on other things.
“Sakura informed him during their last mission. It seems he didn't take it very well.” A change in the air currents around them had Tsunade and Ibiki looking to the windows.
“Finding out that you have been married for two years tends to...upset the normal pattern of your days.”
Kakashi commented dryly from the window. In his hand was the piece of paper Sakura had dropped.
“Have you decided what you're going to do?” Tsunade asked calmly, motioning him into her office.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“It would help if your apprentice stopped running away.” Kakashi answered, absently pulling down his mask to scratch at his jaw.
“Oh? Has Sakura been avoiding you?” The twinkle in Tsunade's eyes mocked the innocence of the question.
“She lulled me into a false sense of security.”
“She knocked you out after your fight in the hotel and disappeared. From the gate reports I read you ended up chasing her all the way back to Konoha from Tea Country.” Tsunade clarified.
“Sakura left you behind? You didn't deliberately shadow her to let her temper cool down?” Ibiki received a death glare at his assumption.
“She put me out for almost 48 hours. I woke to Pakkun laughing his furry butt off at me. And she took my clothes.”
“Your clothes?”
“All of them.” His statement was greeted with choked laughter. Giving both a withering look, Kakashi turned back to the windows.
“Kakashi! What did you decide?” Tsunade raised her voice to get his attention back to the matter at hand.
“You realize the relationship is doomed?”
“So you're walking away?” Ibiki questioned.
“I can't do white picket happy ever after. I don't have it in me.”
“Which one of us does? Happy ever after is surviving the mission. Long term commitment is having a set time for training with a set person. But you have been with her, and her only, for months ” Tsunade fiddled with a cup as she spoke. Ibiki nodded in agreement. They watched as Kakashi shoulders slumped a bit before straightening.
“Tsunade-sama, send Sakura away for a couple days.” He turned his head to look at his superiors in time for them to see wicked grin adorning his face.
“What will you be doing?”
“Can't have husbands and wives living apart now, can we? Anyways, she has nicer things. Mine are covered in dog hair.”
Now excuse me while I go hide in my office with my overly sweet tea and a pork bun.
Memories
Sakura stood before Chouji's Tree.
This was the Rookies' memorial. Not a wind-bitten rock but a living breathing testament to continuing life. Many of their firsts were here, along with their losses. She traced the arrow Shikamaru had carved so many years ago. Her fingers wandered to other marks slowly.
This was the date she and Naruto carved to memorialize the loss of Sasuke, when they finally admitted that even if they did get him back it wouldn't be the Sasuke they remembered.
Here, the date of her first death -the first patient she wasn't able to save.
Here Kiba had added the date they became teammates. Neji and Lee added the date they reached jounin. Akamaru's first litter he sired. Chouji and Shikamaru added the date of Asuma's death, along with the birth of his son. She gently touched each memory. A far cry from the pain and laughter that the carvings represented.
And here...the date that she married Kakashi under false pretenses. Sakura's fingers stilled.
“With everyone cutting the tree, it will wither and die.” Kakashi commented from behind her. He took in the mused hair and wrinkled clothes. It was obvious that Sakura had slept poorly or not at all.
“No, Yamato-taichou looks after it for us.”
“We need to talk.” He frowned at the humorless laugh that escaped Sakura's lips.
“What's there to talk about?”
“A lot.” Kakashi watched as Sakura reached into her medic pouch and pulled out a slip of paper by touch alone. She tossed it over her shoulder, dropping it at his feet. Raising a eyebrow at her attitude, Kakashi bent down and picked up the paper.
“That's what you came for. You should go. I...have something I need to do.”
“Sakura-”
“Just burn it and go already!” Her voice was barely controlled.
“Why?” He asked as he turned the tattered and much folded paper in his hand.
“Thought you were a genius, Kakashi.” Sakura pulled out a kunai and tested the edge.
“Humor me.” It was his no nonsense-answer-the-damn-question tone.
“No...I don't think I will this time.” She quietly commented and began to scrape away the date. Kakashi considered her reply for a moment before acting.
“If I remember correctly, you're not supposed to do that.” His hand gripped her wrist, controlling her movements, his body flush against hers.
“I think they would understand. After all, I broke both trust and teamwork by lying. Wasn't that the gist of what you said at the hotel?” Her voice was harsh with anger.
"Sakura, stop. You-” He was suddenly silenced by a kunai against his jugular. Sakura's breath puffed against his uncovered ear. It was unexpected and Kakashi was surprised at her aggression. When did Sakura begin to move that fast?
“Let us simply say that my self destructive behavior led me to this situation. I'm not in the mood for lectures, Husband.”
“This conversation is far from over, Wife.” Kakashi warned.
“Funny, I think it's completely over. All of it.” The bitterness in her voice stung like acid.
The pressure on his neck eased and a wisp of smoke drifted by his eye, telling him Sakura had run away yet again. Sighing in frustration, Kakashi reached out to the wound on the tree.
“This complicates things.” Would it hurt for you to stand still for 10 minutes??
“Godaime, you requested the A-27209 mission file?” Ibiki asked. Tsunade turned from staring out her windows to acknowledge him and motioned for the file.
“Yes.” She scanned the documents quickly. “I see you took the contract out.”
“It was placed in the Anbu restricted files at Haruno Sakura's request.”
“Ah.” She dropped the file carelessly on her desk and ground her palm into her forehead in annoyance.
“Am I to assume that Kakashi has been made aware of his marriage?” Ibiki inquired carefully. Tsunade absently nodded in his direction, her mind on other things.
“Sakura informed him during their last mission. It seems he didn't take it very well.” A change in the air currents around them had Tsunade and Ibiki looking to the windows.
“Finding out that you have been married for two years tends to...upset the normal pattern of your days.”
Kakashi commented dryly from the window. In his hand was the piece of paper Sakura had dropped.
“Have you decided what you're going to do?” Tsunade asked calmly, motioning him into her office.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“It would help if your apprentice stopped running away.” Kakashi answered, absently pulling down his mask to scratch at his jaw.
“Oh? Has Sakura been avoiding you?” The twinkle in Tsunade's eyes mocked the innocence of the question.
“She lulled me into a false sense of security.”
“She knocked you out after your fight in the hotel and disappeared. From the gate reports I read you ended up chasing her all the way back to Konoha from Tea Country.” Tsunade clarified.
“Sakura left you behind? You didn't deliberately shadow her to let her temper cool down?” Ibiki received a death glare at his assumption.
“She put me out for almost 48 hours. I woke to Pakkun laughing his furry butt off at me. And she took my clothes.”
“Your clothes?”
“All of them.” His statement was greeted with choked laughter. Giving both a withering look, Kakashi turned back to the windows.
“Kakashi! What did you decide?” Tsunade raised her voice to get his attention back to the matter at hand.
“You realize the relationship is doomed?”
“So you're walking away?” Ibiki questioned.
“I can't do white picket happy ever after. I don't have it in me.”
“Which one of us does? Happy ever after is surviving the mission. Long term commitment is having a set time for training with a set person. But you have been with her, and her only, for months ” Tsunade fiddled with a cup as she spoke. Ibiki nodded in agreement. They watched as Kakashi shoulders slumped a bit before straightening.
“Tsunade-sama, send Sakura away for a couple days.” He turned his head to look at his superiors in time for them to see wicked grin adorning his face.
“What will you be doing?”
“Can't have husbands and wives living apart now, can we? Anyways, she has nicer things. Mine are covered in dog hair.”
Now excuse me while I go hide in my office with my overly sweet tea and a pork bun.