Stripped Bare (kakashiXsakura)

chapter 2

Just as Sakura predicted, the alarm went off far too early the next day. The sun was just beginning to peek over the hills and when she looked out her window, she was greeted with a beautiful expanse of blue-gray sky, the fluffy white clouds painted vibrant pink in the morning light.

She would have enjoyed the view a lot more if the rising sun didn't signify possibly the most dreaded mission she had ever had. She dragged her feet as she gathered everything she would need into her pack, forgoing her red hitai-ate since she would be acting as a civilian on this mission. She tossed in her hairbrush after running it through her pink locks, knowing that a full day of travel would mean a tangled mess before she would have the chance to comb it out again.

She had let her hair grow long over the past year or so and it now reached the middle of her back. It didn't get in the way so much, now that she spent more time sitting at a patient's side and healing them with chakra than fighting enemies in hand to hand combat. If she had known she would be taking a mission that required long periods of travel, she might have thought about cutting it again but there was no time for that now. She settled for plaiting it into a single long braid before going to her closet and trying to find something that didn't scream she was a shinobi.

She settled on light brown pants and a gray wrap-around top that looked like a shortened version of a yukata. She had a few full length ones but didn't wear them often because they restricted her movement. Even if she was going to be a civilian, she didn't want to have to take tiny steps all the way to Fujin Machi.

She knew she should probably eat but her frayed nerves manifesting themselves as butterflies in her stomach made food sound unappealing. She opted to grab an extra granola bar on her way out the door, figuring she would eat it while waiting around for Kakashi. Despite Tsunade's warning, he was bound to be ridiculously late anyway.

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When she saw her mission partner's slender form leaning casually against the bridge's red railing, she was surprised to say the least. She hadn't expected her sensei to be on time, let alone be early.

'So much for eating', she thought, as she walked towards him, dragging her feet just a little.

The fact that he had beat her to the meeting spot not only meant she wouldn't be eating breakfast, but also that she wouldn't have time to prepare what she was going to say to him. Even though she had been around this man for years, training with him and trusting him with her life completely, she suddenly felt awkward and uneasy in his presence and even though she knew it was wholly attributed to her own nerves concerning the trip they were about to depart on, she couldn't banish her trepidation.

"Good morning Kakashi-senpai," she said as she approached, noting that he didn't have his nose buried in one of his disgusting books. Perhaps he had a lot on his mind as well.

"Morning, Sakura-chan," he replied, giving her a wave and an eye crease.

What was usually a simple greeting already had Sakura's mind racing with what her mission would entail. The sight of his hands encased in fingerless gloves made her wonder how many pairs of large, grubby hands would be on her naked skin, and that single dark eye of his would be resting on her practically nude form once they got to the club. The thought made her heart beat hard enough she wondered if his acute hearing might pick it up.

She shook her head to clear the images and tried to get a grip. If she was this jittery while still in Konoha, she had already failed if she couldn't get herself under control.

"Ready to go?" he asked and she nodded silently, afraid her voice might betray the panic she felt.

"Alright, let's go," Kakashi said, turning and walking towards the village gates with Sakura following behind.