Stripped Bare (kakashiXsakura)

chapter 26

Sakura could hardly believe she was staring at Konoha's familiar green gates. It seemed like ages since she had seen her home, and now she was finally here.

The trip home had been long but uneventful, and she enjoyed the company of the four other ninja who had come to her rescue. Naruto's constant chatter made her laugh despite her weariness, and the presence of the others meant she didn't have talk to Kakashi or even walk near him. She stayed more towards the front of the party while he brought up the rear, and though it pained her that he ignored her most of the time, she figured it was better than being alone with him in an unbearably tense atmosphere.

She longed to talk with her former sensei before they entered Konoha and he disappeared from her life, but she didn't know what to say and he made no effort to start a conversation. She supposed she wouldn't have been able to endure being brushed off by him anyway. Instead, she turned to Naruto and Yamato for conversation since Sai was as inept as always and Sasuke remained his quiet, brooding self.

As their party entered the village, Izumo and Kotetsu greeted them. The two had been assigned the job of gate keepers for as long as Sakura could remember. She wondered if they ever got to go out and take missions anymore.

Now that she was home at last, all she wanted to do was go back to her quiet apartment, take a hot shower and collapse into bed and sleep for a week. Maybe when she woke up, she would forget all about her love for her former sensei. Or maybe he would even be in bed next to her when she opened her eyes, his own hot with passion as he confessed that he in fact did love her and he was ready to keep her in bed all day to show her just how much.

Sakura shook her head, clearing away the thoughts. Now was no time for daydreaming. She had to report to the Hokage and explain what had turned a supposedly simple mission into an extremely long absence. The kunoichi had no intention of telling Tsunade every juicy detail of her experiences in Fuzen Machi. In fact, she planned on leaving out the whole part where she slept with her sensei in his motel room. And in his shower. And in the hallway. She probably should have talked it out with Kakashi first to make sure their stories lined up but it was too late for that now. Since he was technically the superior on this mission, he had to write the report anyway. She supposed he would do some editing of his own because she doubted he'd confess to the most powerful woman in Konoha that he had deflowered the woman who had been her protégé for several years now. Sakura decided the smartest thing to do would be to keep her mouth shut and let Kakashi do the explaining.

Everything was just as she remembered it. The main street was bustling as midmorning shoppers examined goods for sale. The savory smells of fresh baked pastries and street vendor's wares filled the air. Inside the Hokage tower, these scents were replaced with those of old books and coffee. All six shinobi marched up the stairs single file, and she found herself directly behind Yamato who was leading the bunch. Kakashi was second to last with Sasuke trailing behind. They were all silent except for Naruto, who didn't know the meaning of the word. The enthusiastic blonde didn't seem to mind that he was basically having a conversation with himself because everyone else was to tired to respond to anything he said.

The spiraling staircase held the same amount of stairs it always had, and Sakura could remember all too well running up and down these steps while under the tutelage of the Fifth. It was comforting to see that her home had remained unchanged while she was gone, which was more than she could say about herself.

As they marched down the final hall to Tsunade's office, the door opened and Shizune walked out carrying a stack of papers. When she saw Sakura, her dark eyes grew wide and she dropped her load of documents to the ground. The pink haired shinobi barely had time to murmur a greeting before she was swept up in her friend's arms, the breath practically squeezed out of her as the Hokage's assistant delivered a hug that seemed far stronger than what her slender arms could deliver.