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Boundaries	By : trucrystal Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1723 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-The Mission
- 1
- 2
Chapter
1

The
Mission

"And
this is the sixth body that has been brought in," Tsunade said,
whipping back the sheet that covered the corpse. Sakura swallowed
hard and she saw Naruto turn away, making a slight gagging noise;
being a medical ninja, she was used to the sight of blood, but even
her gut churned when she saw the torn up body. She had too much pride
to turn away though - not in front of Genma and Kakashi, who were
staring at the corpse with a removed interest. The two older ninjas
were obviously unmoved by the sight.

"Obviously
she has been raped," Tsunade continued, motioning to the bloody
pulp that had once been the woman's genitals. "Oh
student-of-mine, what else can you see?"

Sakura
was used to Tsunade springing random quizzes on her - she was still
in training, after all. With a slight grunt, Sakura forced herself to
inspect the body more closely, and finally cleared her throat. "It
appears that she has been strangled... there are finger marks on her
throat. She has also been... eh... cut up quite a bit-"

"Yes,
yes," Tsunade said, nodding. "Good. Well, not good... I
mean - look, we're dealing with a real sicko here. He doesn't just
rape his victims, he likes to play with them first, and we have five
other bodies in this morgue that all exhibit the same signs of
abuse." She glanced around at the gathered ninjas. "I think
we have a serial killer on our hands. . . and intelligence tells us
that the culprit is most likely a missing-nin."

"How
did you figure that out?" Genma drawled, crossing his arms over
his chest. He rolled his senbon lazily around in his mouth - it never
failed to give Sakura the impression that he was secretly mocking
whoever spoke to him.

Tsunade
waved a hand in his general direction. "We've found that some of
the cuts here were caused by chakra techniques. . . ones that only
high level jounin should know."

Sakura
suppressed a shudder, and it was Kakashi who spoke up next. "So
the bodies were found in Momotaro," he stated, his one visible
eyebrow raising slightly. Sakura glanced at her former sensei, her
eyes widening slightly - she had failed to read the mission briefing
before reporting to the morgue. To be honest, Tsunade's summons had
been abrupt and caught her in the middle of an afternoon nap. This
was supposed to be her day off, after all.

Tsunade
shook her head. "Yes, they're from Momotaro, a small town to the
east of here."

"Momotaro?"
Naruto piped up, apparently having regained control of his stomach.
By the look on his face, he also hadn't read the mission brief yet.
"Isn't that a common place for honeymoons...?"

Tsunade
nodded silently, and Sakura felt a drop in her stomach - every girl
in Konoha and the surrounding villages knew of Momotaro. They
released a yearly magazine advertising their honeymoon suites and
varying scenic spots for weddings. It was strange that Naruto would
know of such a place off the top of his head though. Sakura had to
wonder if it was a coincidence that the blond-haired shinobi seemed
so familiar with the area. She had seen him leaving Hinata's house
fairly regularly lately, and Hinata was a big Momotaro fan, as her
family was one of the few that could afford their services.

Tsunade's
voice drew Sakura's attention away from her thoughts. "Very
astute, Naruto, I guess training with Jaraiya has had some use - hm,
yes, as a matter of fact all of these women were newly weds. It
appears that someone is over there preying on them... the town
actually sent these bodies to us. They have paid top dollar for us to
send some of our best ninjas to put a stop to the problem - they are
starting to lose tourists." Tsunade glanced around at the
assembled team, meeting each of their eyes. "I'm giving the
assignment to you."

Genma
snorted, "That would explain the mission scrolls,"
he muttered.

Tsunade
gave him a sharp look before continuing to pace. Sakura
took a quick breath as she looked around at the assembled ninjas,
fingering the tube of the scroll in her hands - Kakashi and Genma
leaned up against the wall both in easy sight of the door, and Naruto
fidgeted on the other side of the room, inspecting a few medical
cabinets. It was obvious that Kakashi and Genma were there for their
skill, and Naruto had certainly progressed a lot since training with
Jaraiya... certainly any better suited ninjas were already out on
assignments. It was a busy month for Konoha.

But
something was definitely nagging at her... "Eh, shishou?"
Sakura asked hesitantly. "Is it really necessary for me to go
along with them? I mean, I'm working with Shizune in the lab-"

Tsunade
had been staring thoughtfully at the cadaver, but now she gave her
student a sharp look. "Nonsense, Sakura! This is much more
important than lab work. You're the key player in this mission,"
she said.

Sakura
blinked, surprised. To be honest, she hadn't been on a mission in
almost a year. "I am?"

"Of
course," Tsunade put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips,
apparently disappointed in her student's ignorance. "Come on
now, even Naruto is catching on faster than you - you're the
bait!"

"What?!"

Sakura
couldn't stop her mouth from falling open. Tsunade began pacing
around the small chamber, striding around the cadaver and clasping
her hands behind her back. "Shizune is far too busy with her lab
project to be bothered with this mission, and besides, you are a much
more capable ninja - you've go strength, talent, medical abilities...
and you're just the right age."

Sakura
got a sinking feeling in her gut. "The right age?" she
asked weakly.

Tsunade
nodded. "Yes - the right age to pose as a married couple with
one of your teammates! It's your duty to draw the killer out into the
open so we can catch him red-handed; then Kakashi, Genma, and Naruto
will take care of the rest - I mean really, haven't you read the
scroll yet?"

Sakura
stared, unsure of how to respond - she heard Naruto mutter something
in complaint, apparently also not liking the idea. Tsunade rolled her
eyes in exasperation, obviously disappointed in her lack of
preparation. Sakura was speechless; she was going to have to seduce a
killer rapist? She was sure she could handle just any petty criminal,
but a missing nin? She was a bit rusty after spending almost a year
off of training.... There were so many things wrong with this plan,
and her gut reaction was to protest - but she stopped the words from
coming out of her mouth. She looked around at her team, at Kakashi
leaning lazily up against the wall and Genma staring at her, idly
moving the senbon around his mouth, almost taunting her to refuse.
Her eyes lowered to the bloody, beaten corpse in front of her. The
idea of more women dying this way just because she didn't want to
risk her own life was unthinkable.

Sakura
bit her lip - she knew her duty was with her team, but she had been
working with Shizune on her lab experiments all month, experimenting
with a new way to heal poison. They had almost reached a
breakthrough; it was far too vital a time to leave. She tried to
think of someone who would be equally suitable for the job - Ino? No,
she had just returned from a long mission in the Sand country and
would need a few days to recuperate at least, and Ten-Ten was out on
a similar venture. Hinata was definitely too fragile for such an
undertaking, plus the head of the Hyuuga clan would probably kill
them all if she got raped. With a sigh, Sakura realized that Tsunade
really had made the best choice - though she didn't want to admit it.

But
she couldn't help feeling slightly faint. Her, against a rapist of
this ferocity? Posing as a married couple? "Are you sure about
this, shishou?" she asked, her voice thinner than she had wanted
it to be.

Tsunade
nodded and began passing out scrolls that described the mission
details. "Positive," she said, then turned and looked
around at the four of them. "I think. . . that I will be pairing
you up with Genma. Naruto is out of the question, and we need Kakashi
free to scope out possible killer candidates."

Sakura
saw Naruto deflate on the other side of the room, his face turning
red and angry - he had perked up slightly at the mention of having to
pose as a married couple, and apparently he had been fancying himself
as the prime candidate. Sakura was equally surprised by Tsunade's
choice - her eyes quickly darted to Genma; the older ninja had a wry
smile on his face, and his dark brown eyes were roaming over her as
though admiring a freshly cooked pot-roast. He was a good deal older
than her, perhaps even a few years older than Kakashi, though - like
Kakashi - he looked much younger. Still, he had to be thirty at
least, and she was barely seventeen. Sure, she had lawfully become an
"adult" a year ago, but she still didn't feel like one.

Kakashi
grunted, his one visible eye crinkling into a familiar grin. It
successfully broke through the tension in the room. "If you say
so, Hokage," he said. "Think you can handle that, Genma?"

Genma's
smirk widened, his lazy brown eyes traveling to Sakura and briefly
glancing over her again, making a sudden blush rise in her cheeks.
Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Easy enough," he said, with a
slight wink.

Sakura
wasn't sure how to respond, so she turned back to Tsunade, but
already her teacher was heading for the door. The Hokage waved a hand
idly at them. "Well, don't act so surprised - you've been
assigned a mission, not hop to it! I have... er, papers to finish and
whatnot, reports and all that... everything you need to know is in
those scrolls. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning, I'll see you off
at the gates." And then she exited the room, walking a little
too quickly. Sakura found herself alone, surrounded by three men, all
looking at her expectantly; it was times like these that she couldn't
help but feel small. Even Naruto towered over her these days - he had
hit an unexpected growth spurt while training with Jaraiya.

"Sakura,"
Naruto murmured, his voice cracking slightly. "Are you sure you
want to do this?"

Sakura
looked back at the corpse, her face paling ever so slightly. She was
certain that she could handle some serial killer - missing nin or not
- but the sight of the woman's massacred body was enough to give her
second thoughts. Knowing that every man in the room was looking at
her and imagining her in that position didn't make it any easier.
Finally she shrugged off the chilly feeling in her gut and gave
Naruto her best smile. "Not a problem," she grinned, then
glanced at Genma. "It'll be a pleasure working with you."

"Oh,
the pleasure's all mine," Genma murmured, his smile never
faltering. Sakura saw Kakashi give the other ninja a sharp glance,
but she was too preoccupied to wonder about what it meant. Instead
she turned to the door, no longer able to take the tense atmosphere.

"Uh...
see you tomorrow, then," she mumbled, and let herself out of the
room. Genma
gave her a little wave before she shut the door behind her.
Tsunade probably expected her to put the corpse back into the cold
locker, but she didn't think she had the brain capacity to do it at
the moment. She bit her lip, trying to get Genma's slow, suggestive
smile out of her mind; ever since reaching her womanhood at sixteen,
Sakura had noticed men treating her differently. Older males she had
never thought of as being eligible now casually flirted with her and
offered to buy her drinks, though usually Sakura refused. Ino reveled
in the experience, happy that she was finally getting the attention
she had always sought, but Sakura was less eager to take to the
playing field and find herself a husband, or at least a nice
boyfriend. Being raised without a father had left her insecure, and
after the final rejection from Sasuke, she didn't have a lot of faith
in men. Genma's behavior certainly wasn't reassuring. She wondered
how Kakashi felt about the whole situation - he technically wasn't
her sensei anymore, but he still treated her like he was. Did it
bother him that a man his own age had been assigned as her husband?

Sakura
mentally kicked herself as she left the morgue and entered the main
part of the hospital, heading for the front doors. It was just a
mission, no big deal! She shouldn't be taking it so seriously, it was
obvious that Genma certainly wasn't worried about the situation, and
Naruto had been more concerned with the raping than her posing as a
wife. She stopped briefly by her locker to grab her jacket and purse,
then continued on her way, reaching the wide glass doors of the
hospital and stepping out into the deep sunset. With a muttered
curse, she hurried her step - she still had to meet up with Ino for
dinner. The two girls hadn't seen each other in almost a month, and
it was time to catch up. Maybe she would ask Ino what she thought
about the whole ordeal?

Either
way, Kakashi certainly wouldn't care - to him and everyone else, it
was just another mission. He had probably been on tons of missions
liks this before.

With
a small sigh, Sakura headed to the main street of Konoha, tucking the
scroll into her purse. She trusted Tsunade, but she had also heard a
few rumors about Genma's reputation that put her teeth on edge. Now
that she thought about it, Ino especially had bragged about the
steamy sessions she and Genma had shared on a few recent missions.
She wondered if Ino would be jealous that she got to pose as his wife
- the idea made her feel somewhat better. She had to admit that of
the older generation of shinobi, Genma was definitely one of the top
ten best-lookers, probably right up there next to Kakashi... though
to be fair, no one really knew what Kakashi looked like under his
mask. Still, a man in a mask could be damned attractive....

Sakura
shook herself out of her thoughts. What was she thinking? It was
difficult enough knowing she was going to be feigning as a married
couple on this mission - thinking about how good-looking the "groom"
would be was not going to make things easier!

Half
jogging, Sakura made her way to the main street where she would meet
Ino at their favorite bar; too bad she wouldn't be able to do much
drinking tonight. The summons from Tsunade had been unexpected, and
she hadn't thought she would be heading out on a high ranking mission
in the morning. There was a lot of packing she would have to do.

Purse
swinging, she continued down the emptying streets.

*
* *

Kakashi
tapped on Tsunade's office door, his frown hidden beneath his black
mask. As he waited for her response, he listened to the dull thrum of
the air conditioning and wondered about his motives for being there.
Something about the mission didn't quite feel right to him, though
whether it was out of concern for his former student or something
more serious, he couldn't be sure. Still, he had to speak with
Tsunade - perhaps she could put his worries to ease.

After
a moment he heard a thump and the slamming shut of a desk drawer,
then an all-too-casual "Come in?"

Kakashi
entered silently, shutting the door behind him carefully before
surveying the room. He immediately noticed the half-hidden sake
bottle sticking out from behind the corner of Tsunade's desk - ah, so
this was her all-important paperwork; he had figured as much. The
Hokage herself was sitting back in her chair behind the desk, popping
a stick of gum into her mouth and pretending to tidy a stack of
papers. "Er, uh, Kakashi - well - what is it?"

Kakashi
sighed and looked at the Hokage straight on. "I'm not arguing
that Sakura isn't a good choice for this mission," he started,
trying to put his feelings into words. He wasn't exactly the most
articulate of people. "She's the only one who can do it. But
uh... is pairing her up with Genma really wise?"

Tsunade
turned and looked at Kakashi, her eyes wide. "However do you
mean?" she asked, stifling a hiccup.

Kakashi
shifted, letting out a silent breath of frustration - of course it
would be useless talking to the Hokage now, the woman was half drunk.
"You know, Tsunade," he murmured. "Do I have to
spell it out for you? Genma does have... a reputation."

Tsunade
shrugged and faced him fully. "Well so do you, don't you?"
she chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows. Kakashi glanced away, not
deigning her with a response, though he knew she had a point. He had
a reputation perhaps, but it had been a long time since he had been
with a woman. All of those rumors were from his younger days and they
were slowly dying out; but that didn't matter in this situation, he
wasn't the one getting paired up with Sakura. Besides, it wasn't the
same with Genma - the senbon ninja had been a playboy when he was
younger, and had never grown out of it. The man brought in a new
woman to the bar every week, and by the looks he had given Sakura
earlier, Kakashi was certain that his peer enjoyed the idea of
playing husband a little too much.

Tsunade
sobered slightly at his lack of response, then frowned. "I'm
sending you along, aren't I?" she drawled, her tone becoming
defensive. "You're pretty good at making sure things don't get
out of hand, and honestly, this is a
mission - Genma's not going to sabotage everything just for a quick
roll between the sheets. Sakura wouldn't allow that either."

Kakashi
cleared his throat. "Perhaps, but what about. . ."

"Naruto?"
Tsunade barked a laugh. "Too young! He's seventeen!"

"So
is Sakura."

"Yes,
but it's normal for girls to be married at that age," Tsunade
shrugged. "For men... well, usually they don't settle down until
twenty at least. It just wouldn't fit, and we want to draw as little
attention as possible. I think Genma and Sakura are going to get
along fine."

Kakashi
sighed again, staring up at the ceiling. The issue wasn't them
getting along - it was Genma getting along a little too well. He knew
Tsunade was just about as stubborn as Sakura, especially when she had
been drinking - her mind was made up and obviously he would need a
better reason to change it. Sadly, he couldn't come up with a better
complaint at the moment - he wasn't even sure why he was so worried
to begin with. Sakura was definitely not someone to toy with; she
could take care of herself, and Tsunade was right - Genma wouldn't
jeopardize a mission just for a quick fuck. Would he?

To
be honest, it was hard to tell.

Kakashi
turned to leave, feeling that this entire trip had been a waste - he
couldn't help but feel concerned for his former student, though he
knew she was no longer his responsibility. 'She'll be fine,' he
thought to himself. As leader of the group, he would just have to
keep an eye on everything and make sure it all went along smoothly.

"See
you bright and early, Kakashi!" Tsunade called after him. "And
don't be late!"

Kakashi
grunted and shut the door.

***

Sakura
sighed and sat down across from Ino, dumping her purse onto the booth
next to her.

"You're
late," her blond friend said, then leaned forward with a
mischievous grin. "Come on, what was it? A boy? I bet you it
was."

Sakura
screwed up her face in mock disgust, though to honestly answer her
friend's question, she would have to say three boys - and one
annoying, foul-tempered Hokage. She signaled for a waitress to bring
her a glass, then went about pouring herself a cup of sake from Ino's
bottle. Her friend tapped her fingers impatiently as Sakura took her
first sip of the evening, sat back, and breathed.

"Well?"
Ino demanded, unable to hold herself any longer. "What
happened?"

Sakura
shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Oh, I just got assigned a
mission," she said casually.

Ino's
eyebrow quirked. "What mission? Are you leaving soon? Damn, I
just got back! Now I'm going to have to go shopping with Hinata...."

Sakura
grinned slightly, knowing very well that Ino and Hinata weren't the
kind to get along in most situations. "We have to go to
Momotaro. . . there's been some murders there, something about a
missing-nin. We're supposed to flush him out and get rid of him."

"Oh
my gosh, Momotaro?" Ino squeaked, sitting up excitedly. "Nice!
That's supposed to be one of the most romantic cities on the map!
Everyone goes there on their honeymoon. . . hey, what kind of
murders?" Ino frowned suddenly, as though already putting two
and two together.

Sakura
was about to answer when abruptly a shadow fell over her and she
looked up, expecting to see the waitress with another bottle of sake
- but it was the opposite. Her eyes widened, and Sakura found herself
looking up at Genma, who was standing cockily with his weight on one
leg, a tall glass of what might have been beer in his hand. "Well?"
he said, smiling slowly. "Got room for one more?"

"Hi
Genma!" Ino gushed, already scooting over. Sakura remembered the
explicit stories that Ino had told her about the man, and found
herself blushing for no reason. Genma glanced over at Ino and gave
her a little wave, then he slipped in next to Sakura, his body
forcing her out of the way. Sakura's eyebrows drew down dangerously
as she found herself squished up against the wall. Ino blinked,
surprised, and looked back and forth between the two. "What. . .
?" she started.

Genma
grinned again, stretching out his arms and placing one casually over
Sakura's shoulder. Sakura was stunned for a moment, then she tried to
scoot away, attempting to remove the offending limb - but there was
only so much space in the small booths. She half-toyed with the idea
of slugging Genma in the face or maybe yelling at him, but the
temperamental Sakura of her younger years had been replaced by
someone much more concerned with reputation. She didn't want to ruin
her relations with the man she was about to go on a mission with.
Biting her lip, she glanced around the bar nervously, trying to spot
any familiar faces, and to her horror she could already see Iruka and
Neji glancing in her direction. This was the most popular bar in town
- nothing went unnoticed here.

Ino
was smiling slyly at them, though Sakura noticed a jealous tint in
her eyes. Ino had claimed that all of her run-ins with Genma had been
flings, but Sakura knew how possessive her friend could get. It was
amazing that she wasn't already screaming her head off.

"Genma
was assigned to go with me on the mission," Sakura said
hurriedly before the blond girl got any more wrong ideas.

Genma
shifted next to her, his large hand brushing her shoulder and playing
slightly with her sleeve. Sakura felt her heart skip at the tiny
touches despite her nervousness, but she knew better than to take the
man seriously - she had seen the way Genma treated women. It all
started out sweet and nice. . . and the next week he would bring
around someone new. She might be inexperienced, but she wasn't
stupid.

"Yep,"
the ninja said, adjusting the senbon in his mouth as he took a deep
swig of his drink. "For the next two weeks, Sakura and I are a
married couple, ain't that right Sakura-chan?" he glanced down
at her with a warm smile.

Sakura
mumbled something and laughed awkwardly, looking back at Ino in
desperation, but her friend was just staring at her with a strange
expression. "Right," she said slowly, looking at how close
they were sitting together. "Married couple, huh?"

Sakura's
face flushed and she shrugged her shoulders angrily, once again
trying to get away from the older shinobi. He was making far too much
of a scene - already she could see more and more faces glancing in
her direction. She hated it; at this rate, she would leave Konoha
with everyone thinking she was in Genma's bed. Damn, it was the exact
thing Genma wanted
everyone to think!

"Yo."

The
voice came from behind her, and Sakura let out sigh of relief. She
turned in her seat, meeting her sensei's one visible eye and smiling
at him, praying that he read the situation correctly and saw how
uncomfortable she was. It turned out that she didn't have to worry -
Kakashi was a master at these things, and a moment later he glanced
at Genma, his one eyebrow raised.

"Drinking
on the night before a mission?" he murmured. "Tsk, tsk.
Shouldn't you be home packing your things?" His gaze turned to
Sakura. "And you too."

Sakura
didn't care that Kakashi was a few years younger than Genma - he
always made her feel like a little girl. With an obvious struggle,
Sakura removed Genma's arm and prodded him out of the seat, then
followed suit, grabbing her purse in relief. "Sorry Ino,"
she said apologetically, giving her friend a little wave. "We do
have to get up bright and early tomorrow. . . I'll see you after the
mission?"

Ino's
face was turning into a scowl. "Sure. . ." she murmured,
then slid out of the booth as well, carrying the bottle of sake in
her hand. She nodded briefly to Kakashi, then the blonde girl stalked
off to find other company.

Sakura
sighed and went about putting on her jacket as Genma moved away, not
bothering to say goodbye - with Kakashi hovering close by, it was
probably the best thing to do. Her ex-sensei continued to stand next
to her until Sakura was finished buttoning up her jacket, then he
turned with her towards the door. "Mind if I walk you home?"
Kakashi asked casually, and Sakura looked over at him, noticing that
his nose was already characteristically buried in his favorite book.
She looked around and saw Genma hovering near the door, his eyes on
her. It was enough to make up her mind.

"Yeah,"
she said, taking Kakashi's arm just to send an extra message to Genma
and the rest of the bar. "I'd like that."

A
few moments later Genma left the bar, his expression still easy
though Sakura could tell that Kakashi's arrival had irked him. Not
for the first time, she worried about having to pose as the man's
husband - he was far too pervy for his own good. She hoped he would
contain himself on the mission.

Kakashi
walked out of the bar with her attached to his arm, though he hardly
spared a glance in her direction. They had been on so many missions
together that the physical contact was all but meaningless - after
having trained, dueled, and fought alongside each other, hooking arms
was the same as shaking hands; a casual gesture of little importance.
But at least it had scared off Genma.

Sakura
lived only a few blocks away from the bar, and five minutes later she
found herself in front of her apartment. She buzzed in the door code
and opened the front door to the building, then turned to smile at
her ex-sensei.

"Thank
you, Kakashi," she said, somewhat awkwardly.

It
was too dark to read at the moment, so Icha Icha had been put away.
Kakashi just shrugged, looking away from her and up at the starry
sky. "No problem," he murmured, his mind seemingly miles
away. Abruptly he glanced down at her and his eye crinkled into a
familiar smile. "Have a good night."

"Right,"
Sakura murmured, waving goodbye to him with her finger. Then she
turned around and headed for the stairs, already fantasizing about a
warm shower and a good long sleep. It would be the last shower she
would have for the next few days until they reached Momotaro.

***

The
next morning, Sakura woke up late.

"Shit!"

Rolling
out of bed, she grabbed her alarm clock and shook it, amazed that the
thing hadn't gone off at 7:30 the way she had set it. Apparently the
batteries had died during the night. She was almost forty-five
minutes late! With another curse she ran to the bathroom, pulled a
brush through her hair, washed her face, then threw on some clothes.
She had just finished pulling on her boots when she heard a familiar
voice calling from her window.

"Saaakura!
Hey wake up, sleepy head!"

It
was Naruto. Sakura dashed to the window and waved, just so he knew
she was coming - the blond boy grinned and waved back, a huge
backpack already settled on his back. She resisted the urge to roll
her eyes - probably it was stuffed full of instant ramen. Without
wasting another minute, Sakura grabbed a few kunai and headed out the
door, taking the stairs three at a time.

Naruto
was waiting for her at ground level, and they took off running
together towards the front gates. "Haha, Sakura, you're even
later than Kakashi!" the blond laughed, wiggling his eyebrows at
her. Sakura glared at him but didn't respond - yes, it was
embarrassing to be so late on such an important mission, especially
since she was the one who was always early.

They
slowed down to a jog as they reached the front gates, and Sakura's
eyes widened at the group assembled there. Tsunade was immediately
recognizable in her green robe, and she turned to stare Sakura down,
her eyes narrow.

"Finally!"
she exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "You do realize I've been
standing out here for almost an hour?"

"You've
been here for fifteen minutes!" Shizune muttered from where she
was standing at Tsunade's left, weighed down by a heavy-looking box.

Tsunade
darted her a disgruntled look, then turned back to her student.
Sakura stopped next to her, panting and heaving,
trying not to grin at Shizune's comment. "Yes, shishou, so
sorry," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. She glanced
around at the crowd and frowned. "Who are all of these people?"

"Your
escort," Tsunade said.

Sakura's
eyes went wide and she glanced sideways at her teacher, unsure of
whether or not she was being sarcastic. "My what?" There
were five people standing around the front gates of Konoha dressed in
white and blue uniforms, the symbol of a heart with a crown on it
plastered over their vests. Sakura recognized the symbol as being
part of an advertising franchise from Momotaro, though she wasn't
sure which one.

Tsunade
let out an exasperated breath. "You're posing as a married
couple, dimwit!" she growled, taking a swipe at the back of
Sakura's head, though the pink-haired kunoichi dodged easily. "You
think married couples tromp through the woods on their honeymoon?
This is your escort - you'll be riding in that carriage over
there and sleeping in these tents."

Sakura's
eyes went wide as she saw the pile of rolled up tents heaped at the
base of the carriage - by the shape of them, she could tell they were
huge and of high quality fabric. They were obviously fit for nobles
or someone much richer than her, someone more like Hinata. Her eyes
traveled back to the carriage and the white horses attached to the
front - it looked like something out of a fairytale. "What...?"

Tsunade
whipped out her hand and shoved two slips of paper under Sakura's
nose, which she took curiously. She only had to glance at the heading
to know what this was all about. "'Happily Ever After Romance
Package for Two'," she read incredulously, then flipped the
ticket over, continuing to read aloud. "'Includes full
transportation, high quality tent and bedding, free spa and full
honeymoon package at Momotaro's Spring Love Hotel'?"
Sakura's mouth dropped open and she looked up at Tsunade. "Th-this
must have cost a fortune!"

Tsunade
shrugged. "Donated by the mayor of Momotaro himself," she
said, grinning. "Spring Love Hotel has been the location of
three of the six murders, so we have a good idea the killer is in
that area. As far as they're concerned, you guys won the tickets in a
drawing."

Sakura
nodded numbly. Every girl dreamed of staying in the Spring Love
Hotel, and a full honeymoon package meant that they would get the
best treatment. She remembered a few years ago when she and Ino had
gotten their hands on a Momotaro Honeymoon Catalogue and had spend
the entire day fantasizing about their perfect wedding. She could
almost remember the exact wording of the ad - free meals, fully-paid
room service including full TV privileges, planned events around
town, even a private hot tub! God, if only Ino could see her now! She
would be so jealous....

"Sakura?
Helloooo?" Tsunade said, waving a hand in front of her dazed
student.

"Eh?"
Sakura responded weakly.

"I
said, this is going to be your wardrobe for the next week - it's all
in this box." Shizune thrust the box forward, obviously relieved
to get rid of it. Sakura took it with a grunt of exertion.

"My
god, what's in this thing? Bricks?" she growled, struggling
under its weight.

"Shoes,
purses, dresses, underwear - anything else you can imagine you'll
need, again all free of charge from the mayor, so generous!"
Tsunade explained with a wry grin. "Now you be sure to wear this
stuff, alright? Don't go blowing your cover over nothing. I expect
you to change into something fresh tomorrow morning."

Sakura
nodded wordlessly, unable to speak anymore from the weight.

"Can
we get going?" a sour voice came from her right near the trees.
"I want to get out of here before anyone sees me...."

Sakura
looked up, recognizing the voice as Genma's, and a second later she
put a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh - she almost dropped the
box in the process. The older jounin was dressed in what appeared to
be a tuxedo - though it was a flashy, baby-blue color with a red bow
tie. Sakura studiously tried to keep a straight face as he walked
over, tugging at his shirt and the sash around his waist. "Why
do I have to wear this get-up again? There's no place to put my
kunai."

Tsunade
smiled with false sweetness. "Because you're the groom,
handsome," she purred. "You need to look like one!"

"But
Sakura isn't dressed up!"

"That'll
change soon enough," Tsunade answered, giving Sakura the evil
eye. Then the Hokage turned back to Genma. "Now stop
complaining, you're the eldest around here, you're supposed to be
giving a good example! And spit that damn thing out, it's probably
filthy!"

Genma
rolled the senbon in his mouth, ignoring Tsunade, and glanced at
Sakura. His face went from annoyed to a slow, lazy smile. "Why
hello there," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I hear we're
riding in the same carriage. You can sit on my lap if there isn't
enough room."

Sakura
rolled her eyes - she couldn't believe she was being hit on by a man
in a baby blue tuxedo!

"I'll
be waiting inside," Sakura grumbled, and headed for the carriage
with her giant box, only too happy when one of the escorts stepped
forward to take it from her. She looked around, wondering where
Kakashi was, but she hadn't spotted him anywhere. Naruto was already
running around the carriage, directing the escorts as to the proper
way to place his backpack so it wouldn't get wet if it rained -
Sakura felt that her suspicions had been confirmed. It was
filled with ramen!

She
reached the carriage, a large, round monstrosity covered in lace and
paint to match Genma's tuxedo, and tugged open the door without
ceremony. Throwing her small backpack on the ground, she was just
about to step inside when she looked up - and gasped.

"Kakashi?"
she blurted before she could stop herself.

Her
sensei was seated already in the carriage, and to her surprise he was
dressed in civilian clothes. An expensive-looking dress shirt and
casual black pants, his mask having been exchanged for a dark red
scarf, though it continued to hide his face. His hair had been neatly
rearranged to hang over his closed eye.

His
Icha Icha book was still in his hand, though - and he appeared to be
reading with vigor. "Hm," he grunted in acknowledgment.

Sakura
seated herself across from him, finding that it was surprisingly
roomy inside the compartment. The seats were soft too, and everything
smelled fresh and perfumed. She almost felt too dirty to sit down.
"You look... uh, nice," she mumbled.

Kakashi
glanced at her, taking in her usual red shirt/black shorts outfit,
then went back to reading. "So do you," he muttered back.
Sakura frowned, then grinned - that was her sensei, always joking
around.

They
sat in comfortable silence for almost five more minutes until finally
both Genma and Naruto were in the carriage. Tsunade stuck her head in
the window just before they left, warning them to watch themselves
and "not screw this one up", then she waved cheerily and
motioned for the driver to start. There was a shout from the front of
the carriage and the crack of a whip, then everything lurched
forward. Sakura sat back with a sigh, staring out the window
longingly. She wished they could have walked to Momotaro; at least
then she could keep as much space as possible between her and her
dear husband. Genma had undone the top of his tux and was squishing
her up against the wall of the cart again, despite the ample space on
the bench next to him.

Back
at the gates of Konoha, Shizune and a beaming Hokage waved and
watched as the carriage pulled around the corner and disappeared into
the woods. Finally Tsunade dropped her hand and let out a deep
breath. "Well, thank god we took care of that," she said.

"Did
Genma really have to wear that tux?" Shizune asked hesitantly,
giving Tsunade a sideways glance. "You have to admit, it's
rather... uh...."

"No,
of course he didn't have to wear that thing," Tsunade snorted,
then grinned. "Damn funny though."

Shizune
raised an eyebrow. "Your sense of humor never ceases to surprise
me," she murmured.

Tsunade
glanced at her. "And don't you forget it!" she barked, then
turned around and headed purposefully back to the Hokage Tower. "Come
now, we should write to the mayor of Momotaro and let him know
they're on their way."

"Yes,
Hokage," Shizune sighed, and ran off after her mistress.
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