Riptide

Kakashi tightened the straps on his small pack. Most of the important stuff was sealed up of course but traveling essentials were much easier to access out of a pack while moving. His bag was a little fuller than usual as well.

“I don’t think she will be able to physically eat that many energy bars,” Tenzo commented as he watched Kakashi carefully tuck more ration and energy bars into the valuable pocket space.

“I’m sure she can,” Kakashi eyed his bag.

He added a few extra fresh sandwiches to the top and ignored the knowing looks his team gave him. He was worrying. He knew it, they knew, even Sakura had to know it by now.

“Let’s go Hatake. You can always hunt for extra food if its driving you that crazy,” Yugao kicked lightly at him.

Kakashi conceded and sealed everything else away, securing his scrolls and pack before following them out of apartment. Kakashi was very aware of the way he was twitching after Sakura’s scent, ears perked for the first sound of her. His team didn’t say anything though, especially not out in public like this with Kiri eyes on them.

They arrived at dock just as the sun was fully rising and found a small crowd waiting for them. Yugao stepped forward to exchange words with the Mizukage who looked fresh as a daisy in her official robes. Kakashi only had eyes for his kid though, looking at her squished between Momichi and Haku. She was holding Haku’s hand again and Kakashi could see even from her that her grip was tight. Her face was calm but Kakashi could smell the unease coming off her. he discreetly eyed her and then slanted a glare up at Momochi.

Mei said some flowery words, exchanged pleasantry’s with Yugao and then ducked over and gently ran a hand over Sakura’s head, like she was petting a dog, murmuring something low and quiet even for kakahsi’s ears before she and her entourage stepped back.

Haku was next, leaning over capture his student in a hug, smoothing the hair Mei had just gently ruffled and if they said anything it was too low to even pick up murmurs. Then Haku was stepping back as well, back straight and serene pretty smile on their lips. Kakashi half expected Sakura to look up Momichi but instead she stepped forward towards Kakashi and the Team. Momichi did the same.

“I’m escorting you to the border,” Momochi smirked at Kakashi, “Just to make sure your team makes it safely.”

Kakashi glared at him. Sakura looked up at the man with a rather bland look, head tilted. Tenzo made a half sign at Kakashi and he snarled silently in distaste before turning to his team. They stood ready, supplies sealed away and uniforms on, heavy oil-slicked canvas to repel the heavy mist and water pulled tight.

“Are you making sure I get there or are you just antagonizing Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura whispered to Momochi, probably unaware that Kakashi’s hearing could pick up the low tone.

Momochi grunted.

“Ready?” Kakashi asked Sakura.

Sakura looked up at him, all choppy hair and worn fisherman clothes, eyes bright. She looked back at Kiri, looked across the rocky beach at the Kiri delegation that stood seeing them off. Mei lifted a hand and Sakura returned the gesture. Her coat rode up, revealing the knives strapped to her thighs.

“Yeah,” Sakura said turning back to him, “I’m ready.”

They’d been offered a boat but Kakashi knew they could make better time on foot if they didn’t mind the chakra usage. They set off across the waves.

.--.

Kakashi kept an eye on Sakura as she stood out on the water, still and quiet in the dim light.

The day’s long journey hadn’t been quick, but there had been decent speed behind their caution as they navigated treacherous waters and juts of rock. Momichi had taken the lead and Kakashi, as hateful as he was of the man, didn’t deny the Kiri-nin knew these waters very well. Sakura had followed for hours, keeping up past even the point Kakashi would have bet a lot of money on her managing. She had only admitted defeat into the early afternoon.

It had been jolting and almost painful to see her feet falter and then watch her turn to Momichi and not Kakashi himself. Momichi hadn’t even made a noise of distaste as he’d scooped Kakashi’s student up at some silent signal. Sakura had pressed to his back as if she was used to holding on, as if used to being lugged about with the man, perfectly content beside his sword.

“Leave her be,” Momochi grunted.

Kakashi turned a glare onto the man, looking away from his student who was half gone in the fog and dusk.

“She’s getting us dinner, Hatake,” Momochi bared his teeth in a grin.

Kakashi still glared but his words were revealed to be true when Sakura came back carrying a set of large fish on a wooden fishing spear she had to have pulled form a sealing scroll. He watched as her fingers nimbly worked, scaling and gutting the fish with practiced ease on the very edge of their rock. Watched her toss everything she didn’t need back into the water. She stuck it over the small fire they had made out of driftwood for the express purpose of dinner and nothing moreand joined them under the shelf of a large rock. Most islands along here were just massive rocks but shelter could still be found.

“Done a lot of fishing here?” Kakashi asked lazily.

“Yeah,” Sakura answered easily, “I was put on fishing duty a lot when we were camped out waiting for the coup.”

“Camped out?” Kakashi raised a brow.

Sakura glanced at Momochi but he gave no sign he cared about the conversation.

“While the coup was being finalized we camped out with all the people on Mei’s side in a cave for a few months,” Sakura said, “I did chores. Fishing was one of them, sharpening and inventory was another. Also watch.”

Kakashi was quiet. His team was talking in quiet murmurs, voices pitch so Momichi wouldn’t hear as they talked about the journey home in a way their paranoid selves hadn’t let them do in the thick of Kiri. Could never tell who was listening and who might want to know their route.

Kakashi considered his student and the fact that she had went to war. They kept saying coup but it had been a bloody enough one that anyone else would have called it a war. Kakashi had seen some of the clean-up still in affect. His student, the one he had though the softest had found herself fighting things he had never wanted for any of his kids.

That night they unrolled their bedrolls, all close together except for Momochi who stayed a distance away on the opposite side of their burnt out fire. Sakura looked at the space left for her between Kakashi and Yugao and then very slowly stepped back shaking her head. Kakashi went to open his mouth, to reassure her or something (anything), when Gai carefully grabbed his wrists. Kakashi shut his mouth and watched as Sakura shoved her bedroll right next to Momochi. Momochi sent Kakashi a smirk and Kakashi’s face contorted into a snarl that Sakura couldn’t see.

When Sakura rolled into bed she was practically curled into Momochi.

When they woke the next morning Kakashi found that Sakura was half under Momochi’s covers, face tucked into his shoulder. Momochi still had that damned smirk and Kakashi hated him.

.--.

“This is where I leave you,” Momochi announced the second their feet touched down on the mainland.

Sakura, sitting on Momochi’s shoulder tensed very briefly at his words, fingers digging into his cloak. He very carefully set her down, gentle in a way he hadn’t been this entire trip. Sakura didn’t let go of his cloak. It was Gai’s hands that guided Kakashi away, that shooed the team to a distance as Sakura stared up at Momochi desperately. There was something feral in her gaze, something twitchy and Kakashi couldn’t look away. He strained his ears to pick up hints of their conversation as he was pulled away.

“I…” Sakura faltered, jaw working.

Something angry entered her gaze but left just as quick, changing to uncertainty.

“I told you, Brat, that I’d see you returned,” Momochi grumbled, “Well, you’re returned. You’re not my problem anymore.”

She still didn’t let go of him and he didn’t pull away from her grasp despite the harsh tone.

“I…” Sakura repeated, voice small.

Momochi reached up, fingers brushing across the leather collar at her throat and he said something to low for Kakashi’s ears as they stepped too far back. Sakura just stared at him. They stayed like that for a long moment, gazes locked and too close for Kakashi’s comfort, that bastards fingers on that goddam fucking collar.

“Fuck you too!” Sakura said, voice higher than she obviously meant.

Momochi laughed, loud and surprisingly bright.

“Yeah, you’ll do fine kid. Good luck. And remember what I said,” Momochi grinned as he took a step back, cloak slipping through her grasp as Sakura let him go.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Sakura said boldly, chin tilted defiantly.

Momochi gave another bark of laughter and then shot the team a mocking salute. He turned and walked off across the water, disappearing into the fog without looking back. Sakura, surprisingly, didn’t watch him go. Instead she turned her back on him when he turned his on hers. Her eyes were wide and bright, but not with tears.

“Let’s go home,” she said into the stillness.

Kakashi held out a hand to her. She took it.

.--.