Since her graduation-exam Sakura had not felt this nervous walking towards the Academy's gate. Three days she had spent awake at Kakashi's place, three days during which he had allowed her to see him as unmasked as she imagined possible. And now she would have to act as if none of it had happened.
She wasn't sure if she could do this. She knew that she should, being a kunoichi – she should be able to set aside her feelings. What ever feelings that were. She had not quite figured that out yet.
She also had a proposal to make. And even though she herself found it to be a rather good one, she still was anxious to hear Kakashi's reaction to it.

She was greeted warmly by most of the other shinobi working in the administrative, though the question – why she was still here and not yet on her way to Kumogakure – seemed to follow her everywhere around. Each time the answer she gave was the same. Kakashi had not yet told her to go, but her things were ready and packed, so as soon as he would affirm her assignment, she would leave.

She arrived in his office at three minutes past eight, spent fifteen minutes sorting through the messages that had arrived overnight before the first client – some wealthy salesman who wanted an escort for his goods, which apparently were valuable enough to bother the Hokage (or his assistant) in person – arrived.
At eight fifty-four Sakura reviewed the list of genin-teams that were to participate in the chunin-exam, before she placed it on the stack of documents to be signed by Kakashi, then turned her attention to the most recent mission-reports.
At ten she wanted to take a break, but soon enough remembered that the Academy's students were doing just the same at this time, and instead made a list of suggestions which available teams should be assigned to what missions.
At eleven she had lunch, alone on the roof in front of the window. From where she sat she could keep an eye on the clock hanging in the office, as well as the door. Any time now Kakashi would arrive, she thought.
He didn't.
At half past she continued to work, at twelve she started to worry, tried to tell herself that, if anything bad had happened, someone would have told her by now. As neither one of the ninken, nor anyone else had shown up yet, she assured herself, Kakashi simply was exceeding his usual tardiness.

A little past one he finally arrived, and for the first time in years Sakura greeted him with a very honestly annoyed "You're late!"
He didn't even bother making up some outrageous excuse, in fact he didn't bother acknowledging her presence at all, sat down behind his desk without saying a single word, without so much as looking at her.
Sakura turned to Pakkun, who flapped his ears.
She waited, although she admittedly was sick of waiting. After another hour, in which she felt completely and utterly ignored, she gave up.
"Kakashi?", she said, and then – because she wasn't quite sure if it was okay for her to use his name like this in public, or public spaces, or anywhere at all, added "Sensei?"
Kakashi didn't look up. He gave her a half-attentive "Hm", though. Not one you gave to someone you had spent the last hour ignoring but rather one you gave to someone with whom you just had had a very lively conversation, which just happened to have fallen silent seconds ago.
"Kaka-sensei?", she said, and was surprised how wrong this very familiar form of address suddenly felt.
"What?"
He still refrained from looking at her. Sakura clenched her fists, hard enough to make her knuckles turn white.
"Could you please stop ignoring me?"
"I'm not", he replied, his eye still fixed at the document in his hands.
Sakura took a deep breath. The office, she reminded herself, had just recovered from her last outburst.
"I've been thinking", she said, and did her best to ignore the fact that she still felt very ignored.
"If you don't want me to leave, but everyone else wants me to go …", she watched for some, for any reaction. There was none. Kakashi kept reading, or pretending to read, what ever text it was in front of him.
"Would you please look at me?"
Before she could stop herself, she had jumped up, gripped the back of his chair and spun him around to face her. To her very surprise, Kakashi seemed startled enough by this to not evade her, although his gaze – after momentarily focusing on her – soon wandered past her and out of the window.
At least, Sakura tried to calm her temper, while she placed her hands one his arm-rests, he was facing in her direction now.
"If you don't want me to leave, but everyone else wants me to go", she repeated. Kakashi shifted his weight a little, leaned forward, and then – finally – decided to look at her.
"I suggest to send Rin in my place."
Kakashi blinked, but Sakura didn't give him a chance to interrupt her.
"I already talked about it with her, and she's fine with it. Of course, she'll need someone to accompany her – but if Katsuyu cooperates, we should be able to communicate easily. We've got everything ready, so if you give your okay, she'll leave."
Kakashi blinked again. She could, even through his mask, see him opening his mouth, then close it again, could hear him breathe in through his nose.
"You hardly know her", he finally said, painstakingly slow.
"But I trust her", Sakura told him.
"Besides", she added, leaning the tiniest bit closer "She's the only medic we can ask to double me, so it's lucky she's also the only medic that wont have me worried about my reputation."
With these words she let go of Kakashi's chair, strode over to her desk, picked up her bag and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?", she heard Kakashi calling after her.
"Home. Where I will wait for either my or Rins escort. Your choice."
And with these words she left, as quickly as she could and before her courage would decide to run ahead and leave her alone.