Important Author's Note:

Hey guys! Haha, I know it's surprising that my first fanfiction is being updated after a year of completion, but I've spent the past few days rewording and reediting my grammar and changed a bit of the storyline. Please give it a read if you have the time. :)

Also! Just because this story is finished doesn't mean that you guys shouldn't leave me reviews! ): I like going back to edit a lot :)

This story is entirely SasuSaku.

DISCLAIMER: Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto, and the GazettE, the Visual Kei band that owns the song Gentle Lie and the italicized lyrics at the bottom of every chapter! I only own the plot for this story! Check out the GazettE ;) they're an awesome band!

Chapter 1

Sakura collapsed onto a bed of crisp green grass after an exhaustive day of training. Her chest heaved as she languidly gulped in much needed air. She closed her eyes and revelled in the cool damp grass, the wind blowing and moving through it with swishing noises as it passed. Her moment of peace ended as she felt a familiar presence headed her way. Sakura got up from her comfortable position and readied her fatigued body in an offensive stance.

Shocked aqua green clashed with composed dark onyx as the apprentice of the legendary snake sannin used a jutsu to materialize mere inches from her body.

"Sakura." Sasuke breathed her name; they were close enough that his breath touched the back of her neck and made her shiver. Sakura didn't shiver because of their close proximity, or out of love, since she had none left for Sasuke. She shivered because his voice sounded so emotionless, but at the same time so controlling and full of unlimited power. Pushing herself out of her reverie, Sakura jumped a few meters back, allowing some distance between them.

"Sasuke." Sakura coldly replied.

"Hn. I'm here… for a request."

"What of…?" Sakura cracked her knuckles, showing Sasuke that she was ready to fight if he tried to do anything…unhealthy to her.

"In three days, I will come to get you. If you do not want to come, Konoha will be destroyed."

"Why should I comply with your request?" Sakura knew that Sasuke had the ability and skills to take down Konohagakure, but perhaps someone would be able to feel his chakra if she diverged his attention even more so. But since it was a digression, Sakura took the chance to lunge at Sasuke with her chakra-filled fist. Sasuke easily dodged it as the impact of the fist created a new landscape for the training grounds she simply rested on earlier. Grabbing her wrist, Sasuke flipped her arm behind her back and held on to it, making her inwardly flinch at the searing pain. Sakura struggled, attempting to break free, but her fatigued body did not want to follow her mind's wishes.

"I don't think you're in any condition to struggle, what with your… exhausted self from training." Sasuke smirked as Sakura futilely tried to kick his legs in an attempt for him to release the firm hold he had on her arm. Drawing his katana, Kusanagi, from its sheath, he held the blade underneath Sakura's neck. She immediately tensed and stopped struggling and let herself be led on by the emotionless and cold man standing behind her.

"I need your medical skills for what I'll be doing quite soon. And to show that I was not jesting earlier, this will be proof." Releasing his hold on Sakura, Sasuke swiped the blade of his Kusanagi across the top of his forearm and let Sakura see the blood dripping from the lengthy wound, making an oath to her.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she saw the once spotless blade now covered in Sasuke's blood. Her medic self rushed forward, immediately putting forth healing chakra into her right palm, mending Sasuke's broken skin. She left a scar instead of mending it back to its normal complexion, pale white and unmarked. Finishing with her task, Sakura's eyes drooped as she started to slope towards the ground. Sasuke caught her as she fell, and all she remembered before she passed out was Sasuke's impassive face and the words he said to her.

"Three days. Meet me at the border of Fire Country beside the cave. Finish your tasks before you go."

~-.-~

Sakura awoke to someone carrying her, someone with a familiar scent and a very sculpted chest.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Finally decided to get up after a thorough day of training?"

"Hmm…I don't really want to. I like being held here, makes me feel so cozy and safe."

"Maybe I should just drop you."

"You wouldn't."

"How would you know?"

"You love me too much to drop me, old man."

"I really will drop you if you call me that."

"Fine. S-E-N-S-E-I. Better?"

"No, that's even worse. How about you just call me by my name? People have names for a reason."

"Kakashi…. sensei!"

"That's it. I'm dropping you." Sakura fell bottom-first into a river as her ex-sensei dropped her from his well-muscled arms. Just as fast as he dropped her, he fished a spluttering and pouting Sakura out.

"What was that for?"

"You asked for it."

"Now I'm cold!" she shivered as she spoke those words. After those words were said, Kakashi teleported the two of them back to the entrance of their apartment. Setting her down on her feet, Kakashi took off his sandals and went into the kitchen, leaving a pouting Sakura in the entranceway.

"I'm making some dinner, so if I were you, I'd take a quick shower and get changed."

A dazzling smile brushed Sakura's face as she ran her way to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her with a resounding click. Shedding her clothes, Sakura wondered at the piece of paper that fluttered down from her wet clothes. Upon opening it, Sakura instantly remembered what had happened prior to her unconsciousness. The neat script on the slightly damp piece of paper was filled with a writing that she had not seen for a long time, but she still remembered it. Elegant cursive from an old member from Team Seven… Sakura gave an audible gasp as she read the note.

'Three Days. Meet me at the concealed cave at the North of Fire Country's border next to the small river. Finish your tasks before you go. You are to tell no one.'

Gripping the paper tightly, Sakura was lost in her thoughts of the meeting she had with Sasuke before a knock on the door brought her back to reality. "Sak, you okay in there? Did something happen?" Kakashi's voice resounded through the wooden door.

"I-I'm fine. I just found a few bruises in places I don't recall being hurt in from today's training is all." stuttered Sakura as she tried to regain her composure from earlier.

"Hmmm… well you don't say? I wouldn't mind making your bruises feel better after dinner." Kakashi suggested in a sly tone.

"…just get cooking you perverted old man. I'm hungry and the food better be prepared by the time I'm finished showering! If not, I'm punching you all the way to Kirigakure!"

A/N: Mist Country

"Yare yare… are all women so impulsive or is it just her…" he quietly mumbled words that he thought were incoherent to Sakura's ears.

"I heard that! Get cooking!" she playfully said.

Hearing Kakashi's footsteps fade away and his chakra level fainter than it was a second ago when he was right outside the bathroom, Sakura re-read the note a few more times. After she finally made sure there were no subliminal messages within the note, Sakura disintegrated the piece of paper with her chakra. Jumping into the shower and turning on the hot water to the max, Sakura shoved aside her worries from the recently disintegrated note and proceeded to wash herself free of the sweat and grime she had acquired from training.

'If only the encounter I had with Sasuke could be easily washed down the drain…'

15 minutes later, Sakura was seated at the kitchen table wearing a red t-shirt and white sweatpants with a towel draped over her shoulders to prevent the water droplets from her hair dripping onto her shirt and down her back. Sakura's mouth started to water as she breathed in the delicious scents that were rising from the hot and just prepared food. Kakashi emerged from the kitchen holding two generous bowls of sushi rice and placed them on the table, one in front of Sakura and one for himself.

"Itadakimasu!~"

~-.-~

Throwing the towel from her shoulders into the laundry hamper, Sakura threw herself onto the bed which she and Kakashi shared. Breathing in his scent lingering on the sheets, Sakura rolled under the covers, trying to be less conspicuous with her stalker-ish actions. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt the weight of another person on the other side of the king-size bed. Feeling the rustling of the blankets, Sakura slightly shifted herself so she could get a little closer to the person that had just decided to join her. Warm arms rested themselves around her midriff and pulled her into a solid chest. She hummed as their bodies made contact, making Kakashi chuckle at her response.

"Seems like someone's not as tired as I thought, huh? I thought you'd have passed out cold the moment you rolled under the covers."

"Well…you see…I really would like to, if I wasn't scared of a perverted man raping me in my sleep." Sakura mumbled, words only audible to Kakashi's ears, since his head was resting at the crook of her neck.

"You can't rape the willing, Sakura." Kakashi whispered which Sakura found very sexy. "And today, Lady Tsunade told me to give you this note, but since you're so tired, I'll be Mr. Nice Guy and read it out to you."

Kakashi relinquished his hold on Sakura's waist, eliciting a groan of protest from her, making him smile at her cuteness. Unrolling the scroll so he could get to its contents, the parchment rustled as it was being straightened out.

"Haruno Sakura, you are not allowed to train or go to work. It is great that as my apprentice, you are keeping up with your reputation as a kunoichi and medic nin, but everyone must have a resting period. It seems that you have not rested for three years, so I hereby give you a two-week vacation. Enjoy it while it lasts. You won't be getting time off like this for probably the next year or two. Stamped by Godaime herself… Hmm. Well, this is a rare opportunity, Saku-chan. I think you should embrace this chance and spend time with your lover who has managed to get a holiday, coincidentally at the same time as you!"

Sakura perked her ears up at the notice. The note seemed genuine. After all, the Hokage had been telling her to take a vacation for the past half a year. What she found odd was that Kak– her lover had a holiday at the same time she did. Sitting straight up from her sleeping position, Sakura grabbed the scroll at lightning speed and read it. At the end in TINY postscript, was definitely Tsunade's writing that told her Kakashi had a holiday too. Looking over at Kakashi with a pair of accusatory eyes, he pretended not to notice as he slipped underneath the covers, avoiding Sakura's death glare. Throwing the covers off of him, Sakura near screamed at him.

"You pulled the strings behind this! What'd you do to let her allow both of us, TWO JOUNINS to have a vacation at the same time?"

Peeping out from underneath the messed covers, Kakashi answered simply, "I just gave her my secret recipe for making better quality sake than the one she drinks."

"…"

Sakura sighed in defeat as she knew her mentor would do anything for good tasting sake. Throwing the scroll to the side, Sakura switched off the lights of the bedroom and slipped back under the covers after throwing off her white sweatpants to reveal black shorts. Kakashi pulled Sakura up to him and rested his head on the crook of Sakura's neck. And with that, he fell asleep, leaving a tired and worried Sakura to sort out her confused thoughts.

Turning around in Kakashi's arms, Sakura gazed at his face. She remembered the time when everything started. It wasn't mushy or romantic or anything like that, it just… happened. To say the least, it was probably the most unromantic thing Sakura had ever experienced. They were training one day at a training ground, and they had been sparring with each other all afternoon. After that, the two of them collapsed on the grounds and just…basically got together. And now, they were an item. It's not like Konoha didn't know that they were together. Sakura was pretty open about it from the start; Kakashi was the one who had the issue. He was worried Konoha would disagree with their relationship. Ironically, no one disagreed to it, except for Naruto, who as always was the black sheep of the white flock. As for her feelings towards Sasuke… there was nothing to talk about. The feelings were gone. Repeat. They didn't exist. She didn't even know when and where they went, they just did. Speaking of Sasuke, Sakura thought back to the situation on hands.

Sasuke was essentially forcing her to go with him, or else he would literally kill everyone in Konoha. She doubted that Sasuke would break his promise as a man and with the oath of his own blood to abide by as well. Several hours later, Sakura reached her concrete decision, and the decision would hurt her, as much as it would hurt her friends, and especially… him. Snuggling into his chest, Sakura listened to his moderate heart beat for a while before saying a few words in a quiet whisper.

"I love you, I hope you know that. I do and I always will."

'What I did because of my weakness was surely for the sake of those "dearest" to each other'

I know this story is for SasuSaku, but this chapter was basically all KakaSaku. Please wait patiently as SasuSaku will be the dominant relationship in this fanfic.

- Kanryu out