- Chapter One -

Sakura's heart hammered painfully in her chest, emerald eyes staring wide in disbelief at the ANBU messenger before her who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. It was pitch black, the only shred of light coming from the moon which was mostly covered by thick clouds. The air could be sliced with a knife, tension thick like an impenetrable smog that had settled over since the man had appeared on her doorstep with an urgent message from Tsunade.

"Haruno-san? Did you hear me? Hokage-sama has sent for you. Team Seven has returned in critical condition and she is in dire need of your assistance-" Sakura blinked a few times, successfully snapping out of her once stupefied daze, and raised her hand to silence the messenger.

"Yes, I understand, thank you. I will be there momentarily." Sakura replied smoothly. Professional face back on, she turned back to the humble- albeit quaint- abode that was her apartment.

Our apartment, Sakura reminded herself longingly.

"How long will you be gone?" Sakura kept her voice light and nonchalant despite the inner turmoil she felt. Her facade, of course, did not work on him. It never had, even in her genin days. She sat at the small dining room table they had bought only weeks before along with their new apartment, waiting for his answer to her previous question.

Kakashi walked through the door way, dripping wet from the rain outside, and stood before his pinkette fiancee. This wasn't the first interrogation he had gotten from her and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but he knew it was only because she cared. To him, the fact that she cared was more than enough to overshadow whatever punishment sent his way.

The silver haired man couldn't understand how someone so beautiful, so young and full of heart could possibly care for an older man as cold and jaded as himself. It was for this reason, besides the fact that he quite simply loved her with his entire being, that he wouldn't allow himself to lose her. The older shinobi once again glanced over his fiancee, taking in her white creamy skin, short pink hair, mouth in a slight frown, and her dazzling emerald eyes full of worry. Worry for him, Kakashi reminded himself.

"Honestly, I don't know yet. It's a highly classified S-ranked mission. Naruto, Sasuke, and I will be leaving to Iwagakure on an undercover mission."

"Iwa?" Sakura demanded, shocked. Iwagakure and Konohagakure had always been on rough terms and lately they were on the verge of declaring war, Sakura knew. An S-ranked mission deep into the heart of enemy territory was not something she wished for her team to take part in, especially if she was ordered to stay in Konoha to manage the hospital. There were too many patients for her to take leave.

Kakashi nodded absently to her second question and gave a stressed sigh, letting his body fall onto the sofa in the adjacent living room. He knew he was getting the couch wet from his drenched attire, but he was too tired to care. Kakashi drowsily pulled down his mask, revealing a ruggedly handsome face with a few days worth of prickly silver stubble on his chin. A fingerless-gloved hand reached up underneath his hitai-ate to massage his aching left eye. It throbbed painfully from frequent use, thanks to the recent conflict with Iwa.

Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously- a habit she had ever since she was a child. Kakashi recognized it immediately and felt a pang of guilt for making her worry, but there was no avoiding it. This was his job as well as hers, and they both knew what had to be done.

Sakura pushed herself out of the dining room chair and padded into the living room to stand before the silver haired genius that was her fiancee. Her former teacher. Her best friend. Her everything. She could not bare to lose him. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that he would be perfectly fine (after all, he WAS the famous Copy-Nin) she couldn't put an end to the worry that ate away at her core. Sakura could merely hold it at bay and keep its consumption to a minimum with facts and faith.

"I'd write letters, but in this case it's too risky. But I'm sure Tsunade will show you the monthly progress reports." Kakashi consoled her softly.

"I know..." Sakura crossed her arms and nodded, the tresses of her short hair acting like a curtain to hide the hurt on her face. She knew these situations were unavoidable, so was the life of a shinobi, but it still hurt. It might have been the last time she ever saw him, after all. Any of them. They both knew this to be true.

Kakashi stood and reached out to his petite fiancee. He pulled her close to his chest, wrapping her small frame up in his arms. It was this act that broke the dam in Sakura's heart, and she clutched him closely as if her life depended on it. In a way, she mused morbidly, it did.

Kakashi could feel warm wet spots through the fabric of his already drenched attire and noticed the way her shoulders shook from silent sobs. He held her tighter and nestled his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her.

"Sakura..." It was all he could say to comfort her. Kakashi couldn't say everything would be okay, no matter how desperately he wanted to; he wouldn't make any promises he couldn't keep. All missions have their risks, S-ranked ones especially. The fact that they were on the brink of war with Iwa only upped the stakes.

The lovers stayed like that for several minutes, embracing as if it were their last because it could be just that.

"It's time," Kakashi said, pulling away reluctantly. A mission of this caliber wasn't something he could afford to be late to. Sakura sniffled and nodded, trying to act mature. Kakashi reached up and wiped away a drop of salty moisture with the pad of his thumb, his palm resting on her cheek. She smiled up at him through her tears, though it was strained.

Kakashi pulled his hand back, his finger tips purposefully grazing her soft skin as he did so, and began shuffling through hand signs in order to transport himself to the rendezvous location when Sakura stepped forward hurriedly.

"Sakura-" her mouth cut his words off with a hard kiss and she strained up on her toes to reach him. He gladly obliged and bent down to wrap his arms around her waist, her own going around his neck. Kakashi's grip tightened and he lifted her off the ground in a crushing embrace. Then, as quickly as they had come together, they broke apart. Kakashi pulled up his mask, finished the necessary hand seals for his transportation jutsu and took one last look at her and smiled.

"I love you, Sakura." And then he was gone. Sakura's fingers traced over her bruised lips, the only indication that he had been there, and a lone tear escaped.

The rain poured down on Konoha, as if to mourn with her.

Sakura swallowed audibly as her throat tightened at the memory of their last encounter. That had been over six months ago, and she counted each day he was gone. Putting up a mental wall to block the worry that threatened to consume her whole, Sakura continued to gather her supplies as well as her wits.

Her team had come back. An S-ranked mission deep in the homeland of their enemies had whisked her family away and, after several months without contact aside from the brief monthly reports, they had finally returned. Her boys were finally home- but they were in critical condition. They were back and they needed her. He was back, and he needed her. She had to keep it together for him, for all of them.

Sakura hurriedly strapped her skirt on over her shorts, pockets stuffed full of medical supplies, not bothering with her gloves. Her hands raised up instinctively and flashed through the signs that Kakashi had taught her himself, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura reappeared in the hospital, which was in a constant state of chaos from the casualties caused by the growing conflict between nations. She dashed toward the counter where the receptionists were frantically working.

"Sakura-san! Hokage-sama needs your help in room 140!" One of the receptionists called, recognizing her. Sakura mumbled a thanks before running off down the hallway, not a moment to spare. She rounded a corner and bumped into a familiar chest, orange and black jacket torn and drenched in blood, sweat, and rain.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" Sakura gasped in shock. His bright blue eyes were dull and sullen, bloodshot from lack of sleep. Dark bags hung under them as well, but when he down at her he smiled lightly. Sakura quickly assessed the damage. He was in rough shape, but had no major injuries. The kyūbi had taken care of those, leaving him with only emotional damage. Next thing he knew, she had him embraced tightly in her deceptively lithe arms. Naruto hugged her back tightly and released her. It was time to tell her what he knew.

"Sakura... I'm fine, really. But Sasuke's in there, and they're working on him right now. He's injured pretty bad; it's his eyes... And Kakashi-sensei... He's..." Naruto looked down at his feet, hands fisted at his sides and jaw clenched tightly.

"What about Kakashi, Naruto?" Sakura pleaded, but he just shook his head. The pinkette didn't wait for his answer, instead throwing open the doors of room 140.

It was utter mayhem inside. Medics swarmed over two bodies and the whole room glowed a vibrant green, casting eery shadows on the walls. Tsunade spotted her pink haired apprentice and called her over.

"Sakura! I need your help, get over here!" Said girl wasted no time and stumbled over, swallowing her panic. Professionalism washed over her and she shut off her emotions momentarily, as was in her job description. Now was neither the time nor the place for such things. Sakura rushed over to the nearest body, which upon closer inspection she recognized it to be Sasuke.

The Uchiha laid vulnerable on the operating table, his body bound down tightly with leather straps to limit movement. A few medics were healing the more minor injuries scattered on his body but the majority of people were around his head. His eyes were the main focus of healing, like Naruto had said, and a pair of operating clamps held his eyes wide open while they worked. Blood continuously seeped deep from the sockets, obscuring Sakura's view. She laid her hands on either side of his face and sent her chakra through him, assessing the damage and looking for the source of the bleeding.

"There's nothing we can do... His vision is shot." One of the medics grimly informed her, but Sakura kept searching. She shut her eyes and only felt, pushing deeper and deeper she searched inside his body... Then she found it.

"Move, out of the way!" she pushed the pessimistic medic away and took his place. Sakura gave out orders to the rest of the medics gathered and got to work. Sasuke couldn't live without his sight, she knew. It was the last thing that tied him to his late family. The boy she once thought she loved left her behind and broke her heart, and when he came back she considered him something akin to a brother. The Sharingan was all he had, besides his friends, and Sakura had to save it. And that she did. Being second only to Tsunade herself, Sakura managed to fix Sasuke's eyes- though he would be blind at first it would go away with time.

Sakura felt the strength leave her body as she healed her beloved teammate, one of the few people she was close to. There... He'll be okay now... He's safe, and Naruto... But... Kakashi... Kakashi is...

Sakura's vision grew spotted and eventually turned black, leaving her at the mercy of her peers. She heard her name called out and, thankfully, she fell unconscious before she hit the hard, tile floor due to chakra exhaustion.

A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; all rights belong to Kishimoto Masashi.

This is the revised version of chapter one. Though nothing much changed, I did go back and reword things. Please enjoy! ;)