AN: So this is my first attempt at anything like this, hope you enjoy. Planning on making this a set of four loosely related Kakasaku one shots, and I'll probably put together another set that's a bit fluffier (possibly a Sasusaku set too?). Comments greatly appreciated! Word count: 926. I do not own the characters

Sleepless Nights With You

Kakashi woke during the night to the sound of whimpers, and for once they weren't coming from him. Blearily he opened his eyes, thinking he was on the battlefield. Instead, he saw the familiar water stain that graced his bedroom ceiling, something he had been meaning to fix for a while. Realization struck and he became fully awake, twisting in the bed sheets. "Sakura," he said gently, purposely removing any trace of panic from his voice.

"Can't fix this…I can't…too much blood!" she cried out.

Repeating her name, he reached for her. The second that his hand met her shoulder, she reflexively began to attack him, a possible enemy in her confusion. Anticipating this, Kakashi carefully, but firmly, restrained her by the wrists before she could seriously injure him. "It's me," he whispered into her ear.

He released his hold on her as soon as she recognized him, so he could draw her closer. Sakura buried her face in his chest, and he could feel some of the tension leave her body as she burrowed further into him. A warm dampness greeted the fabric of his shirt. "Kashi, I couldn't save them," she sobbed, wracked by tremors.

His heart, which he would have claimed to not be in the possession of in the not too distant past, shattered at the anguish in her voice. "I know." He stroked her back slowly, trying to impart any soothing that he could. Letting his hand slip underneath his black shirt that she had worn to bed, he traced the delicate protuberances of her spine. "All we can do is protect those that still need us. As long as there's a tomorrow, there will be people that need you to be strong for them. You're the strongest person that I know, but tomorrow isn't here yet. There's nothing wrong with that."

Sakura had since stilled, her sobs quieted. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in the scent of him, something that she had once claimed to find comforting. The faintest trace of a smile made its way across Kakashi's lips as he took in the sight before him. The soft moonlight that managed to come through the window curtains fell upon Sakura. Her pale pink hair seemed to glow, as if it represented all that was innocent and good in the world. As if it had not born witness to the dark stain of war and pain.

She pulled back slightly out of his embrace, trailing a finger up and down his chest. They remained like that for a few moments, lying on their sides, simply taking in the quiet moment. Sakura eventually met his worried gaze with her own tear-swollen eyes. "I guess that I should be more concerned if I'm suddenly not bothered by…everything that's happened," she gave a short, mirthless laugh.

Tenderly brushing hair off her face, he pressed a barely-there kiss to her lips. No mask was between them. "It's an unfortunate burden that we bear," he remarked about those who had chosen the path of the shinobi.

He could have told her that everything would turn out right in the end. He could have told her that there was nothing to be afraid of, that she was safe now. But they had long since promised to always be honest with one another. Which was why she hadn't lied and claimed that she had only been dreaming.

The worst part was that they weren't merely dreams. They were memories. When reality was more horrifying than any nightmare conjured up by an overactive imagination could hope to be…well, it took its toll. It was what war did. No one was left completely unscathed. Those that survived still left pieces of themselves behind, dead and buried beside the loved ones they had lost or complete strangers that they had seen suffer.

Sighing, Sakura curled up against him. Kakashi wrapped her in his arms again, pulling her closer. One hand was nestled between her waist and the bed, while the other cradled the back of her head. "I'm glad that you're here," her sweet voice whispered into the dark.

The silver haired ninja replied truthfully, "I am, too."

He thought back to what she had asked of him the first time this happened while he spent the night with her.

Hold me. Please just hold me.

Back then it had struck something deep within him, the realization that such a strong, intelligent, and caring woman periodically woke up alone and screaming when remembrances invaded her sleep. That she woke up the same way that he often did. Kakashi had silently vowed to himself then and there to fulfill her request as often as he humanly could. He hated the thought that she experienced the same feelings of loneliness and hopelessness that he did.

However, he hadn't expected the utter relief and joy that he felt when he roused in her arms, soothing murmurs in his ear coming from the voice he adored so much. Hadn't counted on the comfort that he found in the light, floral scent of her shampoo as he tried to banish thoughts of bloodshed to the back of his mind.

Drawn out of his reverie, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you," he murmured before playing with the silky strands of her hair.

"I love you, too."

Kakashi smiled, truly smiled this time. Her words made knowing that they would eventually awaken some night from now in a similar manner—likely with Sakura holding him as he fell apart—more bearable.