DISCLAIMER: I only own this story, none of the characters.

OMINOUS BREEZE

Sakura sat at the edge of the bed looking with sad eyes at the naked form of the man she loved. Her eyes traveled from the bottom of the sheets that outlined his strong legs up his torso where his well defined abs could be seen. She continued her gaze up his broad chest, watching it rise and fall under his even breathing. She moved her hand to caress him, starting at his well defined jaw, straight nose and messy silver hair, but stopped when she was just about to touch him. He was lying here, in their bed, and yet it felt like he was so far away. She brought her hand down to her side and continued to stare at the man she loved with all her heart, body and soul.

She remembered the first time she gave herself to him. It had been magical, a night filled with emotion, friction and pleasure. He had loved her then, she was sure, and she had been happy like she had never been happy before. Her hand moved on the sheets beside him, outlining his body but not touching him. When had he stopped loving her, she wondered. A lone tear made her way down her cheek and she turned away. She was shattered, her heart was not only broken but her whole self and being were shattered. She knew what she was risking by loving this man, and she wiped her tear as she thought that she would do it again.

She stood up from the bed when a hand shot up to grab her wrist.

"It's still early," he said sleepily.

"I have a mission."

The sound in her voice made him open his eyes wide. He stared at her slumped back, the tight fitted black uniform on her womanly curves, gloves on her toned arms and the red tattoo staring back at him. There was something in her voice, something he didn't want to hear in her voice.

"When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure. It's one of those missions."

He looked to the ceiling as he tightened his hold on her wrist.

"Be safe," he said as he let go of her. But unlike other times, she didn't reply and just exited the bedroom.

Kakashi continued to stare at the ceiling, his mind and heart heavy with guilt. Why was he doing this to her? When had things gotten so out of control? He loved her, he knew this much was certain. He had loved her for so long, adored her in their time together. Just like a minute ago, when he felt her heat diminish and as usual moved his hand to keep her next to him a bit longer, he felt a connection to her that he didn't share with anyone else. So why was he sleeping with Kurenai? He ran his hands through his messy locks berating himself. He should have never taken that bet, he should have never gotten that drunk and he should have never gone to that bed.

Just now the pain in her voice, the missing green eyes staring at him lovingly saying without words that she would be alright, that she would come back to him, it had made his heart ache and his chest tighten. If he loved her this much, if she really was the woman he had committed himself to, why was he doing this to her? He felt so dirty all of a sudden, making love to her last night when he had been with Kurenai hours before. He didn't deserve her, but he loved her and couldn't let her go. Kurenai was supposed to be a one night stand, a drunken mistake that wouldn't be repeated, but that was two months ago and he still found himself in her bed once a week.

I'm doing my friend a favor, he had told himself. Kurenai had begged him to come to her again after that first encounter. She trusted him, she had said, and no man pursued her out of loyalty to Asuma. 'Women have needs too, Kakashi' she had said. And he had obliged because he cared about her, because she was his friend, but he felt dirty every time and the guilt slowly consumed him and was destroying his relationship with Sakura. And yet he couldn't stop, because somewhere in the middle of it all he got confused and he no longer knew who he loved.

Sakura grabbed her gear by the door of their apartment and took out a note she had prepared the night before. She looked at the scroll in her hand for a long time, more sadness invading her heart. She remembered her discussion with Tsunade the day before, her discussion with her Shishou fresh in her mind.

"But Sakura, in your condition-"

"I'm a shinobi of the leaf, Tsunade-sama, and I'm qualified for this mission."

"I'm not arguing with that, Sakura, but you know damn well the probability of-"

"Yes, I do."

Tsunade stared in disbelief at her apprentice. She knew this was a suicide mission, which is why she had offered it to all of ANBU before she would assign anyone to it. She couldn't in good conscience pick someone to go into their sure death. But Sakura volunteering for this? She didn't know what was going on with the girl.

"Sakura, what does Kakashi say about this?"

"…"

"Sakura, Kakashi knows right? You know he has a right to know-"

"Let's leave my lover out of this Tsunade-sama. He is also a shinobi and we have always known the dangers of our professions. Plus, I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

The coldness of her statement only sounded painful to Tsunade. So Kakashi didn't know. Tsunade knew Sakura well and it was unlike the girl to be cruel without reason.

"Shishou, please trust me on this. You know better than anyone else how much thinking and analysis I do before making a decision. If I'm asking you to serve Konoha and possibly give my life in the process, I'm only honoring the code that I live by. But if you want further explanation will it suffice to say that I know in my heart and soul that I'm making the best decision for me and everyone involved in my life?"

Tsunade looked at her apprentice with loving eyes. She had grown into a beautiful woman and at 24 Sakura was at her peak. She had to respect her decision because what she had said was true. Sakura was smart and the days when she made hasty decisions based on impulses were long gone. This adult Sakura was calculated and logical, and she must have good reasons to do as she wanted. Still, Tsunade could not help the knot forming in her stomach.

"Promise you will come back."

Sakura smiled tenderly at the woman she saw as a second mother. "I promise I will do everything in my power to come back to you, Shishou."

Sakura smiled at the memory while a couple of stray tears ran down her face. She turned to look at the apartment one more time, her gaze lingering in pictures of happier times, in places where love had once been consummated. Then a painful look crossed her gaze as she wondered if she had also been in those places, if he had taken her in the same places Sakura had given herself to him before. The hot tears forming in her eyes would not let up and she just felt more pain at knowing that the trust was gone and that the one-time sacred haven that was her home was no longer sacred. She put the scroll down on the table by the door, the one where the keys usually go. She touched it with care, the last tears rolling down her beautiful face. She knew he wouldn't find it for a while, maybe days, since he chose the windows as his preferred method of entering and leaving places. She smiled sadly.

Turning to the door she exited the apartment thinking that it may be the last time she saw it. She would do everything in her power to return, she had not lied about that. But she also knew the risks of this mission and was hoping never to return to this place. She had once suffered through a broken heart. It had been very difficult for Sakura to mend the pieces of the heart that Sasuke destroyed. But she had only given him her heart and mind, her devotion had been one sided and innocent enough to be reparable. What she had with Kakashi, however, was something much stronger than anything she had ever experienced. She not only loved Kakashi with her heart and her mnd, but with her body and ultimately her soul. The pain of finding out his betrayal was all consuming, and she knew that this break would never repair; she knew the pieces were too small and sharp to ever be mended together. If she had to describe what she felt, she would have to say that her feelings laid in the difference between a broken vase and a shattered one. Kakashi had done away with the last of her heart and love.

Sakura traveled through the village with her cloak and pack on her shoulders, her eyes alert and taking in all of Konoha in its morning glory. She had loved this place and she always wanted to remember it as bright and alive as this morning when she would leave it. For good. Her steps took her to the red gate where she waved to two sleepy guards. Her gaze lingered on the village once more before taking to the trees and preparing for her impossible mission.

The last enemy fell as Sakura collapsed to the floor panting heavily and bleeding profusely, the katana still embedded in her body. She made some signs and a small slug appeared in front of her.

"Take this to Tsunade and tell her that the mission was completed successfully," said Sakura as she handed the slug a scroll that the animal rolled in her tongue. "And tell her that I kept my promise but wasn't powerful enough to fight fate."

The little slug turned her head sideways and Sakura smiled.

"Thank you for your service to me all these years. Please, go now and don't worry about me."

The slug shed a tear as it disappeared behind a cloud of smoke. Sakura felt like letting some of her own tears free, but she wouldn't. She knew Tsunade would send for her body and she would be remembered honorably, not with a tear stricken face.

Slowly, she gathered the will and strength to stop the tears and turn herself on her back, the warm rising sun touching her cheeks. She removed the Katana from her torso and moved her hands to her stomach, a green glow lighting the area. You're still here, she thought somberly while she started healing the areas to protect and lengthen the life inside of her. I'm sorry, she said quietly to the product of a love that she knew was now gone while her chakra failed her and her eyes started to close, heavy with exhaustion. I'll miss you, Kakashi, were her last thoughts before everything went dark. A sudden breeze made her hair and some of the leaves around her spiral in the air before dying down as quickly as it came.

Kakashi sat in the training grounds overlooking his new genin team while he read his Icha Icha book. He couldn't believe he had been ordered to have another group of annoying kids under his tutelage. Wasn't his failure the first time around not enough to prevent anyone to trust him with their kids? He shook his head in disbelief as he watched the little ones trying to climb a tree. He remembered Sakura's reaction the first time he told her he was getting a new group. 'All I'm saying is that you are not allowed to interact with your female genin outside of training. We know how the first time around went.' He chuckled as he thought of her, that pink haired time bomb and her damn wittiness. She always had a smart remark for him and pushed his buttons as much as he pushed hers. Okay, okay, not as much, but he wasn't quite as cute as she was when she got mad.

He chuckled again as he thought of her pout when he would say something that didn't please her. She was something else, alright. He still couldn't believe she had once been a genin under him, especially when he looked down at the little girl on the ground trying to climb a tree. He should have known that no other girl would ever be like his Sakura. He missed her already, it had been three days since she left and he missed her. He wondered when she would be returning? He had a surprise planned out for her. There is much to make up to her, he thought sadly as he let out a sigh.

He had decided the day before that he needed to end things with Kurenai. It was the right thing to do. He didn't know if he had started to love the ruby eyed kunoichi, but at least he knew he loved Sakura more, or at least more than he loved Kurenai at the moment. He was meeting her this afternoon and he was going to tell her that things were over. He was being an asshole, a no good, two-timer SOB and he was tired of the guilt. He was in the middle of his self pep talk when a chilling breeze blew through the trees making every hair on his back stand. As quick as it came, it went away, but the damage was done. Something in the pit of his stomach stirred and he suddenly felt nervous. Sakura.

He jumped down and told the team that practice for the day was over. He ran to his apartment and jumped through the window into their bedroom. Nothing. He went into the main room and didn't see any signs of her either. He was about to head out when the door suddenly blew open and leaves flew in, the strength of the breeze bringing down the small table by the door.

Kakashi felt more concerned by the second and walked to the door to close it. He picked up the table and was replacing its contents when something caught his attention. He didn't remember the scroll being a part of the decoration. He opened it to read it and slowly his hands starting fisting as they held the paper with growing force. His gaze went over the lines once again while his whole body tensed, his light trembling barely perceptible. A second later he had jumped out of the living room window, the scroll gripped tightly in his hand and chakra in his feet as he went full speed to the Hokage's office.

Kakashi ran down at least four people on his mad race to the brown doors of the leader of Konoha's office. He didn't bother to knock when he got there and just pushed his way in while speaking rather loudly.

"Tsunade-sama, I need to know if-"

His sentence was cut abruptly at the scene in front of him. Shizune stood with her head bowed and tears running down her face, while Tsunade looked sullenly at an ANBU team nodding a dismiss. What made the copy nin's heart stop was the little slug that sat on the Hokage's desk with tears of its own. Kakashi was very familiar with the animal, and its presence in this room, in this scene, was something that he was starting to get scared about.

"Kakashi," said Tsunade in a strained voice. "It's about Sakura."

Silence fell in the office of the fifth. Three figures stood in the midst, one with sadness in her eyes and a slump in her throat, one with tears in her face and inconsolable sobs, and one with guilt and despair in his heart. As the blonde let a tear slip down her cheek, the silence was interrupted by the sound of a scroll hitting the floor and bouncing on it a couple of times. Its contents visible as the paper stretched out on the flat surface.

Kakashi,

I love you with all my heart, with all that I am and all I'll ever be. I'm sorry it wasn't enough for you. It is said that if you truly love someone, sometimes you got to let them go. So, from the bottom of my heart, I wish you happiness with her.

Love always,

Sakura.