Chapter 1

Sitting up with a rather loud sigh, Kakashi glances over his shoulder at the beautiful girl...No the woman sitting up against his pillows. Her shoulder length pink hair framed her flushed face perfectly, all the while biting her lip in thought. Catching his gaze, Sakura manages to give him a small smile, reminding him of how Hinata used to flush red in Naruto's presence. Kakashi was glad that the war had finally come to an end a few days earlier. The village was still in ruins, and he thanked kami that the apartment building he resided in hadn't been brought down. Unfortunately for Sakura, her apartment building only a few blocks from his had been completely obliterated.

He felt for her when she'd arrived at his apartment, asking if she could stay with him for awhile until she could find a new place to stay. He'd agreed, after all they had sought comfort in one another during the war...Why not after the war for awhile as well? He'd thought to himself. It hadn't took but just a couple of days for Sakura's nightmares of the war to cause her to seek his comfort during the middle of a bad, raging storm at two a.m in the morning.

"I'm needed at the hokage's office this morning, you're welcome to stay if you like...Unless you'll be headed out to look at a plot of land?" Kakashi spoke as he pulled his boxers and pants on.

"I'm supposed to be going to look at a ten acre plot near the Nara compound, it seems reasonably priced. I'd like to be closer to nature during these times," Sakura's voice shook, undoubtedly fighting her tears back. He noted the way the sheets tightened, as she bunched the sheets into her fists.

"I see. Be sure to speak to Yamato if you buy it, I'm sure he'd be glad to construct a house for you," Kakashi says, pulling his mask up after giving Sakura a quick kiss on the lips.

"See you later, Sen-Sei," Sakura giggles as Kakashi gives her a small glare.

"Later Sa-ku-ra," It was Sakura's turn to give him a glare, he always said her name like that when she was younger.

At the Hokage Tower

"Lady Tsunade," Kakashi greets Tsunade with a nod of his head.

"Only ten minutes late today," Tsunade says, pouring a cup of sake.

Kakashi hums his agreement, as Tsunade sips her sake delicately.

"As you know Kakashi, several small villages were hit by the war as well. I need a team assembled to help those villages in need, I'm sending you, Genma, and Raidou. This will be a year long mission, you'll be leaving tomorrow morning, and I'm assigning you as team captain. When you come back from the mission, I will be passing the role of Hokage over to you, until you see fit for Naruto to take the title," Tsunade passes a scroll to Kakashi, he assumes it names the villages, and tasks that need to be completed before coming back to the leaf village.

"I see, very well Lady Tsunade," He gives her a nod of the head turning around to walk out of her office.

"Have you seen Sakura? I know she's been quite depressed since the war came to an end," Tsunade's change of conversation catches him by surprise just as he is about to turn the handle of the door.

"Yes we did lose Sasuke remember? However, she's been sleeping in a spare bedroom at my place...She had nightmares for a couple of nights in a row," Kakashi recalls when Sakura had her first nightmare while staying at his place. She had woken up screaming, and crying. Kakashi had held her silently as she had cried, rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her nerves.

Sasuke had been fatally wounded, and no matter how Tsunade and Sakura had tried it hadn't been enough to save his life. Sakura admitted to no longer being in love with the man, but had cared for him greatly as a friend and comrade. Kakashi had kept to himself that he had thought it best in the end, Sasuke was not the same person team 7 had known when they had been younger.

"Yes...Kakashi? Thanks for watching after her, I just hope she can finally talk to her friends in her difficult time. I don't see it wise to send Sakura on missions in the field for a while yet, not until we're sure her emotional wounds have healed," Tsunade refills her sake cup, glancing at the liquid as she tips it back and forth.

"I should be going, see you in a year," Kakashi says, giving Tsunade an eye crinkle.

Giving a nod to Shizune in the hallway, Kakashi heads down the steps of the hokage tower. It seemed to be a good day to visit the memorial stone, it had been a while since he'd been there, and would be a while yet before he got to visit his passed friends and comrades. He knew very well that he might visit the following morning, and more than likely result in his lateness for his mission.

"Rin...how do I know I'm not going to regret what I've done with Sakura?" Kakashi murmurs, running his had over her name. How he wished to cry the rest of the day, and night but knew Rin nor Sakura would approve of the reason behind his tears.

It was like being abruptly hit in the face by a ten pound hammer. He loved Sakura, and it wasn't just from the affection they shared in a tent in the dead of war, or behind his bedroom door. Not even from him leaning her over the side of the counters or his couch and taking her from behind. His alertness of his sudden self admission to himself of his love for Sakura had him reeling. He knew that nothing good could come of telling her how he felt now, he had to leave for his mission tomorrow morning, Sakura would all but hate him if he told her his feelings, then left for a year. He had earlier taken a look at the scroll, strict orders for him and his team to keep contact to the village at a minimum unless there was absolute danger.

Sakura had bought the piece of land near the Nara compound for almost half the price of what she had expected to pay. The Nara clan had been generous, and offered their thanks and had reduced the price of the lot for her help during the war. She had insisted, to pay in full, but young Shikamaru Nara wasn't having it, and had told her he would refuse the sale of the land if she insisted to pay full price. Shocked she had been, Sakura finally agreed to the term, and had bought the 10 acre plot for around five thousand dollars.

All she had to do now was to find Captain Yamato, last Sakura had heard he was away for another two to three weeks at least. She could at least make a list of what she would need for her new home. She planned to make it a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house, preferably a two story house, a wrap around porch, she could hardly wait.

"I bought the lot near the Nara Compound, I couldn't pass the price up, and I just adore the scenery," Sakura said as she set a bowl of Miso soup in front of Kakashi.

"I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow, I'm not expected to be back for at least a year. You're welcome to stay here until Yamato gets back," He'd been dreading telling her the news most of day.

"Ahh, I see...Well it can't be helped can it, I'll be out of here as soon as Yamato can construct the house for me."

"Don't worry about it Sakura, I trust you not to send my apartment into oblivion over the next month or so while you get settled into your house," Kakashi teases her with a light laugh.

Sticking her tongue out at his tone of voice, she yelps finding herself pinned against the wall of his kitchen. Reaching up to pull his mask down, his lips crash against hers, fighting for dominance as their tongues wrestle. Letting out a moan, Sakura finds her dress hiked up as he lifts her body up, and her legs find themselves wrapped around his waist.

"Ka-Kashi," Sakura managed between their moans and kisses.

"Hmm?" The low rumble in his voice sent goosebumps all over body as he ravished her neck thoroughly.

They lay in bed most of the night, gazing into one another's eyes. They both loved each other, but denied the truth to each other.

"Kakashi, I don't think we should go further than this...Not with you leaving so soon especially...I want you to understand that what happens in our sex life, we should stick to being friends with benefits," Sakura hated saying that to him, she wished she was able to tell him that she loved him.

"I think if our feelings change while I'm away, that we could try something more," Kakashi had long gave up on sleeping, and was now packing his bag.

Sakura was silent for a few moments, as she went through his words carefully. Could she honestly try to have more than a friends with benefits relationship with him? Her former sensei, the man who would become hokage when he came back from his mission, and also a man 10 years her senior? But then again, age is only supposed to be a number...However she only considered that saying false unless an age gap was 20 years or more. She liked older men, no more than ten to twelve years older than her. After all, she had dated a few of the older elite jonin, such as Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Raidou. This had been before the war, and her virginity had been claimed only by Kakashi Hatake, and no other man had claimed her body before. She felt as though she hadn't been wrong to give her virginity to Kakashi, they had been at war, and she hadn't been certain she and her comrades would live through it. Neji Hyuga's life had been claimed in the war, however he had been at peace with his death, as Sakura had knelt at his side, prepared to heal his injuries. Neji had told her he had finally come to peace with himself, his oncoming death, and that he wished for her to allow him the destiny and peace he so desperately wished for. Sakura had held his hand while Neji Hyuga took his final breaths of his life, Sakura had sworn she'd never seen the Hyuga so at peace with himself, even whilst he took his last strangled breath of life, and allowed his soul to finally be released to the afterlife. His death had reeled Sakura to realize she didn't want to die a virgin, and so she had sought the comfort of her former sensei and teammate.

Tenten had been confirmed only a few days ago, that she carried the child of Neji Hyuga. The Hyuga clan accepted Tenten and her unborn child easily, and Konoha was still buzzing at the excitement of the news that Neji Hyuga had fathered a child that would be born within the next few months. Tenten was only twelve weeks pregnant, and her stomach was beginning to show the slightest swell. Tenten was to give birth to her child in mid February, and everyone was excited to see if the child would inherit the byakugan.

"Be safe Kakashi, you are going to be the sixth hokage after all," Sakura says, sitting up to encircle his waist as he sits at the side of the bed, double checking his supplies.

"Keep it up, and I'll end up late meeting my team," He turns his head to gaze at Sakura, before her lips crash against his own.

"I mean it, I don't know how I could handle it, i-if you didn't come back safe," Kakashi stands, and hugs her once more.

"Nothing will stop me from coming home, Sakura. Watch after yourself while I'm gone," Kakashi kisses her once more, before leaving in a poof.

"You better come home," Sakura mumbles, staring at the spot Kakashi had been standing at.

Author's Notes

Thank you all for reading, I've had this story building up for a while, and just couldn't resist publishing it to see what you all think! Read and Review!

Your's truly

Lady Sakura Haruno...