Chapter 1: Prologue

Flashback

"Woooooow Sasuke-kun, you're so cool!"

How many times had he heard her say that when the Uchiha kid pulled a move? A shuriken, thrown by him, even if miles off target, was reason enough for her to burst into an ecstatic proclamation of her awe for him. How old were they now? Had they ever tasted anything like a first kiss? Had they ever experienced true heartbreak?

She will eventually

And the day continued. Practice, exercise, molding chakra, controlling chakra, releasing chakra. The three, never tired, never exhausted. And one day flowed into another and every day brought the same. A constant awe for Sasuke by Sakura, the Uchiha's indifference and the loudest ninja, Konoha village had probably brought forth, Naruto.

All three graduated from the Academy, though that was barely the case for the blond haired brat, and all three possessing their unique qualities that brought an added strength to the team, yet having all the trouble in the world figuring out what exactly teamwork entailed, acting more as though they'd rather kill each other than the enemy. Placed under the guidance of a teacher who hadn't, in quite a long time, allowed any of the freshly graduated ninja's to pass his test. But they did. That day, they did.

Present

"Kakashi, come to bed, it's late."

She spoke soft and barely audible as her voice was muffled, covered by the sheets. However, her desperate plea was answered by a disgruntled soft moan and in no way a sign of him complying. In stead he remained seated at his kitchen table, his face hardly visible, hidden by his mask and only slightly lit by the moonlight shining in through the window. There was no good reason for him sitting there other than a nauseous feeling in his stomach and his lack of fatigue. To him, right now, sleep was as elusive as his wish for peace of mind. One incidentally was connected to the other after all.

Even his partner was not able to console the silver haired man, no matter how thorough her efforts. Wiping away the sadness on his face, or ridding herself of the cold stare tat broke the strongest of hearts was something that she had long since given up on. Both of them content to be able to enjoy each others company. Both of them residing in a sort of mutual respect and understanding but acknowledging that love had not made this bond.

She had always felt enormous awe for him, and he had felt it was time to settle down and forget the past. They had met at the wrong time, at the wrong place and had gotten married. A mixture of pain and confusion had filled his heart that day and as always, the jounin's mask had served well at hiding all that. She had looked amazing that day and undeniably radiant. And he couldn't but admit that she did what was expected of her and so much more, fulfilling his every desire daily, if he so required of her. But he didn't.

How long had it been since that day? Maybe 4 or 5 years?

"Ah fuck it, I'm going for a walk."

And with that the silver haired jounin grabbed his vest and slammed the door hard on his way out. The rain was falling. It seemed to always do that when he was in one of his moods. Or did the moods follow the rain?

Five minutes had been enough to soak his clothes to the flesh, and his silver hair, too long really and in desperate need of a cut, fell in streaks across his face, before his eyes. The one eye covered conveniently with his forehead protector was not bothered by this.

He quickly jumped on top of the nearby Academy roof and looked out over the village. From here, Naruto's apartment was visible, and the lights were still on. A small, half-smile spread underneath his mask, knowing full well what a young married couple like Hinata and Naruto would probably be up to right now.

Leaping with a speed and strength that were consuming his charka hurriedly, he made it to the clearing where team 7 had passed his "Bells test" with him. Three logs stood steadily planted in the ground and he chose the middle one as support, sliding his back against it as he made his way down to the ground. Legs bent, pulled up towards his chest, his arms leaning on his knees as he carelessly played with a shuriken, lost in thought.

The circumstances had allowed it back then.

Flashback

The bond between Sakura and Kakashi had always been a strong one, based on friendship and trust. And he couldn't remember how many times she had come to him, asking him for advice about Sasuke. Her request had always been answered by a pretend mocking laugh and a gentle pat on the head, shooing her off, telling her to come back when she was older. One day, he had caught her reading what he considered to be very interesting, educational literature. In other words, his copy of "Icha Icha Paradise". One thing about this ninja, was that she had mastered the art of stealth to perfection and had, that day, surpassed herself, just to get her hands on his book, and an unguarded moment on his behalf – whether he allowed it or not was only for him to know – allowed her to finally grab the book and run.

He went after her, at a distance, convinced that the adrenaline rushing through her right now as a result of what she had done, would make her oblivious to his pursuit. The chase lasted a good five minutes, after which she paused in the forest and sat down, back leaned against the tree, looking around her in a rather paranoid fashion before allowing her slender fingers to open the book. After the first few pages she felt the blood rise to her cheeks, coloring them a soft cherry red. Above her, crouched on a branch, her sensei sat and smiled before speaking with a deep, dark voice.

"Haruno Sakura!"

The book snapped shut and the young woman gasped, feeling her cheeks flush with even more color at the thought of being caught in the act. She looked up to see him, now standing, leaning against the tree for a brief moment before vanishing, as if dissolving into nothing. Sakura rose to her feet and looked around. He was always so damn good at this. She had no chance in hell against a jounin of his age and his level.

"Sensei!"

The book dropped to the floor with a soft thud as her arm was suddenly twisted behind her back. Accompanied by the familiar glistening that could only come from the sun reflecting its radiant light on a kunai. Her own kunai at that, taken swiftly from her and now placed dangerously close to her neck. She could feel him breathing down her neck, the softness of it caressing her skin and tickling her. Was it the arousal she had just gotten from reading those few pages in that cheap and sleazy novel of his, that now lingered, ever so slightly, a little too long upon feeling his body so close to hers? She couldn't quite grasp this feeling inside but she knew that from this moment, she would never look at him the same again in quite the same way as she had up until now. It was taken to the next level, she clearly felt it and so did he. The bond had grown stronger yet again and while she stood nervous, awaiting his next move she wondered about the book and it's contents. She was curious.

"Sensei…tell me more…please."

The kunai was slowly lowered, the grip on her arm released and the turned around to see quite an embarrassed Kakashi. One hand behind his head, scratching his hair and looking as though he was lost for words. Very unlike him. The other still held her kunai and he handed it back to her, smiling again.

"Come back when you're older."

A wink on his behalf, a sigh consequently escaping her lips followed by a frown. She stuck out her tongue at him and ran back to the clearing where Sasuke and Naruto were training, or rather fighting each other again over who was more powerful. Naruto exhausting himself more by stressing out over Sasuke's arrogant attitude than the actual fighting.

Back in the forest, a grumbling Kakashi picked up his book, dusting it off while muttering a few words about female ninja's and him not deserving it. He headed back to the clearing after taking a last moment to replay the previous events in his head.

As years passed, his genin students had grown to chuunin, and Naruto and Sasuke even passed the jounin exams, consequently chosing a life with ANBU. Sakura had contented herself with training daily still and staying in Konoha, embarking on the occasional mission. She saw less and less of her team 7 comrades and slowly her attention and undivided adoration for the last surviving Uchiha wavered when he was on an exhausting, month long mission.

Present

The rain had stopped. It didn't matter to him. At least the droplets succeeded in washing away the pain in his strained muscles. His vest lay beside him, leaving him in a sleeveless black shirt. The tattoo on his arm was visible. A representation of part of his life that he had left behind years ago. What he had gotten in return however was much more gratifying in a way, and gave him the added bonus of playing tricks on his students and enjoy the occasional cruel joke. But lately he didn't find joy in it anymore and he had returned to ANBU, doing what he did best.

His body felt as if it had to defy gravity with all it had, as he tried to get up swiftly, yet failed in that noble attempt. He was tired and decided going home was the best policy. He took the long way home, incidentally passing the Uchiha estate. The light was out and he was lost as to why exactly he had chosen to pass there. Suddenly, as he walked in the water filled streets, his eyes widened and he looked sideways, slightly, only to vanish again right as somebody landed right in the exact same place Kakashi had been moments before. A harsh sound of metal on rock resounded and pierced through his ears and the person standing in the middle of the street groaned angrily at the swift disappearance of the jounin.

"Looking for me?"

Crouched on the wall, only a few feet away from his original location he looked angry yet very ready to engage in battle. His forehead protector now slightly pushed up, revealing the crimson colored fierce weapon that made him famous in all the surrounding villages and far beyond. Kakashi knew that if his attacker were to look, he would be staring into the same deep bloodred eyes of which the jounin only possessed one.

"Give it up Uchiha."

The sole survivor to the Uchiha clan looked up with fury in his eyes. Channeling nothing but anger through them toward the man that had once been his sensei. The man who had taught him the only original move he had, Chidori, who had trained him day in, day out to master his Sharingan powers, and with that declining attention to the other two of team 7. Kakashi could clearly sense Sasuke's murderous intent and merely laughed. He knew what was driving Sasuke to this, but how had it come to this? How had their relationship gone from a strong sense of camaraderie, of friendship, to one of hatred and sheer disgust. Kakashi had a pretty decent idea and as he skillfully dealt with the next assault, his mind wandered back to a few moments that had contributed to the Uchiha's deep rooted wish to kill his former teacher.