Chapter 1:

"Lucky Naras, no one is lecturing you for being lazy" thought Kakashi yet trying to encourage himself for upcoming mission. He was walking with his favorite book in his hands as different thoughts were replacing each other in his head with the speed of light. "Blessed days with still genin team seven". How he hated that upcoming A rank mission anyway, and all the other ones as well, even if others were attending them.

Konoha was beautiful in autumn colors. Some kind of peace was enveloping the village and Kakashi was fond of it. In that kind of day he'd prefer to find a suitable tree to lean on, or a nice, flat roof, and read. No harm done, no deaths, just peace. "Damn, Ichiraku... avoid it". Kakashi walked the other direction, as chances of Naruto, Sai or Sakura, or all of them together being there were more than eighty percent. They weren't out for missions and training hours were long over, so it was as simple as one plus one.

Determined to spend the rest of the day alone, Kakashi entered a very familiar playground, which was about seven minutes walk from his place. He'd already started picturing his perfect evening at home, where he didn't need to wear long sleeved shirt, or boots, where he could just relax and ignore everything and everyone. And that was when a female voice whispered from behind

"What's wrong with this girl? She's been crying here for the last twenty minutes". Then another female voice answered

"Hmm, she'll scare kids, damn".

Kakashi found that information unworthy to pay attention to, but before he knew it his eyes roved surroundings to see who that crybaby was. And, of course, it wasn't difficult to spot the girl sitting under the tree, her forehead placed on her folded arms on her knees, looking like a pink wad on the ground as her long hair were covering her both sides and back. "What the... maybe I should just..." Kakashi didn't even finish thinking about running away, when the girl lifted her jade eyes to look at him. "Too late". Kakashi sighed and moved towards Sakura, as there were no more options left for him.

Sakura didn't want to go home, neither she wanted anyone (by that she meant the bastard who had just broken up with her) to find her (if he was to look for her). All that she needed were some answers that seemed no one could have given her. Every next heartbreak was harder to get over and every next heartbreak was leaving her with more questions. Even though she'd had only three of them, but still. After all, that was her heart that was aching either from loneliness or from break ups. She cried not knowing, or maybe not wanting to admit the real reason of her tears. They just wouldn't stop. 'Why is it always this way?' she asked herself for the hundredth time getting the same answer from her inner self for the hundredth time 'who the hell knows'.

She felt it again, loneliness. Somehow it always knew how to find her and, as hard as she tried, she never managed to run away from it. It would come to remind her that she was getting older and, despite the fact that she had friends and family, she was lonely. Sakura presumed, that she needed someone, her soulmate, the one she belonged with, the best one, her best one, the one that nowhere was found damn it. Her inner world flipped over, mingling her emotions ones again, causing her to get mad at the (poor) imaginary guy. She would punch him in the face for not showing up for a damn long time.

A strong need to be hugged and comforted (more hugged than just comforted) overcame her. That hit just enough to make her think about heading off to a bar, find a hot stranger and forget about everything in his strong arms. After all, many girls were doing that sort of things, weren't they?

Suddenly Sakura felt something uncomfortable, as if someone was staring at her. Curiosity made her lift her head up just a little only to see a lazy and puzzled gaze that belonged to her former teacher. All of a sudden she felt warm seeing someone familiar. 'Please, come talk to me' the voice plead inside her head. Maybe Kakashi could've been the one to give her some answers she needed 'and a little bit of that comfort thing maybe?'. Sakura found the last thought inappropriate but controlling thoughts wasn't her strong suit. Anyway, her plea had been heard as Kakashi slowly knelt down beside her.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Sakura tried to answer him, but the knot in her throat was bigger than she assumed. The little effort that she made to speak only pushed some tears down her eyes, and she felt pathetic and angry again.

As no answer came, Kakashi repeated his question ones more, making his voice softer than it was before. His hand went up Sakura's forearm as he spoke, feeling her skin soft and cold against his warm fingers. That splash of heartwarming feelings was tossed aside quickly though.

It had always been a mystery to Sakura, how a man could send shivers to someone's body only changing couple of notes in his tone. Was she already getting that comfort thing? Not yet, but that surely helped to compose herself and speak out the words that had been eating her up.

"Kakashi what's wrong with me?" She skipped "sensei" or "sempai" part in her question and that was a rare case, so Kakashi learned he was not going to get off lightly. He mentally put paid to his old plan of a perfect evening and made a new one - to be a good friend as he was.

He sighed, and that affected Sakura more than it should have. Why was he sighing? What was that supposed to mean? Why was that so hard to understand men? She moved from cry-your-heart-out phase to angry-as-hell phase all at once, and Kakashi happened to be the one to handle that.

"Seriously, what's wrong with me? Am I..." pause "Am i ugly?" Kakashi made a did-i-hear-it-right face, only Sakura couldn't have seen it because of the navy fabric covering lower part of his face. "Am I stinky? Am I fat?" her voice was getting higher and higher with each asked question and her eyes bigger and wider. "Am I..." she never got to finish the last sentence, as Kakashi gave her arm a little shake. "Sakura, Sakura!" they both fell in silence for about ten seconds. Kakashi looked at women whispering in each other's ears then back at Sakura. He ran his thumb lightly over her skin to make sure he had her attention, and spoke again

"Let's get you out of here first. Where'd you like to go?"

'he's changing the subject'' "I want to drink"

"No, no, tears and alcohol are not good combination. Let's take you home"

"No, I don't want to go home, you can leave me here". Sakura placed her forehead on her forearm, strands of her soft hair caressing Kakashi's fingers that were still lightly wrapped around her arm. Kakashi knew that she didn't want to stay alone there in the park, even though she told him to leave, besides what kind of a man and friend he'd be, if he left her like that. Being honest though, running away to his book had crossed his mind more than once.

"Then, let's go to my place, it's close and no one can find you there". Sakura felt how her insides went warm as soon as that words were whispered. She wasn't looking at him, but she could say his face was only an inch away from hers, and, somehow, she was certain he was giving her one of his meaningful smiles.

Not long afterwards Sakura was in Kakashi's bathroom. She ran the tap and stood there in front of his mirror staring at her own reflection. Red eyes and nose, messy hair, plus a breath far from being fresh. 'You look terrible girl' with a small "ah" she started to wash her face. A few splashes of cold water felt pleasant against her skin. They brought fresh sensation, causing it look more or less presentable. Sakura reached for the towel but preferred not to dwell on the thought that Kakashi had used it. Next came her breath, that still needed a special treatment. Sakura took a handful of water in her mouth and rinsed it, and then again, and then third time with no results, so not bothering to think long she simply reached for Kakashi's toothpaste. For a second her gaze fell on his toothbrush, but she shook away the crazy thought and picture of his imaginary face and mouth. Applying some paste on her finger, she slid it inside her mouth, moving quickly and trying to reach every corner of it. 'Mint and honey'.

Meanwhile Kakashi prepared two mugs of tea knowing for sure that Sakura wouldn't mind it. He just knew she didn't like her tea hot. They knew those little things about each other and that was fact. Not only him and Sakura, but Naruto and Sai as well. He couldn't tell the same about Sasuke though, because he was away all the time, but the four of them were close. When did that happen? He kept asking himself that question since the day, when he saw Sakura having hard time to take out all tiny leaves of tea from his mug.

After some time and dozen sips Kakashi decided it was time to go back to their left-behind conversation. He watched Sakura resting her chin in her palm glaring nowhere and cleared his throat.

"How do you feel now?" with a little "hm" Sakura fell out of her thoughts.

"Not sure" he hoped to make eye contact but her gaze fell somewhere far.

"Something tells me that some good-looking guy needs to get his ass kicked" he took another sip of his tea watching Sakura drop her forehead on the dry wooden surface of the table

"Kicking asses doesn't change things, I've tried"

'Of course, you have'

"I'm 24, still without any proper guy by my side, or even an option to choose one to be with. They drop me before I get chance to decide whether I like them or no. I've tried, really, so hard, but..." she raised her hand to wipe tears from her cheeks. "What's wrong with me? What am I doing wrong?" Silence again. Kakashi leaned on his arm putting his palm under his chin 'let's see, short temper, lack in self-confidence and femininity, rude, need to take everything and everyone under control, rather friend type than a lover type... quite much'. They were friends, and they were close, but could he say all that things to her? After all she was a young woman who got her heart broken about two hours ago.

"Sakura, look... you are kind, caring, beautiful, honest, if a guy doesn't see all the good things in you and appreciate that, you should be the one who drops him".

Sakura looked at him. 'You sound just like my mom'. She never replied to Kakashi, not that there was much left to say anyway. She hoped to listen something from a man who knew her good enough to give a piece of advice, but the answer he'd given her proved her wrong. Maybe it was stupid at all to talk about it with a man? That surely crossed her mind, but eventually won the other part of her, which voted for a male audience. And now there she was, alone, with a broken heart and without a clue.

As for Kakashi, he knew he wasn't being much help, he wanted to help her somehow, only didn't know how. He was a man, apparently, and wasn't an expert in that kind of conversations. He wasn't sure what exactly to say or do. For a second a thought was created, that maybe it would be right to mention some of her not charming features, but the right moment now was gone, and second, he didn't want to get punched.

Sakura moved to stand in front of the window staring at her own reflection in it. It was almost 12a.m. s Kakashi suggested to walk Sakura home. She needed a good sleep, and he wouldn't mind one as well. Remembering the mission that was waiting for him in the morning Kakashi cursed again, he was still hating it.

"I can go alone, you need to... rest" Sakura finished her sentence after yawning. She wouldn't mind his company further, but his half open eyes and slow movements were giving away his tiredness.

Kakashi fought back the urge to yawn himself. He was too tired to think, he didn't want to go farther his bedroom and he couldn't let Sakura go alone, so he put together obvious facts and came up with a perfect solution

"What about you stay here?" Sakura was surprised for sure. She stared at him, then walked out of the kitchen saying almost in whisper

"Then I'm taking the couch, I guess."

That morning Sakura woke up to an empty room. She stared at the ceiling for some time, before realizing that it was not her bedroom. Soft blanket slid down from her shoulders, as she sat folding her right leg under herself and stretching her arms above her head yawning. 'No clock, so like Kakashi'. Her eyes quickly ran over the few pieces of furniture in Kakashi's modest living room before stopping over the apple that was pinning a sheet of paper down on the small table not far from the couch. She reached for the white sheet of paper and read to herself 'I'm off for my mission, feel free to have breakfast and take shower' and a small henohenomoheji. Creating Kakashi's smiling face in her mind, Sakura folded the blanket, putting it on the edge of the couch, then tucked the note into her pocket and made a beeline towards the door taking along the apple.

"If you don't have any questions, move in three hours"

"Yes" Sakura replied automatically and left hokage's office. She was glad to have an easy mission, which would keep her mind busy with other things than her personal life.

Ghost. That's how she'd been calling herself for the last six days. She found that matching her perfectly. Her words, actions, or sometimes even her presence were unseen, just like a ghost's. 'So, a ghost is going to escort a rich lady, and beautiful, and happy, and rich…' Sakura played that same thought in her mind over and over again until she realized that it was time to knock on the door. It took only seconds before a very handsome, middle aged man opened the white door to invite Sakura in.

"Haruno Sakura I suppose, my name is Hayao. My lady is waiting for you." 'My lady?' Sakura nodded passing through the door, and the moment she stepped in, she forgot how to breathe. The light inside made her blind, the lush scent of crimson roses caressed her nose and a weird kind of nervousness dominated over her. Little did she know then, that that mission was going to change whole lot of things in her life.