A/N: Hello! This is my first attempt at anything for Kakashi and Sakura, so please go easy on me! This is going to be a series of one-shots either related to the anime, manga, or an AU. Thanks for reading! :)

Also, to the readers of my previous fan-fiction, I've put Speed of Sound on hiatus, because of a powerful case of writer's block. I'm sorry, guys!

"Stay still," the young kunoichi with the cherry-pink hair ordered, forcing the man with the shock of silver hair to fall back on his ass with a grunt of pain. He looked up to her with one weary, cobalt eye, the other closed in an attempt to conserve energy. Yet another battle of the third squad of the Allied Shinobi forces had ended, leaving Kakashi Hatake worse for wear, and Sakura Haruno to pick up the pieces.

His little medic scowled, wiping away at a fleck of rusty blood that settled on his cheek. "You act as if I'm disabled," he sighed, his signature lethargic tone setting in.

She rolled her eyes as she switched her attention to a gash in his arm. "You might as well be."

Kakashi's brow furrowed as he noticed a tremor in her voice that wasn't usually so blatant when she pieced up his regular wounds. She'd always heal him, give him a warning, and turn him away with a look that could outdo a wounded puppy. She always looked so pitiful when she had to work her medicinal magic on him, or Naruto. But he knew better. His medic was strong. Quite possibly – no – without a doubt, the strongest kunoichi in her generation.

However, the strange note that had taken hold of her voice piqued his curiosity. "What's eating you?" He asked, watching her with a concerned gaze.

Sakura sighed, sliding back onto the grass across from him. Her face was an etching of unease and battle fatigue, and her green eyes never left the wounds on his body. "I'm scared," she shrugged, looking small in her Konoha vest.

"You'd be crazy not to be," he agreed, wincing at his lack of better words. "Though you shouldn't worry too much. I won't let anything happen to you, you know that."

She looked up at his words, smiling meekly. "It's not me I'm worried about, Kaka-sensei."

He raised a brow, then watched as her eyes slipped once again to the many wounds he'd sustained. "Ah," he breathed. "It's me, then? Jeez, Sakura, I'm not that old and decrepit."

"N-not just you," she huffed, shifting back to his arm to finish what she'd started a minute before. He kept watch over her, taking note of the thin veil of pink on her scuffed cheeks. "There's… Naruto, I'm worried about him, too."

Kakashi's playful smirk was unseen by the medic as she maneuvered to work on healing his back. "But he's practically indestructible now…"

She paused. "Sai is looking a little worse for wear, I'm a bit worried about-"

"Sai sustained no injuries in the last battle."

"Lee could be hurt!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "But he isn't hurt."

Her hands stilled on his vest, and she tipped her forehead down to rest on his shoulder. He tensed at the sudden contact, breath hitching as she trembled against him. He couldn't help but feel suddenly guilty at his toying remarks, especially when she was really and truly terrified.

After a moment of silence, he turned his head a bit to look at her face. "I was just kidding around," he murmured, and she sat back up.

"I know," she wiped away at the beginnings of some tears, in a frantic attempt to hide them before her teacher, no, her comrade, could see. "You just get me a bit uneasy when you run around the battlefield like there's no tomorrow."

He turned to face her fully, a kind smile lighting up his features under the mask. His eyes were crinkled in an uneasy yet calming gesture, and his undamaged hand came to rest on the top of her head. "I'm sure there's not a lot I can say that'll change that," Kakashi said resignedly, "but I'll make it through this. We both will."

She looked up, the blush returning. "You think so?"

He chuckled airily, abandoning his own fear for her, his student, his comrade. For a moment, he willed that they both could be a little less vexed by the events to come. "I know so," Kakashi stated.

That was all the both of them would need to carry them through the next battle; reassurance in each other as teammates, and the notion that they'd both get through the war alive.