New oneshot. :) Inspired by the song Here By Me by 3 Doors Down. I suggest you give it a listen, it definitely adds to the mood of the story. Reviews are appreciated.

Characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. Song belongs to 3 Doors Down.

Enjoy ~

Sakura calmly walked into her office, cradling a cup of tea, making sure to close the door behind her. She fell into her chair, exhausted both physically and emotionally. It had been three weeks since that night, and she was starting to get extremely anxious. Even Tsunade was worried about the Copy Ninja who had yet to send home any sort of indication he was still alive. Sakura was on edge all the time, and just the mention of him sent her into a fit of emotions. Now, every time they saw her, all talk of Hatake Kakashi ended. She sighed, and took a long drink of tea. It didn't matter if they talked about him or not, he still plagued her thoughts and dreams. The memory of that night was still fresh, even three weeks later.

She walked at a slow pace from the hospital towards Ichiraku's. Too tired to cook for herself, she decided she would satisfy her hunger with a steaming bowl of ramen. As she walked, she wondered if she would stumble across anyone tonight. As far as she knew, Naruto was on an ANBU mission and would be returning in the next few days, and Kakashi, well, he was probably cooped up in his apartment reading Icha Icha or out drinking with the guys. Sighing, she walked up the the counter and smiled at Ayame.

"Good evening Sakura, just got off work?" Ayame said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Hello, Ayame. Yes, I just left the hospital and I am absolutely starving. Can you get me a bowl of whatever is freshest to go?" she asked, feeling too fatigued to stay and eat.

"Sure, hold on a second," Ayame said. She disappeared for a few moments and reappeared with a bag in her hands. Sakura paid and left, waving and promising to stop by in the near future.

While walking home, she let her mind wander. It had been a while since she had seen Kakashi. Usually they spent a fair bit of time together. Some would wonder if there was anything going on between them, but Sakura would deny it time and time again. They had a close relationship, but that was only due to the fact that after Sasuke left and Naruto went to train with Jiraiya, Sakura was left alone with no one. She and Kakashi began sparring on the days both of them were not busy, and it led to a friendship like no other. Even after Naruto returned, they spent much of their free time together, whether it was training, or just going out for a bowl of ramen or a couple drinks.

Kakashi had been there for her when no one else was. He helped her through the death of both her parents, several breakups, and just the harshness of life in general. He was her confidant, and as time passed, she became his as well. One night after a few too many drinks, he told her the story of Obito and his terrible childhood. For once, the role was reversed. She held an emotionally wrecked Kakashi as he cried into her shirt. Once he sobered up, he informed her that no one had ever seen him in that state besides her, and that any information he told her was to be strictly confidential. She was fine with that, since she had no intentions of telling anyone what she heard. Sakura felt special, being the only one to see a side of Kakashi she had always thought never existed. When her apartment came into view, she stopped for a moment. Under the glowing light of her porch, she saw a lone figure hunched over. It only took a moment to realize the figure was indeed Hatake Kakashi, and that he was waiting for her to come home. She picked up her pace and soon reached home.

"Hey Kakashi, I'm surprised to see you here," she said carefully, balancing her ramen in one hand while trying to remember where she had placed her house key. There was no reply for a few moments, and then he spoke.

"Yeah, sorry I haven't been around in a while," his voice had a slight slur and she wondered if he had indeed been drinking. Once again, they were engulfed with silence. Her hand paused on the door knob as she waited for him to speak. After a minute, she responded.

"So uh, any reason why you chose tonight to stop by? Do you need anything?" she was confused as to why he showed up on her doorstep, intoxicated none the less.

"Actually, there is a reason. I got assigned a mission today, A class. Tsunade said that there is a high probability I won't come back unharmed." he spoke slowly. She looked up and met a serious gaze, shocked at the emotion in his visible eye.

Confused even more, she replied, "Well there isn't much to worry about. You always go on A class missions, and you never come back unharmed. A couple days in the hospital with a some cuts and bruises is the norm for you, Kakashi."

He sighed and slouched forward even more, drawing his hands into his pockets. "Sakura, you don't understand. There's… a likely chance I won't come back alive." Time seemed to stop. All she could do was stare at him, searching for some clue that he was joking, but no matter how hard she searched, she could only see honesty and fear.

"But... but... why you? You are one of the greatest ninjas in Konoha! How could she send you off to die like that! I am sure there is someone else who could do the job just as well as you." she cried, heart racing at the thought of losing him.

He looked at her and felt his heart break. She looked so small, so afraid. "She told me that I am the only she can trust to get the job done. With Obito's eye, I will have a great advantage, and hopefully I can do what needs to be done. Sakura, I can't tell you the mission, but if I succeed, Konoha will likely be saved from the threat of another civil war. This is too important to pass up, and if I die, at least it will be done to protect the people I love. A death so noble is the only thing I asked out of life for a long time."

"Forget about nobility! You can't leave! Your place is here, in Konoha, with me and everyone else who loves you." she pleaded, unable to fathom the idea of living without Kakashi. Tears began to spill down her face, no matter how hard she tried to keep them in.

"Sakura, please," he begged, "don't make this any harder on me than it has to be. I don't want to leave, but I have no choice. I became a ninja so I could protect those who are important to me, and I need to do that. I would never be able to live with myself, knowing that if a war ever started, I could have stopped it – saved hundreds, even thousands, of innocent lives. In comparison, my live is insignificant." She could say nothing in response to that. Deep down, she knew she was right, but her heart wanted him, no, needed him to stay with her. He was the only person she had left. Sure, Naruto was still around, but he and Hinata would be married soon, and she couldn't be bothered to take him away from his love just to fulfill her own selfish need to feel wanted.

While Sakura stood there and cried, Kakashi watched, hating himself for making her cry. Her eyes glistened with tears, and they burned a brighter green than he had ever seen before. The tears made trails as they ran down her rosy cheeks, past her soft red lips, and clung to her smooth chin. His gaze moved back up to her lips. He was captivated by their beauty. What many would see as just two pieces of red skin pressed together in a grimace, he saw heaven. Two small mountains caressing each other in an expression of pain that should never have to grace this young woman's face. She watched as he slowly leaned forward, and her eyes fluttered shut, waiting for him. Moments later, she felt not rough fabric, but smooth lips against hers. She opened her eyes in shock, seeing part of his unmasked face against hers.

Suddenly, the moment came crashing down on top of her. She pulled back, fear in her eyes, unsure of what had just happened. He kissed her. Kakashi, THE Hatake Kakashi, who had been her sensei for years, and best friend since she was 14, had just kissed her. On the lips. Without a mask. Her mind reeled, and she suddenly felt very dizzy. He watched as her expression changed from fear to confusion. "Kakashi, wha-" she began, but he cut her off, gripping her shoulders.

"Sakura, listen. I love you. I have loved you for years. I probably first realized it when you turned 17, but I sure as hell couldn't tell you. You trusted me like no one else, and I refused to sacrifice the relationship we had just because I was in love with you. The chances you returned my feelings were slim to none, and every time you denied we were together just further proved I shouldn't tell you, but I can't keep it a secret any longer. If I leave and never come back, I will always regret not telling you. I know it is not fair of me to drop this all on you, but I need to tell you. Sakura, my beautiful cherry blossom, I love you more than you could ever understand." After his heartfelt confession, all Sakura could do was stare. As she slowly comprehended what she heard, her face showed her realization. He loved her. Wow, that was a lot to take in at one time. Honestly, she didn't know how she felt for the copy ninja. Sure, her and Ino had talked about him, and how handsome and mysterious he was, but she never actually considered feeling anything more than friendship for him. The silence went on as she thought about the whole situation. Finally, she spoke.

"Kakashi, listen. This is all really sudden, and I honestly don't know what to think. I've never considered you to be anything more than a close friend and-" she began, her tone very cautious.

Anguish filled his face, and he quickly let go of her, as if the touch of her skin burned him. He yanked up his mask, and began to apologize, "Forget it, sorry I put this on you. I should have known you could never love an old wreck like me. I'll see you around then I guess, if I make it back alive."

Watching him begin to walk away, her heart jumped. "Kakashi, wait!" she cried out to him as he quickly got further and further away. He didn't turn around, instead just waved to her and quickly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Her knees collapsed beneath her as the tears began to pour from her eyes. She sobbed harder than she had ever sobbed before, and after an hour of sitting in a heap on the step, she dragged herself inside. The ramen lay forgotten on counter as she crawled into bed, crying herself into a deep and restless sleep.

It had taken her a few days to stop crying long enough to be able to complete simple tasks such as taking a shower or buying groceries at the store. Everyone was curious as to why she had taken his leave so hard, but they all knew the relationship between the two was a close one. She never told anyone the confession he made to her that night. Just thinking about it broke her heart a little more each time. After sitting down with a bucket of ice cream and sappy romance movies, she had a realization. She was in love with him. She hadn't realized it before because this was not even close to the way she felt about Sasuke when she was 12. This need to have him close, see his face, feel his warmth – it overwhelmed her. She would give up everything just to have him back. She regretted not knowing before. He had loved her for five whole years. Five years he had carried this secret while she was completely oblivious to not only his feelings, but her own as well. She was depressed and it was easy to see that she was a shell of her former self. The joy in her eyes had vanished, and her will to live seemed to leave when he did. She didn't know how much longer she could last under the stress of working at the hospital and worrying about him every moment of the day. If only he would just come home.

Suddenly, the door to her office swung open and Tsunade appeared, annoyance written on her face. "Sakura, your break ended 10 minutes ago. Get back to work," she ordered. Sakura's head, which had been facing the bay window, watching the horizon, snapped back to the woman standing before her.

"Sorry Shishou," Sakura apologized, snapping out of her daze. She got up, fixed her coat and walked out of her office. Tsunade's gaze followed the young woman, and she felt sympathy for her. She was pretty sure she knew what had happened between her and Kakashi, but she would wait until Sakura came and told her about it. She hoped Kakashi would come back alive, not only because that would mean his mission was successful, but because she hated seeing her student in such emotional turmoil. Sakura reminded her of herself when she was younger, waiting for Dan to return from his missions. Hopefully, they would have a better ending than she and Dan had. Sighing, she left the office and headed off to criticize the growing number of slacking employees.