As if it wasn't enough that he'd lost all of the people he held close, he was now losing his Team; his comrades. Not through battle, or from weakness, but due to death.

He was dying.

And there was nothing to help him. Not in the slightest.

How he wished to go on one more mission with his Team…just one. That was his wish. Not for a cure, just to spend a little more time with his beloved Team…his friends.

All wishes can't come true…that's how this World works.

Life can turn at any moment. It can turn for the best…or the worst. It can't be helped which.

To die at such a young age. Twenty seven years old; hardly seen enough of this World to call it a Life well spent…though that poor man knew it as a Life well lived. He'd loved every moment of it. The bad and the good; believing that you have to experience both, to know what Life really is.

He was a fighter.

Was.

He couldn't fight this battle.

Some would say that you can't control destiny…you couldn't call this destiny…not ever.

The greatest Medical Ninja of all the Lands couldn't help him. She had tried…but no good came of it.

Lying in a hospital bed, the courageous Shinobi spent his remaining days talking to his sad and mournful visitors. Some days he wished someone would enter his room with a smile, rather than weeping for him.

All wishes can't come true…

A slender female, of average height, entered his room; a small, but genuine, smile plastered on her face. She wore a smart, sleeveless shirt, and a knee-length skirt. He watched her walk over to his bedside drawer, and placed a daffodil in a small vase, filled with water. Still smiling, she looked over at the bed-ridden male, who was still watching her every move.

"A…are you feeling any…better?" she asked slowly, knowing that he couldn't be any better, but feeling that it was right to ask him anyway out of politeness.

"You know the answer to that…I'm not getting better…I'm never getting better." he replied, turning his gaze away from the young woman, to look out of the open window, at the sun brightly shining.

"Sakura…I'm sick of this place. I want to go out…out in the sunshine, for one more time."

The female jumped at his words, her smile disappearing from her face. Hesitantly, she replied, "You know…you can't."

"No…I'm not supposed to. That doesn't mean I can't…" The male threw back the blanket that covered his legs, jumping from the bed onto the hospital floor, which was cold to the touch.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, almost falling from her upright position, as she watched him blatantly disobey the hospital rules. As a Medical Ninja, she knew almost all of these rules off by heart. She had to…and she knew that he wasn't supposed to just get up and leave, at his discretion.

"Sakura, I trained you to stand by your friends, no matter what the situation…will you stand by me in the same way?" the older man asked, holding out his hand, hoping she would shake it in agreement. The young female stood for a few moments, staring at the man. She walked around the foot of the bed, so she was now stood in front of the pajama-wearing male. A tear rolled down her pale face, and no sooner had the ball of salt tainted water hit the corner of her mouth, she had her arms wrapped around the tall male's waist, and her head lain on his chest. Tears now flowed quickly from her eyes, dampening his shirt, and seeping through onto his perfectly toned stomach.

Surprised by this occurrence, he placed his arms on the weeping female's back, and slowly, softly, patted her, attempting to calm her down. Her head still on his chest, and tears still teeming down her face, she spoke words of pure emotion, "You can't go! You can't leave us! We all love you…Kakashi-Sensei…"

Sakura dug her head further into Kakashi's chest. She gripped his body with all her strength, not wanting to let him go. Kakashi pushed her away, and then placed his left hand on her shoulder, wiping the tears from her face with his free hand.

"Sakura…what must happen, must happen. As much as it pains people to think about it that way…it's true." he spoke the truth in a gentle and calm voice, though it couldn't disguise a tear which fell from his right eye, and was soaked up by his ever-present mask. Sakura pulled up her shoulders, and took a deep breath. She held out her right hand to Kakashi, who gave her a perplexed look.

"It's a deal!" she exclaimed, a grin spread across her face. It took a moment, but Kakashi came to understand her actions, and shook her hand.

"Thank you, Sakura."