UPDATED! I AM ADDING NEW CHAPTERS, AND THIS IS KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE REST! IT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY REDONE!

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, sadly, or else Itachi would never die, Sasuke wouldn't be so much of a bastard, Naruto wouldn't be so blind to Hinata's love, and Kakashi wouldn't be so old...

Chapter 2:

Isolophobia; verb; the fear of being alone

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

Naruto's voice broke through Kakashi's thoughts two hours later, and the Jounin looked up, inwardly cursing himself for being caught off guard.

"Hai, Naruto?" he replied steadily, glancing around him to check for any threat that could be around. "What is it?" Kakashi asked, pressing Sakura ever tighter to his chest, holding her close, but as gently as he could manage.

Without another word, the blonde pointed towards the large gates that seemed to grow with every step they took.

The gates to Konoha Gakure.

Finally! Kakashi thought, exhausted. He couldn't feel his legs anymore, and his arms burned from carrying Sakura's weight too long. His Sharingan eye burned with over-use without a large amount of chakra. "Naruto!" he called out, and the boy nodded, jumping ahead quickly with the last of his chakra reserves in an effort to get help.

The man looked down at the pink haired kunoichi laying silent in his arms. The only time they had stopped was at the beginning of their journey, just for Naruto to take off his jacket and cover up Sakura's chest out of modesty. The rest of the time had been spent mainly in silence, and running. Her lips were cracked and parted, her face still twisted in unconscious pain. Kakashi's heart stuttered for a moment, guilt weighing down on him heavily. Kami…. Sakura, forgive me….. I wasn't able to help you… he thought, willing her to hear, even though his thoughts would never reach her.

Glancing up, Kakashi saw two chuunin run up to him, helpless concern written all over their faces.

I don't need weak Chuunin to help me, damnit. I need Tsunade. The man hissed inwardly, his lone eye glaring at them.

"Hatake-san, we can take her for you. You've little chakra left, and you need to get to the hospital quickly." One of the chuunin said.

"Hai. You look like you're about to drop. We can take Haruno-san." The other, more crude one said, rude excitement lighting up his face.

"Iie."

They both looked up, startled by his harsh reply. "Nani?" the first chuunin questioned, confused.

"I will bring her to Tsunade myself." Kakashi supplied angrily, ignoring their sputtering excuses and jumping ahead past them. The man's brisk pace continued to increase as he grew impatient with his body's cumbersome movements. He was just so damned tired, it seemed impossible to continue running.

Yet he still did.

Damnit, Sakura, it's the least I can do for you. Tsunade will heal you up just fine… It's alright. You'll be okay. He thought feverishly, feeling a sort of duty to protect her, and ensure her well-being.

What he'd never been capable of for anyone else.

Kakashi's jaw clenched at the unbidden thought. He couldn't think of that now. What he needed to focus on was finding Tsunade.

Busting through the doors of the Hospital, the Jounin ignored the shrill yelps coming from the startled nurses, and the agitated voices from the chuunins that had presumably followed him. His eye roved over the area, searching for the female blonde, but to no avail. Moving over to the desk, he stared at an angered, yet weary nurse.

"Where is Tsunade?" Kakashi asked, his voice clipped.

"Hatake-san, please calm down. I've been notified that Tsunade-sama is on her way. Please be patient." She replied testily, glaring at him.

Even though the glare went unnoticed, Kakashi became more and more anxious as the seconds ticked by, his worry for Sakura getting the better of him.

"Kakashi!" came a booming voice from the end of the wing. "Are you scaring all my nurses, and disrupting my hospital again?" Tsunade asked, her tone not in the slightest scolding. The woman's attention was focused on the girl Kakashi held in his arms. "Sakura…" the Hokage breathed softly, sorrow etched onto her face.

"Did Naruto tell you everything?" Kakashi asked, presuming that the boy had gone to get her immediately upon entering the village.

"Hai. A brief over-view, but what I needed. We will have to wait until she awakens to find out what happened during her own personal interrogation time. I'll have one of the nurses assign you a room for an overnight stay." She said, holding her arms out to take Sakura into her own.

Kakashi winced slightly, almost holding Sakura away from the Hokage's touch, but he relinquished his grip on her, allowing the woman to lay her down gently on a stretcher. After a few moments, he spoke up. "Tsunade-sama. I want to be placed in the same recovery room as Sakura, if at all possible." He said, and the woman glanced up in shock.

Had Hatake Kakashi accepted to staying in a hospital without complaint?

Tsunade was tempted to ask what for, but by glancing at his expression, though hidden behind the mask, and his mournful gaze at Sakura, she shut her mouth, already guessing why. A quick glance at the drying blood on his arm and the Hokage nodded, her face schooled. "Alright. Once I am done operating on her, she will be in the same room as you. There, I can get the full report of the mission." A dry, humorless smirk tilted her lips. "Looks like you won't have to write this one, Hatake."

Kakashi's eye barely wrinkled with the returned gesture of a sad smile as he looked at the Hokage; but before long, his gaze returned to the pink haired Kunoichi laying on the stretcher. As he watched Tsunade roll her away quickly to the Emergency Surgical ward of the hospital, he surveyed the state of Sakura's body. Her cheek was still swollen, and the bruise had turned a nasty purplish, black color. He couldn't see the condition of her shoulders, because Naruto's orange jacket continued to cover her up. Vaguely, he wished that it was his own vest, but the weight would have caused too much pain on the broken bones and nerve damage. At the back of his mind, he wondered whether or not her arms would still be able to function correctly after Tsunade was done with the surgery, or if she would be eternally disabled and would have to quit being a nin.

Kakashi's heart froze in his chest, and he nearly coughed as the air in his lungs turned stale. Would she blame him for the damage done to her body? It was, after all, partially his fault that she was wounded in the first place.

At least, that's what he thought. It didn't occur to him that she would think differently.

Tsunade hissed with fatigue and frustration as her hands hovered over Sakura's still form. Green, healing chakra flowed from her hands and into the younger woman's body with hard earned control. She had tended to the broken bones and dislocated shoulders first. It had been a long and nasty job, seeing as all the bone fragments were splintered, and either sticking out of her arms slightly, or tearing up muscle with their sharp ends.

Even in Sakura's unconscious, coma state, and also the added pain medication, she had felt the pain of her bones resetting, only proving how agonizing the procedure was. As a result, small moans escaped her cracked lips and with each sound, Tsunade was pressed to go quicker, and finish the pain she was giving her student.

"Come on, Sakura. Pull through. You can do it…." She ushered the girl in hushed tones. Tsunade's hands moved to rest over Sakura's lower stomach, sending soothing waves of chakra to the torn flesh within her body. The Hokage's muscles tensed as she felt the damage with her chakra. "Fuck…" the curse sounded loudly across the silent room.

"What is it, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked softly, standing beside the woman, wiping the sweat from the blonde's brow.

"He tore her up. The fucking bastard scratched and tore her inner walls… It's possible and not uncommon in rape victims, but…." She trailed off, her eyes blazing with anger. "Damnit, he used chakra to make the damage worse, the process more painful. She could have bled out if not for the clotting factors and the pressure from Kakashi's arm as he carried her." Tsunade didn't want to admit that her fury was getting the better of her, but having to view the damage done to her student was painful. She didn't want to see Sakura this way, didn't want to remember that it was the girl she considered her daughter laying on the table beneath her hands.

Only when the Hokage was sure she had mended the ragged flesh, did she finally pull back with a sigh, shoving her bangs from out of her eyes.

Shizune checked over Sakura's vitals, and did a routine procedure to ensure that Tsunade didn't miss anything. "She's alright now, save the small cuts and bruises that can heal on their own. The only damage left will be psychological." She said softly to the blond.

Tsunade stared at Sakura's body for a long moment, her bronze eyes boring down on the girl. The pinkette's chest rose and fell gently with every breath, and the look of pain had disappeared from her soft features. Her mentor had done a very good job of helping ease all soreness as best she could.

With another sigh, the blonde looked up at Shizune. "Go ahead and move her to the room with Kakashi. It'll be their recovery room. I'm hesitant to place Sakura in the same environment as another male, but maybe it'll allow her to get used to the idea that not all men are as vile as that bastard." Tsunade had to pause as a growl welled up from the back of her throat. "That, as well as having someone she knows and trusts to be there with her. To help Sakura cope with things." She finished.

Shizune hugged the girl's chart to her chest tightly, a frown creasing her for head. "Why not send one of the other kunoichi in, like Ino or TenTen? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep her around someone who might have gone through the same thing?"

Tsunade crossed her arms beneath her large bosom, lifting one hand to chew on the manicured thumbnail. "I had thought of that, but Ino's off on a mission and TenTen hasn't had the same experience. I'd have Temari come see her, but I don't think it will help much, and the Sand are just here to visit for strategic meetings. Therefore, the main one to see the ambassadors is Shikamaru." Biting down hard, the blond looked at her student. "I think she'll be okay with just Kakashi in there. They've gotten closer over the years, and he won't let anything happen to her. I know that for sure."

The assistant female nodded, agreeing with the Hokage. "Hai. I've seen it too, but I can't help but wonder why. Before Uchiha Sasuke left, Kakashi never paid much attention to Sakura, ne?"

The blonde nodded.

"And after the Uchiha joined Orochimaru, Naruto left to go with Jiraiya, and Sakura came to train with you when you finally accepted the job as Hokage." Shizune continued.

"That is correct." Tsunade informed.

"So then why is he being so protective of her now?" the assistant asked, frowning again.

The Hokage sighed softly, taking a seat in a chair that had been deliberately placed there for her to rest if need be. Exhaustion beat at her like the sun's hot rays on a sunny day, and a headache pounded at her temples. "Because he's lost everyone else he cares about. Kakashi has had this horrible curse of losing everyone close to him, because he either couldn't protect them, or he was never there. I think…" she trailed off, chewing over her words carefully. "… I think he's choosing to protect Sakura now, to make amends for ignoring her in the past, and also to gain a small amount of peace, knowing that he could protect someone."

Shizune stared at Sakura for a moment before smiling slightly. "Do you think they could heal each other in the process of healing themselves?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, relaxing somewhat. "Kami, I hope so."

Kakashi stopped pacing when Sakura was wheeled into the room they were sharing. His breath stilled in his lungs as he took in her warmer color, instead of the sickly pale from earlier. Only when the nurses moved her to the bed and left, did he actually move again, coming closer to her still form. A needle was hooked up to the back of her hand, attached to an IV drip. A small monitor was clamped on her thumb to measure her heartbeat.

"Sakura?" the silver-haired male said roughly, hesitant to touch the girl laying before him.

A small, tiny smile held her lips in place, as if she were having a pleasant dream. That little show of emotion stirred a long buried memory within him, from 3 years back.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked softly, her voice hushed.

"Hai?" Kakashi replied with a nonchalant tone, not looking up from his book.

From the corner of his eye he watched a small smile quirk her lips and he vaguely wondered why it was there. To keep the smile on her face, he added a second part to his reply, "You know, I'm not your teacher anymore. There is no need to continue calling me '-sensei'."

Her smile widened, and she turned her head to face him, tilting her head slightly. "Do you always have to remind me? Sounded to me like you just don't want to sound so old," she taunted jokingly, the grin remaining.

The male Jounin rolled his shoulder, sufficient for a shrug. "I'm not that old."

Sakura raised a haughty brow, her lips forming a perfect 'o'. "Oh really?"

Kakashi nodded, flipping a page in his bright orange book. "Yup."

She pushed herself off the tree, crawling over to him without embarrassment. "So how old are you then?"

He raised his lone eye up from the page to stare at her. "Isn't 'I'm not that old' enough for you?"

Sakura beamed at him. "Nope! So you can either show me what your face looks like without the mask, or tell me how old you are!" she said slyly.

"Or else what?"

At this, she leaned back, tapping her chin in thought. "Well," she began in a drawl, "I could give you one of my famous massages! Or, I can just beat you into a pulp right here and now. Your choice!" she said, laughing softly.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment before sighing softly. He put his book away, aware that he wasn't going to be able to read it the moment he angered her.

"Sakura-chan, I'm not-"

"I'll take Icha-Icha Paradaisu away."

"Sakura-chan, that would be awfully ru-"

"I'll get Jiraiya to give you a signed copy of the newest book."

"That would be quite nice, but-"

"I'll tell Tsunade-shishou that I've been doing your mission reports for you."

"Ah, but you offered to do them, Sakura-chan, and it was because I won a bet-"

"And that you've been leaving the Hospital early and not coming to your check-ups."

"You know I dislike hospitals, Sakura-chan-"

"Or that I have to perform the check-ups on missions because you refuse to ever show up at the hospitals."

"Like I just said, I have an immense disagreement with hospitals-"

"Please, Kakashi-sensei?"

He stopped before the next excuse could escape his lips as he stared into her shining jade eyes. It was an un-fair advantage, using those large, green eyes against him, but it worked all the same. Kakashi sighed once more, closing his eye.

He listened to the sound of her breathing, the sound of her heart-rate increasing as the excitement and suspense built.

"I'm older than you." He said simply, opening his eye lazily to stare at her, before narrowly dodging the fist that connected with the trunk of the tree beside his head. Only when the bark shattered did he rethink his answer.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura growled impatiently, eradicating the distance between them as she leaned in closer, headless of Kakashi's discomfort at the close proximity.

"Hai, hai." He muttered, looking away from her intense gaze for a moment, gathering his wits. Raising his dark orb back to hers, he raised a brow. "Do I still get that massage?"

The pink-haired kunoichi grinned at him. "Yup." But with a short nod, she frowned, the smile disappearing as weariness crept in. "As long as you tell the truth," She added, eyes narrowing again.

"I am 24."

Sakura pulled back, surprised by the sudden exclamation. The frown replaced her shocked expression as she said, "Oh, come on. You can't be that young. You look too old for that."

Kakashi chuckled softly. "Just what everyone wants to hear, Sakura-chan, that 'They look too old for that.'"

Her cheeks flushed as she muttered a soft "Gomen nasai".

The Jounin raised a brow, watching the rosy hue stain her pale cheeks slowly. "I am 24 years old, it's just the hair that makes me appear older than I truly am. Plus, you've yet to see my face, so it's not really a fair accusation." At her disbelieving glance, he raised a hand while the other was laid over his heart. "I swear it to be true."

Sakura giggled softly, staring at him for a moment. "I always thought you were, like, 30-something back in our Genin days…" she trailed off, grinning slightly as a blush stained her cheeks.

Trying to ignore how the moonlight accented her face and the blush, Kakashi closed his eye, leaning back. "I was top notch when I was younger, and soon I was placed as a sensei of a team by the age of 21. Ah, my glorious, fruitful years had come to an end." He sighed dramatically.

The kunoichi laughed, punching him lightly in the arm, although unaware of the use of her insane strength, caused him to wince slightly. "Your 'fruitful years' had just begun when you got assigned to us!" she assured him, grinning widely.

As Kakashi rubbed his shoulder, he could only nod and smile at the young woman who's retort was the plain truth.

The male Jounin grinned slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I can't believe you thought I was thirty in your Genin days. How sad, to have been judged by my own students to be older than I actually am…" he paused before continuing on with his useless rant. What was he doing? Was he seriously talking to his unconscious student as if she would never wake up?

No, she'll wake up. It's how she'll wake up I'm worried about. What if she's not the same? What if she stops being a Kunoichi? What if she hates us? The "what ifs?" were endless, constantly a flowing stream in his mind.

"Damnit, Sakura. Why is it that all three of you seem to make me worry constantly? I worried about Sasuke and his goals, then Naruto and his abilities as well as achievements. And you? I worry about if you're going to wake up, good as new, and laugh it all off as if it were nothing. Say something like 'That damn bastard got me good, eh, Kakashi?' and then grin and drag Naruto off for some training before your shift at the hospital." Kakashi paused to breathe, his heart beating fast. The man calmed down a bit, careful to be easy on his body. The chakra that had been zapped from his system from the drainers was coming back more easily now, thanks to the medication Tsunade's nurses had given him.

The vital sensors that had been placed on him had long been discarded, even before the nurses had dropped off Sakura. What was the point? He knew he was fine. They knew he was fine. So there was no apparent need to hinder his movements with a useless piece of machinery.

Raking a hand through his silver mane, Kakashi looked away, a frown settling over his masked lips. He glanced up at the clock in the room, surprised to find that three hours had already past since Sakura had been wheeled in. Had that much time slipped his mind by only reminiscing and staring at his former student?

"Mhhhmmm…." Came a soft moan from the opposite bed.

The silver-haired jounin lifted his head in the direction of the sound, every emotion possible, visible for all to see in his lone eye. "Sakura?" his voice cracked slightly, and Kakashi hesitated a moment to real in his emotions and keep them under control. "Sakura-chan?" he tried again, his voice stronger, yet husky with hope.

"Mmmm... Ahhhh... N-no..." the pink haired kunoichi moaned as she rose to the surface from the depths of her conscious.

The male all but leapt forward, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, wondering if he should shake her or allow the woman to come to on her own. "Sakura, it's ok. I'm here, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere..." Kakashi said softly in assurance to the girl.

Sakura squirmed on the bed, face contorted in an expression of terror, hands clenching beside her sides.

"Sakura-" Kakashi began.

"NOOOOO!" the girl screamed, lurching forward, the machines and wires attached to her body jerking after her. Cloudy jade eyes snapped open, unseeing and full of fear. Sakura's hands grasped at the sheet as she struggled against her body's cumbersome movements. She attempted to get up, but was held back by the monitors which were now beeping loud and frantic, signaling for the need of a nurse.

"Sakura, calm down. You don't need to be moving this quickly. You're still in recovery." Kakashi tried to soothe her, reaching out to restrain her movements.

The pinkette turned on him, a hand swiping out to hit him, her nails catching on his cheek, tearing the fabric and skin there. Her other arm slashed at his chest, causing the same injury. Kakashi released her immediately, backing away with a his own hand on his face, ignoring his chest. "Don't touch me!" the girl hissed, advancing on him, only to be jerked back by the wires. Sakura reached to disconnect herself from the offensive restraints.

"Nurse!" Kakashi shouted hoarsely, blinding reaching for the red button located on the wall. He didn't get any closer to her, not wanting to initiate more attacks, but not wanting the girl to harm herself any further. He was still shocked at Sakura's outburst, his cheek stinging and his heart aching. The attendants rushed in, gathering around the young girl with surprising strength and courage.

"Let me go!" Sakura spat, landing a hard punch to one woman's gut, thankfully without chakra. Said woman flew backwards, hitting the wall before sliding down, unconscious. While the others struggled to calm her down, Kakashi stood out of the way and watched as one nurse pressed a button on the machine hooked up to a vein in Sakura's arm. The needle was precariously close to falling out of it's place, only held there by a small piece of tape. Immediately, within seconds after the button was pushed, Sakura's eyes drooped as she slumped forward slightly into the welcoming arms of the nurses. Her form relaxed visibly and Kakashi knew that they had given her a dose of tranquilizer, enough to knock her out for a while.

Soft sighs of relief echoed throughout the quiet of the room as the attendants carefully laid Sakura back down onto the bed. They re-taped the needles and fixed her bandages before leaving, carrying out the unconscious figure of their fellow nurse with them. One stayed behind, patting Kakashi's shoulder. "It's ok, Hatake-san. She probably had a nightmare and lashed out unconsciously. It happens sometimes in healing, psychological patients." she assured.

The male's dark stare cut into the woman, eye narrowed in anger. "She is not a psychological patient. She is healing from a recent mission of which she was tortured. It does not mean she is crazy." he said, his angry tone signaling that the discussion was over.

The nurse's eyes widened in shock as she stumbled away, hands held up in defense. "O-Of course, Hatake-san. Just c-call if you need anything else..." she said hurriedly, rushing out of the room.

Kakashi sank back down into the chair re-positioned once more to be by the girl's bed. "Sakura..." he breathed softly, sinking his face into his hands, ignoring the stinging in his cheek as his palm pressed against the ragged scratches. He shuddered at the memory of her attack, peeking through his fingers at her now relaxed form. Kakashi's gaze softened as he took in her soft, pouty lips slightly parted as she breathed deeply. How many times had he thought of those lips, stretching across a smile, opening to a laugh, pursing in anger? He took in her closed eyes, imagining the bright jade colored orbs beneath her lids. How many time had he thought of those eyes, bright with happiness, twinkling with mischief, warm with love...

That thought brought him up short. Love? Had he ever seen those eyes look upon him with love and affection, just as she looked at Naruto and Tsunade?

No. Not quite. With friendship and companionship, yes, but never truly love.

Is that what he wanted though? Was he himself in love with his student? Sakura made him happy, bringing light to his washed out world, introducing him to all the bright colors as if he had only seen in shades of grey before.

Cutting off his thoughts before they became too dangerous and dark, a road he did not want to travel down, Kakashi shook his head. He needed to focus. Brushing a lock of pink hair from Sakura's for head, the man marveled in how soft her skin was. A butterfly suture helped keep close the cut on her cheek, a stark contrast to her innocent look. How could this girl, a finely trained nin, be so strong yet soft at the same time?

Sighing, Kakashi leaned back in his chair, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from the past few days events. How much sleep had he gotten? It was about time for a nap. The stinging in his cheek could wait until he woke up, the bed was awfully inviting, but he did not want to leave the girl's side.

Sacrifices... Kakashi thought to himself as sleep and exhaustion pulled him down into blissful darkness.

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