So, I've done a little digging as to the actual timeline in Naruto, from Pain's assault on Konoha to the beginning of the war... It seems not much time passes between those two events in the manga/anime (like a few short months), although by the end of the war, Konoha is supposedly almost done rebuilding. I find that absurd, since Yamato is gone for a lot of that time. The war lasted two days and two nights, so none of this really makes much sense. In any case, for the purposes of this fic, let's just say a year has passed after Pain's attack and the first chapter (not including the Prologue).You'll see why this is important later, and it also explains Tsunade being out of her coma by that time. I should have gone back and refreshed myself on the order of the events that took place before I started writing, but alas - I did say it was slightly AU!
Now, without further ado...
Across the street and a couple buildings down from Sakura's apartment building was a cafe that had suffered immense damage from the attack on Konoha by Pain. It had stayed closed since then, a large hole in the facade of the building, the glass display case that once held freshly baked pastries completely shattered. It was from the roof of this cafe that Kakashi silently watched Naruto and Sakura arrive from Ichiraku Ramen. He imagined Sakura visiting the cafe in the morning for coffee and a quick bite to eat in the mornings - before the damage; before the village she grew up loving had been destroyed and forever changed. Kakashi briefly wondered where she got her coffee these days.
The silver-haired ninja didn't quite understand why he had panicked when he'd heard his former students approaching, why he hadn't waited for them and presented Sakura with her gift in person instead of jumping up onto the roof in a hurry. From his stealthy vantage point he could see Naruto bend down to pick up the bag he'd had the presence of mind to leave there before fleeing. The bag was slightly crumpled from being stuffed under his flak jacket, and he was glad that the shopkeeper had insisted he write a note to accompany the gift.
He thought he saw Sakura blush slightly, her cheeks dusted with a pretty rose color that matched her hair. He could see the question in her eyes, but he couldn't make out what they were saying - he could have lifted his forehead protector and used his Sharingan to read her lips but he didn't think the medic would approve of such irresponsible use of his Sharingan so soon after she'd spent considerable time healing him. He'd already used it to knock Choji and then Ino out earlier in the night and he had to admit that even that much use of his visual prowess had tired him out. It would take some time for Kakashi's stamina and chakra endurance to return to normal.
As Sakura retreated into her building - still walking unsteadily from the sake she had consumed earlier - Kakashi watched while Naruto took off towards his own apartment, and stood up from his crouched position on the roof. He could see Sakura's bedroom light flip on before her pink head appeared in the window. Her arms reached back to untie her forehead protector, and her hair spilled down, no longer pulled back by the red fabric. Kakashi found himself mesmerized for the second time since that morning, as Sakura's pink locks relaxed around her shoulders, framing her slightly flushed face beautifully. As she reached into the bag, pulled out the black velvet box, and opened it, he held his breath. Her green eyes widened in surprise at the crystal earrings sparkling before her and she blushed once again, her lips parted in a soft gasp. The sound of his heart beating filled Kakashi's ears and he thought he could feel the muscle trying to break out of his chest. Gently, Sakura put the box down next to the forehead protector that lay atop her dresser. Her fingers brushed the pale pink crystal earrings and a smile brushed her lips. Her eyes softened and she stayed there like that for another minute, regarding Kakashi's gift. When she turned around, her hands grasped the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Kakashi immediately looked away, but he could still see her slender but toned back as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
It was five in the morning when Sakura's alarm went off and she groaned, her head pounding from the previous night's festivities. She waved her hand around without opening her eyes, succeeding in shutting off the offensive noise, but whacking the alarm clock off her night stand in the process. She laid her arm across her eyes to block out the light pouring in from her window but it was futile - once she was up it was always hard for her to go back to sleep. Her body was used to waking up at the crack of dawn for training. She peered down her nose from under her arm as something twinkled at her in the morning light and she gasped, sitting up abruptly. The gift!
Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she stood and crossed the room to her dresser, picking up the elegant jewelry box. So beautiful... are these really from Kakashi? She couldn't believe her old sensei would give her such a gift, and didn't even want to think about how much they cost him. In all the years she'd known him, he had never given her anything except his wisdom and patience. Putting the box down again, she stepped into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
After brushing her teeth and splashing some water on her face, Sakura wrapped her chest in bandages and threw on some workout clothes before making her way to the kitchen. Finding some aspirin in one of the cupboards, she put two in her mouth and gulped it down with an entire bottle of water. She often wished she could use medical ninjutsu to fight hangovers. She figured it was probably the world's way of punishing you for drinking too much sake and there was no easy way to get over it. Standing at the counter eating a simple breakfast of apples and peanut butter, Sakura looked out towards the living room of her small apartment and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Having decided it had been time to live on her own, Sakura had moved out from her parents' house shortly after her promotion to Chunin. Located near the eastern edge of the village, Sakura's apartment building had been far enough from the epicenter of Pain's assault that it was one of the very few buildings left mostly standing. After the destruction of Konohagakure, Sakura had been glad she hadn't been able to afford to live closer to the center of the village with her meager salary. While the building had sustained some damage, it hadn't taken long to fix and her apartment had been left totally unscathed.
As she looked down at her breakfast, Sakura couldn't help but miss her mother. Mebuki Haruno would never have let her daughter start the day with so little to eat. Ever since Sakura had moved out, she noticed that her relationship with her parents had improved immensely. They no longer argued about unimportant things like Sakura's messy room and her parents' constant butting in. Now, when Sakura visited her parents, she would spend hours catching them up on her life, her mother and father listening with open ears and pride in their eyes. It had been a couple weeks since the last time that had been, as Sakura had been keeping an intense schedule at the hospital lately. It was her first day off in a long time and she resolved to visit them that night.
It was cool outside when Sakura stepped out for her morning run. She could see her breath in the air as she started down the road at a steady pace, making her way towards Team Seven's old training grounds. She recognized Ino's blonde head coming out of the market and decided to avoid her. She knew she was being a little irrational but she still couldn't believe her behavior last night. Hanging all over Kakashi-sensei like that... who does she think she is?!
She blushed at her own thoughts. Why do I even care? They can both do whatever they want. It wasn't so long ago that she was rooting for Kakashi and Hanare, the kunoichi that had been brought to Konoha as a prisoner. And that was ridiculous - Hanare was a criminal and a spy. Ino was her friend. So why shouldn't Sakura be supportive? But it's not like he sees her that way. Like Naruto said, nothing probably happened last night.
Sai was already there when Sakura arrived at the training grounds. They had been training together for the past few months and Sakura found him to be a great sparring partner, despite his offensive nickname for her. He was naturally better at taijutsu than she was but she had been working hard to get better and it was a good challenge without being insurmountable. What she lacked in natural ability, she made up for in strength.
"Good morning, Ugly."
"Stop calling me that!" Sakura yelled, angrily. Normally she would ignore him but she was already in a bad mood and her hangover hadn't gone away yet. Instead of responding, Sai just flashed her one of his disturbing smiles which prompted her to lash out with her fist.
Barely dodging her sudden attack, Sai put some distance between them. "It's not polite to start when your opponent isn't ready, Sakura-san!"
Ten minutes into their session, Sakura was working up a sweat, her breath heavy. Sai looked like he'd barely put in any work, which only served to vex Sakura even more. It was her chakra-enhanced strength that usually kept Sai on the defensive, but today Sakura felt distracted. She found herself thinking about Ino and Kakashi and his strange but beautiful gift. She dropped her guard and Sai landed a well-placed foot to her cheek. Something crunched upon impact and Sakura yelled out in pain, stumbling to the ground.
"Sakura-san!" Sai crouched down and helped Sakura sit up, inspecting her already bruising cheek, real concern in his eyes. "Forgive me... I thought you would parry. Are you alright?"
Sakura warded Sai off with a flurry wave of her hand, more annoyed with herself than anything. "Tch... It's my fault. I've been off all morning."
"Me too," Sai replied softly. Sakura surveyed Sai's face with an arched brow, surprised to see a real expression there; a rare sight.
"Everything alright?" she asked as she started to heal her fractured cheek. Before he could answer, the sound of steps interrupted them.
"Sakura-san. You are needed at the hospital. Please report there right away." One of Tsunade's attendants walked towards them and handed Sakura a note, which she opened right away.
"Sorry, Sai. Let's catch up later. A squad is on their way in with heavy injuries and Tsunade-sama is busy with the elders."
"Okay. See you later, Sakura-san."
Sakura got to her feet and when she looked at Sai again, she wasn't surprised to see his face carefully fixed in one of his concealing smiles. She sighed. Damn, he was just about to open up.
"Is there time for me to stop at home to shower?" Sakura asked, addressing Tsunade's messenger.
"Yes, but please hurry. They will arrive in less than an hour."
Back at her apartment, Sakura hurried into the shower to wash the sweat and grime off her body from the morning's training with Sai. Her cheek was still aching since she hadn't had time to properly heal herself before Tsunade's messenger had interrupted. As she stepped out of the shower and inspected her cheek in the mirror, she could see a green and yellow bruise and knew that while she had mostly healed the fracture underneath, there was still probably some cracked bone. Knowing she didn't have time to finish the job, and wanting to conserve her chakra for the injured squad on their way to the hospital, Sakura briskly towel dried her short hair and applied a salve to her cheek.
After throwing on her clothes and tying on her forehead protector, she turned to rush out the door when something sparkling caught her eye. Though she knew she had to hurry to meet the medical team before the squad arrived, Sakura couldn't help but be drawn to the earrings sitting on her dresser. Without thinking, she crossed the room again and fastened the earrings to her pieced ears and dashed out the door, barely stopping to put on her boots.
Shizune was already there when Sakura arrived at the hospital, a nurse handing her a white lab coat and a small stack of charts containing preliminary notes on the incoming squad's injuries. A scout had intercepted the squad on their way back to Konoha and hurried ahead to deliver the news to the medical team so that they would have time to prepare.
"Where have you been, Sakura?"
"Sorry Shizune-senpai, I was covered in sweat and dirt when the messenger found me. I went home to freshen up first."
"I've already briefed the team. You will be handling patients One and Two, and I will take Three and Four. Take a moment to read over the charts, then prepare your surgical team. Patient Three will need a simple healing for his kunai-wound, but patient Four will need a poison-extraction and his arm may need to be amputated."
Sakura winced. knowing she would have to deliver the bad news herself. Calling out directions to the medics in her team, she silently chided herself for selfishly thinking of her own discomfort while there was a comrade whose life would be changed forever on his way to her surgical table. The doors of the hospital's emergency wing banged open and Sakura took a second to steel herself for what was to come, before pulling her hair into a ponytail and hurrying to meet her patient.
It was around midnight when Kakashi stopped into a less-than-half-built tavern filled with other Leaf shinobi. After the loss they suffered as a village, they all needed a place to unwind and mourn their home in solidarity. The proprietor of the tavern had started serving alcohol before the roof was even started, knowing it was so badly needed, and since it was hard to finish building the walls when so many patrons sat inside comforting each other and sharing their loss, the tavern had been left that way... A square U-shaped bar surrounded by beams that made up the frame of the tavern, walls only half put up and the roof missing. People used whatever was laying around as tables and chairs - stacks of wood, barrels, stray palettes. Some even sat on the ground outside the bare frame of the building with their beers in hand, surrounding a small fire.
As Kakashi surveyed the crowd that night for familiar faces, he was surprised to see Sakura sitting at the bar by herself, staring intently into her glass. Most of the younger class of Chunin frequented the fancy bar that he and Genma had visited the day before, or they hung out at Ichiraku Ramen, drawn to the blonde-haired boy who was the hero of the village. As he pulled out a stool next to Sakura, he realized she hadn't noticed him yet.
"Sakura -" he started, but when he caught the shine in her eyes, his mouth closed under his mask. Sakura lifted her head at the sound of her name, turning to find Kakashi sitting there next to her. Her face broke out into a brilliant smile but Kakashi couldn't help but notice something was missing there.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura tucked a pink lock behind her ear, showing off his gift. "They're so lovely. Thank you so much! I'm sorry I couldn't thank you sooner. I've been at the hospital all day -" Her voice cracked then, and tears sprang to her eyes, her smile fading.
"S-Sakura... what's wrong?" Kakashi reached forward and grasped Sakura's arm, his other hand touching her bruised cheek gingerly.
"Oh, sensei... I'm sorry to be like this. It's just been... It was a hard day." Sakura gently brushed his hand away and rubbed the tears from her eyes, desperately willing herself to stop crying. As she rubbed a little too hard, her cheek stung with pain and she winced.
"Who did that?" Kakashi asked, gesturing to her swollen bruise.
"Oh no, it's from training this morning with Sai. I was distracted and he got me good." She smiled sheepishly despite the tears that were still running from her eyes. She even looked pretty when she cried.
"Do you want me to... leave you alone?" Kakashi asked awkwardly. "I don't want to intrude."
"No, no, I'd love for you to stay. I just wish I'd stop crying... I'm being ridiculous. I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei."
"Don't be sorry, Sakura. It's not the first time I've seen you cry." Kakashi handed her a napkin and rubbed her arm gently with his hand. "Do you want to go some place else?"
"S-sure..." Sakura replied, using the napkin to wipe more of her tears.
"Come on then," Kakashi said while standing and gently helping her up.
It was chilly outside as the two of them walked towards the Hokage mountain, Kakashi's hands stuffed into his pockets. They walked in silence, the silver-haired Jounin watching his former student carefully out of the corner of his eye. Sakura had stopped crying shortly after they had left the tavern and Kakashi wanted to know what was on her mind so badly, but decided to wait for her to tell him, and only if she wanted to.
"They suit you... the earrings." he said into the night air, his breath visible. Sakura touched the crystal cherry blossoms adorning her ears as if she'd forgotten they were there.
"Thank you so much, again. They're the most beautiful things I've ever seen!" A real smile crept to her lips, and Kakashi believed her. Sakura may have been a young woman who loved girly things, but she did grow up in a shinobi village. There weren't a lot of pretty things where they came from. Other than her, Kakashi found himself thinking. Abruptly, he faced forward and stared at the mountain, avoiding eye contact with Sakura. Tsunade's enormous chiseled face stared back at him from the mountain, one of the only things that was left undamaged by Pain.
"Hn," he replied lamely, and Sakura laughed.
"You sound like Sasuke-kun."
It fell quiet again as they kept walking, Kakashi staring straight ahead, and Sakura staring at her feet. When they finally reached the mountain, they both started up the dirt path that led to the top. It was colder at this altitude, and when they both sat down on top of Yondaime's head (after a few leaps), Sakura was rubbing her bare arms. It was a while longer before she spoke again, her head tilted back as she stared up at the stars above.
"I lost a patient today..." she whispered.
"I'm sorry Sakura... I'm sure you did everything you could."
"No, I didn't... not at all." Her eyes grew hard and she clutched her arms, her nails digging into her skin. "He bled out while I was cutting off his friend's arm."
Not knowing what to say, Kakashi stayed silent.
"He came in with a simple kunai wound... so I patched him up and rushed into the operating room to treat his comrade who presented with more emergent injuries... When I finally came out to check on him - after I had amputated his friend's arm and spent five hours extracting the poison from his system - I pulled the curtain back and he was just laying there... he had bled out from internal injuries. I missed it... It... It was... " Sakura's face fell into her hands as she tried to bite back more tears. "...It was all my fault!" she forced out before her shoulders hitched up and down and she sobbed silently into her hands.
Kakashi pulled her into his arms without thinking, rubbing circles into her back and stroking her hair. "Let it out Sakura... it's just me here... just Kakashi-sensei," he whispered into her pink tresses, and with that she started to cry more heartily, pain filling her voice as she sobbed out loud.
When she finally started to settle down, Kakashi held her by the shoulders and helped her upright. He took her chin gently in his left hand, and with his right he touched her cheek, green chakra warming her bruise. Kakashi wasn't a medic-nin by any means, but he knew the basics. He spoke in soft tones. "It wasn't your fault, Sakura... I'm sure Shizune-san told you the same thing, but it wasn't. That shinobi was killed by our enemies... not you."
"But I -" Sakura started to protest, but Kakashi cut her off.
"You are so special... one of the most talented medics in all the nations, and you have the biggest heart. But even you can't save everyone. Even Tsunade-sama couldn't." He gently brushed her fully healed cheek with his thumb. "We all miss things," he said, and he realized then that he was talking about himself. As a teacher he had missed so much, and not a day went by that he didn't wonder... if he had paid more attention to what was happening right before his eyes, what might have happened with Sasuke.
After a moment of silence, he realized he was still stoking her cheek and he drew away from her abruptly. Sakura caught his hand and pulled it to her chest, slowly leaning into him. Kakashi held his breath, too stunned to move. Randomly, he noticed how her earrings sparkled in the light of the full moon above their heads but this line of thought was interrupted when her lips met his through the fabric of his mask. Her kiss was slow - tentative at first - but then more insistent, her small hands grasping his face. Gently, her fingers danced along the sides of his face until they slipped over the top of his mask and pulled it down slowly, her eyes closed, not daring to look.
She kissed him again, their mouths now uninhibited by his mask, and this time he kissed back in earnest, his hand moving up to run his fingers through her hair. He felt her long fingers on his skin again as she tried to learn his face without opening her eyes, and she lingered along a small scar along the side of his jaw. He kissed her bottom lip as she did this, and was surprised when her tongue darted out to lick his upper lip. Passion taking over, he took her by the waist and pulled her tightly to him, kissing her harder and harder, their tongues meeting. When she took his bottom lip gently between her teeth, nipping him softly, his fingers dug into her skin. "Sakura," he gasped.
"Kakashi-sensei," she answered back, and when he pulled away from her suddenly, she knew her mistake. By the time her eyes opened, his mask was neatly on his face.
The two of them stared at each other, breathing heavily in stunned silence. Sakura was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to- " she started.
"You shouldn't have done that, Sakura... I'm twice your age... I'm sorry if i gave you the wrong idea, and I know you're feeling bad about your patient... but this can't happen between us," he said firmly, avoiding her eyes.
Sakura stood up then, hurt apparent in her eyes as she dusted herself off. Without a word, she leapt off the cliff. Kakashi watched her pink head as she landed neatly on a ledge below then took another few leaps until she was safely on the ground.
The next morning, Kakashi left the Hokage's office, slamming the door behind him in a rare display of emotion. He had been summoned there by a hawk in the wee hours of the morning, but instead of Tsunade behind the desk, it had been Danzo, the commander of Root Division.
As he left the newly constructed Hokage Tower, his hands stuffed into his pockets, he looked up at the mountain. Was it really only a few hours ago that he was up there with Sakura? He wasn't quite ready to see her again after what happened, but he couldn't avoid her now. If she had to hear the news, he knew it was better to hear from him... even if she was probably still angry with him. He walked quickly to the construction site where he knew he would find Yamato.
A half hour later, Naruto and Sakura stood before Yamato and him at the training grounds. Sakura stared off into the trees, avoiding eye contact with him as she spoke.
"So? What is it? I have to be at the hospital in half an hour," she said coolly.
Well, she's definitely mad at me... Might as well rip off the bandaid... "There's news... about Sasuke," he stated.
At this Sakura's head snapped forward, looking at Kakashi for the first time.
"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her voice small.
"Have we found him? Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking hopeful.
"No... not exactly..." he replied slowly. He glanced briefly at Yamato who was looking solemnly down at his feet. "He's been declared as a rogue ninja... and a kill-on-sight order has been placed on him."
He watched Sakura's eyes widen, her hand covering her mouth as she gasped.
"But how can Tsunade do this?!" Naruto asked angrily.
"Tsunade has been relieved as Hokage. Danzo has been named the Sixth."
"W-What..." Sakura stuttered in disbelief.
"I don't know all the details... Danzo wouldn't say anything else. At this point, you know what I know. I think something may have happened... Sasuke did something... I'm not sure what. Tsunade probably tried to protect him, and as a result she was relieved of her position by the elders, and Danzo was put in her place. He already has the feudal lord's approval."
"I'm going to speak with Danzo," Sakura said, turning around.
"Wait, Sakura..." Kakashi gripped her shoulder, stopping her. It was barely detectable, but she flinched at his touch and there was a brief second of silence as they both remembered the night before.
"I'm going with you," Naruto declared.
"Don't overreact you two, that's what Danzo wants." Yamato said, speaking for the first time.
"Tsunade is my shishou... and what will happen to Sasuke-kun? You can't expect me to keep quiet!" Sakura said. From where Kakashi was standing behind her, he could see her teeth grinding in frustration. He also noticed she wasn't wearing the earrings.
"I don't care what he wants. I'm going to confront him." Naruto said, almost yelling.
"Naruto... you are a jinchuriki. If you cause a scene, you may be detained. Danzo would want nothing more than to confine you to the village. Then how would you search for Sasuke?"
Naruto fell silent, willing himself to calm down. Sakura did the same, and Kakashi let go of her shoulder.
I'm sorry, you two... Kakashi thought, still feeling that he had failed them.