Warning: Lots and lots of lemon in this chapter. Like, a lot.

It was a long trek back to Konaha after they had picked up Sai and the others. Sakura had put on a brave face while gently waking everyone, looking embarrassed and apologetic. Naruto was still feeling sick and Kiba was agitated about having been used and knocked out, which made the two bicker for what seemed like hours. Sai made sly comments now and then, contributing to the banter and Kakashi wasn't the only one who noticed how Sai seemed more expressive as time went on.

When things had finally quieted down and there was nothing but the sound of their feet hitting branches as they jumped from tree to tree, Kakashi would sneak glances at Sakura to find her completely withdrawn. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder, do something to console her, but couldn't do much with Karin riding on his back. He thought he could hear Sakura's breath hitch softly, and she slowed her pace, hanging back behind everyone else. Kakashi thought about slowing down too but decided to leave her alone and let her have a private moment.

"You're worried about her…" Karin's voice said in his ear so that only he could hear. When he didn't respond, she continued. "You should be. "

"Why do you care?" Kakashi found himself asking.

"I loved him too…" Karin replied softly. And he tried to kill you… just like he tried to kill Sakura, Kakashi thought, finishing her sentence. To be fair, Sakura had tried to kill Sasuke first… but a blind man could see she would never have gone through with it. Sasuke, on the other hand…

"Ow!" Karin yelled. Kakashi realized he had started to dig his fingers into her legs.

"Sorry."

"What's going on back there?" Kiba asked, loudly.

"Nothing," Kakashi replied before stopping on a low branch. "We should stop here, get some rest. We're all tired, and a few of you are still recovering."

While the others stopped and started setting up camp, Kakashi secured Karin to a tree. "Keep a lookout for Yamato," he called. Surely, he was finished patching up the hole that Naruto had created in the floor of the inn they had been staying at and was on his way back to Konoha too. Naruto was complaining about having left his provisions behind, and out of the corner of Kakashi's eye, he saw Sakura walking away from the group towards the sound of water. "Sai. Guard the prisoner," he ordered before going after her.

When Kakashi found Sakura, she was soaking her feet in a river, sitting at the bank with her arms around her knees and staring up at the clouds. Her boots, socks, and garter pack lay strewn about around her.

"Sakura?"

Sakura turned her head at the sound of Kakashi's voice. As he approached and sat down next to her, she gave him a sad smile. "You don't have to lecture me, Kakashi-sensei… I know how stupidly I acted."

"That's not… I didn't come here as your sensei."

"Then what are you here as?" Sakura asked without looking at him, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Kakashi thought silently for a moment, trying to find the right words. The sound of water trickling drew his eye to Sakura's bare feet. "I'm your friend, Sakura."

Sakura chuckled, the sound harsh. "If you hadn't noticed… I don't treat my friends very well," she said, looking back towards the direction of the camp.

"They'll forgive you… they likely already have. Besides, Naruto can never stay mad-"

"He tried to kill me, Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura bit out, her voice cracking as she interrupted him.

"Sasuke's… sick, Sakura. He's not who he was…" Kakashi moved closer to her, stroking her back.

"No… I'm the one who's sick…" Sakura said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "Because, I still love him…"

As they approached Konaha's gates, Yamato having joined them along the way, Kakashi set Karin down and let him and two Chunin take her into custory where Ibiki was no doubt waiting. Kakashi had sent a message with Pakkun ahead of time, detailing the news about Danzo and their confrontation with Sasuke, but leaving out some details. No one needed to know about Sakura knocking everyone out and going on a rogue mission to assassinate Sasuke herself, and he'd made sure to tell the rest of the team to keep their mouths shut as well.

Since Danzo was killed, Tsunade had be reinstated as Hokage and the debrief had lasted hours. By the time Kakashi left the Hokage Tower, he was exhausted to the bone. He made his way to his apartment where his bed was waiting for him. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for the next two days. As he made his way up the stairs of his building, he stripped off his gloves, stuffing them into his pocket. Sakura was waiting for him outside his door.

"Kakashi," she said softly as he approached. She wore a long navy thermal, the same as Kakashi wore under his flak jacket. The difference was Kakashi wore pants. Sakura wore… nothing but a pair of sandals on her feet, the bottom of her shirt grazing her thighs. It took every ounce of willpower for Kakashi to tear his gaze from her long porcelain legs.

"Sakura… what are you…" he started, before she came forward, grasping his shirt and pulling him to her. Kakashi grabbed her by the waist and held her away from him, speaking firmly. "Sakura, no."

A flash of hurt filled her eyes for a second before her arms came up quickly, snaking under Kakashi's and pushing them off her – a move Kakashi would typically use in a fight. Her hands slid to his wrists and pulled them around to her back. Coming up on her toes, she whispered into his ears, "I need you… Kakashi." Noticing she didn't say 'Sensei', he was aware of her breasts pressed against his chest through the fabric of their matching shirts and struggled to maintain his composure, knowing without a doubt that she wore neither a bra nor wrappings underneath.

"Sakura… you're not yourself. You're hurting; you're not thinking straight," he blurted out, but she kept on going, pressing herself tighter against his body. She pushed one of his hands down below the small of her back and he resisted, trying to keep it in place. As she touched her lips to his through the fabric of his mask, he kept perfectly, carefully, painfully still. Balancing on one foot, her leg came up around his waist, and he shuddered softly, desperate to keep his self-control. Oh god… Her hips met his and she moaned softly into his lips. "Sakura," he said again with frustration.

"Fuck me, Kakashi…" she whispered, and he unraveled suddenly. His hand slid down to grip her ass under her shirt, surprised to find her panties missing. His lips crashed into hers, his mask sliding slightly down his nose. A sound slipped out of his mouth, almost like a growl as he squeezed her, his fingers digging into her skin while he pushed her back against his door. Her hands came up to pull his mask down but he caught her wrists roughly and held them above her head. Keeping them there with one hand, his other hand moved down along her body, squeezing her breast hard along the way. She gasped and pulled him against her with her leg, her butt separating from the door as their hips met again and he knew she could feel his hardness through his pants because he could feel the heat of her womanhood pressed against his crotch. He growled again, grabbing her by the hip and shoving her back against the door. His hand slipped under her shirt and his fingers dipped into her wetness, finding her clit, and she moaned loudly. In the back of his mind, he was aware that anyone could catch them in the open hall of his apartment building.

"Shh, Sakura," he chided as he thrust two fingers into her, his thumb still rubbing against her clit and when she moaned even louder he let her wrists go and held his hand over her mouth. Fingering her roughly, he stared into her green eyes, listening to the muffled sounds of her pleasure against his hand.

"Shut up," he grunted, somewhat surprised at his own roughness. Her hips moved in tandem with his efforts and her teeth clamped down on his hand, straining not to make a sound, biting harder and harder as her pleasure built. After a while, her eyes closed and Kakashi knew she was close, but as he heard feet coming up the stairs at the end of the hall, he slipped his fingers out of her abruptly, eliciting from her something that sounded not unlike a whine. Quickly, he took his keys from his pocket and reached passed her to open the door.

They stumbled inside and Kakashi kicked the door closed before they crashed to the ground. As their bodies hit the hardwood floor, Kakashi glanced at the old photo of Team Seven sitting atop the console table in his entryway. Sakura's twelve year old face stared back at him and he moved away from her suddenly, sitting back with his hands supporting his weight. Voices passed behind his door as his neighbors let themselves in across the hall.

What are you doing? Kakashi thought to himself, breathing heavily as if he'd just ran a marathon. How had he let this happen? This wasn't Sakura… the Sakura he knew didn't show up on men's doorsteps panty-less and ask them to fuck her. She was hurting, clearly, and was desperate to get over Sasuke. She would regret this in the morning, and Kakashi couldn't be a part of that.

As Sakura moved forward, hovering above him while her fingers curled around the top of his mask, Kakashi caught her hands again and held them away. "Sakura, stop."

"Please, Kakashi…" she whispered, climbing into his lap.

"Sakura, damn it!" he grunted, taking her by the shoulders and trying to pry him off her.

"Please… please…" she urged, moving her hips against his, grinding against his crotch where he knew his body was betraying him. "Please," she whispered again, her eyes closing as she slid his mask down with her teeth and pressed her lips against his. Her tongue slipped out as she licked his lips. "Please, Kakashi… I need you to fuck me," she breathed against him, her eyes still shut, and he felt control slipping away from him again.

God forgive me. Kakashi shifted underneath Sakura, taking her by the waist and leaning forward until her body touched the ground and he hovered above her. She wrapped her legs around him as he pushed her shirt up, exposing her. "Damn it, Sakura…" he growled, frustrated at his own desire, and something inside him was pleased to find her eyes still closed as he pried her legs off him and pushed her knees apart, spreading her open. His eye moved down her body to her breasts and he bent down to take a small pink nipple into his mouth. His hand slid between her legs and he pushed his fingers into her once again, cupping her.

"Kakashi!" she cried out while he fingered her unrelentingly, his fingers curling to hit the sensitive spot he knew would drive her over the edge, her moans and gasps filling the room. His thumb brushed her clit and he looked up at her face as he nipped gently at the nipple in his mouth.

"Give it to me, Sakura…" he grunted after letting go of her nipple, watching her face as her eyes opened wide, glued to the ceiling. "Come on, Sakura," he said, squeezing one of her tits with his free hand. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she arched her back as she came, her breath hitching. Her wanton display of passion proved too much for Kakashi and while Sakura rode those last waves of pleasure, he unzipped his pants, pushed his briefs down and shoved her knees back. When he plunged into her unceremoniously, he swore she came all over again.

Grunting, he forced himself to breathe deeply, his fingers digging into her thighs as he used every ounce of his willpower to slow down. He moved in and out of her at a steady pace and leaned down to kiss her gently on the neck.

"No," she whispered, and he stopped abruptly, searching her face. Is she regretting this, suddenly? But she wrapped her arms around him and dug her nails into his back. "Be rough with me, Kakashi," she moaned, making him growl and he picked up the speed of his thrusts, his hand sliding up her body to the back of her head, his breath hot against her neck. He took her by the hair and pulled roughly, fucking her harder. "Be rough with me," she repeated, challenging him.

Kakashi pulled out of her suddenly, making her cry out for the loss, taking her by the waist and flipping her over onto her knees before he grabbed her ass and pulled her cheeks apart, spreading her open, his fingers bruising her skin. When he pulled his hand back and slapped her ass, she cried out again; her head falling back as he thrust into her, filling her completely. "Is this what you want?" he demanded, leaning forward to whisper into her ear. Their skin slapped together as he thrust in and out, grunting.

"Yes, oh god, yes Kakashi," she replied, and when he felt her squeeze him inside, he shuddered.

"Sakura," he moaned against her shoulder, and suddenly it was too hot in his apartment, underneath all his clothes. As he pulled his flak jacket and shirt off, Sakura moved against him, pleasuring herself on his manhood. Her head tossed back and he grabbed her hair again, pink locks tangled in his fist. Tugging slightly harder, he lead her so she sat up on her knees, her back against his chest. He pulled her shirt up over her head, and as her arms raised he gathered the fabric around her wrists and pulled her arms back around his neck. He wasn't worried when her back arched forward almost impossibly, knowing just how her training made her limber beyond imagination. His hands snaked around to her front, one moving down to rub her clit gently and the other moving up to wrap firmly around her neck without squeezing.

As her breath came harder and harder and she quivered against him, he knew she was getting close again. He buried himself deep into her pussy, thrusting up hard and short, hitting that sensitive spot inside her over and over until she screamed, her body tensing and her breath catching. He fought his own climax until he felt her relax against him, and let her arms free so that she fell forward slowly, her head resting on the floor, exhausted. He gripped her hips and pulled her against him, again and again until finally he yelled and pulled out of her, spilling his seed into his hand.

Not knowing where he found the strength, Kakashi stood up and walked into the kitchen to wash his hands. When he was done, he pulled his mask back up, zipped up his pants and returned to Sakura, who lay spent on the floor, her shirt flung to the side, her eyes closed peacefully. Gathering her into his arms, he carried her to his bedroom and set her down on his bed. She was soundly asleep when her head hit the pillow, and he sat at the edge of the bed, looking down at her naked form, his fingers smoothing out her hair.

What have I gotten myself into?

Breathing deeply, he pulled the covers over Sakura's small body and got in next to her, sleep coming easily.

The next morning, there was a part of Kakashi that was surprised to find himself alone in his bed… but there was also another part of him that wasn't so surprised. Rolling over with a sigh, he fell back to sleep.

Whew! That was intense, eh? Another short chapter, I know. The next one will be longer, I promise!