Back at One

Premise: 1 You're like a dream come true; 2 Just wanna be with you; 3 Girl it's plain to see that you're the only one for me; and 4 Repeat steps 1 through 3; 5 Make you fall in love with me, if ever I believe my work is done then I'll start back at one. KakaSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own

Chapter 6: Back At One

"You, my large foreheaded friend, are acting like a nervous wreck," Ino muttered as she sipped her mocha and raised her eyebrow at her pink haired café companion.

Sakura scowled back at her as she chewed on her straw and looked out the window for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. Her fist clenched around her cup as her fingers shook, "I'm just worried okay?" Sakura muttered darkly as she turned back to her friend and stuck her tongue out at the blond.

Ino shrugged her shoulders with a laugh and took another sip. Sakura's knuckles were still a stark white. "He's only been gone for two days. The mission was supposed to take at least one week, calm down Sakura, I'm pretty sure the copy nin isn't going to be dying anytime soon. Especially now that he has someone very important to come home to."

"I'm still allowed to worry Ino, or should I remind you about how you first reacted during Shikamaru's first mission after you guys got together? You were even with him on the mission and you were constantly getting panic attacks in the woods when he went to take a piss," Sakura teased as her hand finally relaxed.

"I thought it was agreed that we would never talk about that time ever again and you are still being irrational because this is not the first time he's been on a mission since you've moved in."

"I'm just trying to say that you shouldn't judge me you hypocritical Pig."

"Fine, be that way Forehead see if I ever try to comfort your ungrateful giant head again. Now tell me why you didn't order coffee, hmm? It's early in the morning and you have cold tea, that is so unlike you," Ino murmured with a sly grin on her face, "Even better you don't even look like the giant monster that you usually are. Hm, maybe you actually look worse, lose the worry lines already…" The question was unnecessary; it was just funny to see Sakura's flustered reaction every single time, without fail. Everyone knew whom usually made or purchased Sakura's coffee in the morning, how could you miss the famous cheapskate making such a mundane purchase for a girl?

Sakura frowned and stared at her iced tea, "Shut up about the coffee, it's not like I don't know why you ask! It's just not the same. I swear he knows what coffee I like more than I do now."

"Knowing him, probably, but maybe it's because his coffee has a touch of love in it," Ino replied with a tease as she took another sip of her mocha and watched her friend turn into the color of a tomato, "But you my dear friend are in so deep. You can't even drink coffee without him anymore."

"Coffee is a very important symbol between us two with or without the dumb touch of freaking love," Sakura said with a pout as she chewed on her straw some more and once again peaked out of the window, "What do you think his mission is about? When was the last time that Hatake Kakashi was sent out on a solo mission to Iwa?"

"No idea."

"I tried to get Shishou to tell me the details of his mission…"

"You personally went to bug the Hokage? I think you're doomed…"

"I knew I was in deep when I told him I loved him," Sakura replied curtly, "But seriously, Shishou refused to tell me anything about his mission. She didn't even mention the rank or anything. Shishou usually tells me anything that I need to know about my team."

"Lucky butt…"

"But do you know what the weirdest part is? Shishou was practically drowning down the sake while I was interrogating her and I mean three bottles in five minutes…"

"Probably because you're freaking scary when you're interrogating people…"

"And she only drowns down the sake when there is bad news. Does this mean that Kakashi is already dead and she just can't tell me!"

"Calm down Forehead, you're going to get wrinkles at this rate." Ino looked around the café; there were already a couple stares that were coming their way. Usually it was her that was the loud one, now she knew what it was like to be on the other side.

"Pig! What if Kakashi is dead and Shishou is trying to drown that sorrow and loss away and that's why she can't tell me what the heck is going on and Pig! Tell me something good already," Sakura cried out as she clutched her head dramatically and shook is with vigor. "He can't be dead, he seriously can't be dead. Is he dead Pig?"

"Who's dead?" a deep voice asked behind Sakura.

"Her boyfriend," Ino smiled as she shifted over.

"Don't call Kakashi my boyfriend, that just sounds so wrong…" Sakura mumbled.

"Fantastic lover then…"

"Go to hell Pig."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru remarked as he took a seat right beside the blond. "He's only been gone for two days."

"That's what I told her."

"Of course."

"She's going to get wrinkles…"

"From worrying too much."

"I know right?"

"And then you troublesome women will complain about it."

"You know it."

"Do you two always think on the same train of thought?" Sakura scowled as the two had their own private discussion right in front of her. When they didn't reply Sakura's face twisted into a deeper scowl, "And all this time I thought that Shikamaru was smart, but obviously his brain has short circuited now that he has chosen to date you."

"Oi Forehead, I'm freaking brilliant."

"Whatever, I'm going to go to work now," Sakura muttered as she stood up with her half finished cold tea and her beyond the point of repair straw.

"Don't kill yourself with worry Forehead."

"I'm sure Kakashi won't be happy to come home to worried, pink, troublesome woman."

"Thanks Shikamaru, but only you come home to a troublesome woman."

"Except blond," the lazy genius corrected gently.

"Better be."

"Troublesome."

Sakura sneered when the two reentered their private world as she threw open the café door and marched out onto the street. Receiving stares and glaring back at all those who gave, Sakura left a path of dust in her wake. Ino giggled up a storm when Shikamaru sighed and leaned forward on his elbows, "I thought you couldn't keep a secret for your life."

"Secrets aren't the same as gossip, and ohh do I have some good gossip," Ino giggled loudly. Once again the attention in the café was back on the longhaired blond and her exasperated boyfriend.

Sakura reached the hospital, tore through the nurse's station and snarled at every living thing that she had met and then started her workday. Between the patients and the medical miracles that she had witnessed and performed she had managed to forget, if just for a little while, about the copy nin who was currently working out of the city and/or possibly dead. She had fixed a whole entire genin team's bones after a mission gone wrong, sent the previously untouched jonin in charge of the team across the city and she had managed to extract poison from a whole Anbu squadron before the morning was over.

However, at lunchtime, it all came back into perspective as she stared out the front door of the hospital with an empty stomach.

"N-Naruto, I have no lunch!" Sakura cried as she buried her face into her hands and sobbed. She had made it this far back into the hospital, shoving once again through the nurses before collapsing on one of the couches.

Naruto blinked and flailed around her not exactly knowing what to do, he had experienced Sakura like this before, but he had never been alone during those times. He had no idea who the brilliant person was that had called him for this particular emergency; obviously they knew nothing about their team dynamic, even Sai would have been a better choice for an emotional Sakura. "Uh, I can get you some lunch Sakura-chan!"

"I have no lunch because I keep on expecting him outside the hospital doors with a bento box and he's not! Now I'm troubling you because I was being so foolish!" The sobs only got louder and all the nurses on duty tried their hardest to ignore the medic that was having a break down in the waiting room in front of their future Hokage. They knew Sakura was volatile, they just hadn't known that she cared so much for the copy nin with a huge aversion to the building.

Naruto stuttered again while he flailed his arms and decided to put them on her shoulders in the last moment as she continued to sob in her hands. "Neh, Sakura-chan I can go get you some ramen if you're really hungry and it isn't troublesome at all. You're hanging around Shikamaru too much," Naruto stuttered as he tried to remain calm. For once in his life he wished Sai was there with them, at least the boy was eerily calm when Sakura was crying her eyes out. The boy could make her angry instantly and an angry Sakura was better than a crying Sakura.

"But it's not the same! There isn't the touch of love!" Sakura bawled as she wiped at the tears coming from her eyes.

"But I love you Sakura-chan!"

"It's still not the same!" Her stomach growled at her wearily and she sniffled, "However, I guess it's okay, but can I come with you actually. The nurses kind of demanded that I go back home after I threw the chair at the window when Kakashi hadn't appeared for lunch… I don't know why I should go home for something like that, do you?"

Naruto laughed nervously, "I would never imagine why…"

"Do you know where Kakashi is?" Sakura mumbled weakly as she stood up with the help of her friend.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously, "No clue, let's go get food Sakura-chan. Food!"

Sakura laughed and nodded as Naruto turned away and sighed in relief. He couldn't resist her puppy dog eyes when she wanted to really know something; thankfully he usually didn't so she usually didn't try.

Sakura rolled in bed and sighed. She had been trying to go to sleep for the past two hours but sleep was not coming to her. Her side of the bed, which was usually just enough for her was just not cutting it for once and she was frustrated as to why. She had been having the same problems for the past couple of nights, but usually exhaustion would come and she would faint before midnight, but not tonight. Tonight she wasn't tired because the stupid nurses had sent her home early. "Arg," Sakura mumbled as she dug her face into her pillow. The fabric was now clammy and warm; the other side was the same. She had flipped over her pillow multiple times already and it didn't help at all.

"Kakashi…you suck…" Sakura mumbled into her pillow as she turned her head and stared at his side of the bed. It was empty. They had their sides, but once in a while it didn't really matter. The reason her pillow wasn't quite cutting it these days was because he had become her pillow and he wasn't there at the moment to pillow her.

"When you come back I'm going to not let you sleep for three days," Sakura mumbled as she rolled over and stared at the ceiling. She blinked a couple times before turning a bright red and crossed her eyes. She sighed as she rolled on the bed and finally decided to invade his side, "And you are not going to like it either you pervert…"

Sakura dug her face into his pillow and breathed in the deep scent that was so copy nin, "Great now I'm talking to you as though you were actually here. I'm in… much too deep…"

The next thing Sakura was aware of was the sunshine that shone down on her and the scent that surrounded her. It appeared that her solution to her sleepless nights had been his side of the bed all along. It smelled exactly like Kakashi.

"Sai, you called for me?" Sakura asked as she stuck her head out of the hallway first before revealing her whole entire body. She was back at the hospital working again after arguing with Shizune and Tsunade about how unreasonable the nurses had been for kicking her out of the facility.

She had to replace the window and chair with her own money before she was readmitted into the establishment and even then it was rather reluctantly. Most of the nurses refused to come close to her more than ever. Some already believed that she was a witch that had managed to cast a spell on Hatake Kakashi in order for him to come so close to the hospital and that theory had only been solidified by Sakura's insane reaction to the lack of said Kakashi.

"Yes, hag." Sai gave her his trademark smile, and Sakura resisted the urge to punch the boy. Shizune had mentioned anger management in the one week that Kakashi had been gone and Sakura was using all of her will power to prove the Hokage's assistant that she was wrong. "You might want to go to the Konoha gate right now, the sooner you see him the better for the whole village."

"He's coming home?" Sakura squeaked as she rushed forward to shove her face into the of Sai's.

Sai only stepped back slightly from the sudden onslaught, "The books say that women are supposed to meet up with the man they love after a long journey…"

"How do you know he's coming home?"

"He sent one of his mutts ahead of him to tell us that he wanted to see you the moment he was back."

"He did?" Sakura squealed.

"He did, but I don't know why he would want to see your ugly face first thing into the village," Sai replied.

At that moment Sakura thought 'to hell with anger management' and sent him flying out of the hospital doors. She had a copy nin to meet at the gate and the boy was just being annoying.

Sadly Sai hadn't even deserved the hit had Sakura held back for a couple more seconds to hear his next words. Good thing she hadn't though.

Sakura excused herself from the hospital with little resistance, no one ever resisted the pink haired medic, and rushed back to the apartment that she now shared with the copy nin to get changed out of her work uniform. Dressing up nice with a short, black skirt and matching shorts, a short-sleeved red shirt and sensible but pretty shoes Sakura dashed towards the Konoha gate. When she arrived Kakashi hadn't appeared yet. He was late, but that was no surprise.

"Where is he?"

"The answer is still the same as five minutes ago Sakura-san," Izumo replied with an idle grin.

"He did say he would be here soon right?"

"What is soon to the copy nin?" Kotetsu replied with a smirk.

"Soon would be now boys. Yo!" Kakashi greeted as he appeared with a whirlwind of leaves. The next thing he knew he was on the ground with a pink haired blob pinning down his body. He blinked in shock, when was the last time he had ever been taken by surprise… other than those two incidences that were never going to be mentioned again.

"Kakashi!" Sakura sobbed as she hugged him tighter and snuggled her face into his jonin vest.

"So glad you're back," Izumo laughed, "Your girlfriend nearly tore apart the city in the time you were gone."

"Is that so?" Kakashi asked as he looked at Sakura who was still clinging on to him for dear life, "That's a good sign."

"Good luck man, I'll tell Tsunade-sama for you," Kotetsu muttered as he shook his head and ran off towards the Hokage tower, "She'll probably need another crate of sake after today as well…"

"Remember to tell anyone else that needs to know!" Izumo shouted.

Kakashi nodded as he shifted to stand up with Sakura still attached to his side, "Was it really that bad with me gone?"

Sakura nodded her head as she sniffled, "I haven't eaten anything but ramen for the past week, I haven't had caffeine in the same period of time, Ino says that I'm going to look old soon, the nurses are picking on me, I can barely sleep and Shizune says that I need anger management classes…"

"Shizune's suggestion is very…"

"Don't say it!"

Kakashi sighed when Sakura smacked his arm and then laughed as he embraced the pink haired girl tightly to him. He had missed her just as much as well, but he would never say it, "Does having me not here mess you up that much?"

"Don't ever leave without me again…"

"Ah…"

"I missed you Kakashi."

"Do you want to take a walk then? Just you and me?" Kakashi asked as he looked down at the girl that he loved. He hoped that the last question would fend away all of the watchers, but he knew he was doomed from the moment that Ino had appeared from the other side of the Hokage's door when he had requested his trip to Iwa.

"Okay…" Sakura murmured and shifted so that she held onto his arm only. Kakashi grinned under his mask as Izumo gave him a curt nod and a roll of his eyes. Kakashi then set off down the path and towards the training grounds, "This is going to be extremely romantic isn't it?"

"Most of our memories are in that place," Kakashi replied as he continued to tug her along.

"I didn't think that this is what you would mean for a walk. I would have dressed more appropriately," Sakura pouted.

"I think you look beautiful."

Sakura blushed, "Thank you…"

"You have looked beautiful for a long time now." Kakashi sighed; his plan was rolling along nicely so far.

"I didn't think you were into flattery…"

"But the most beautiful I ever thought you were was when you were sitting under this very tree…"

"Is that so?" Sakura asked as she stared at the aforementioned tree. She couldn't recall anything special about it.

"This was the place where I saw you reading Icha Icha for the first time," Kakashi replied with a happy smile and a lecherous grin.

"There is the Kakashi I know," Sakura laughed as she playfully slapped his arm, "It's a good book."

"I know, but I brought you back here for a reason."

"Oh really?"

"Yah, we're now Back at One…"

"Huh?"

"The place where you became my dream come true…"

"Are you quoting from one of the books Kakashi? Because that's just not right…"

"It was also on this training ground that I discovered that I just wanted to be with you…"

"I see… you ARE quoting from one of your books…"

"Here was where I also found out that you're the only one for me."

Sakura smiled, "I'm glad that that was the case."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"An old man like me?" Kakashi asked as he grabbed both of her hands in his and held them up to his cheeks.

"You're not old Kakashi," Sakura scowled as she tugged at his mask and pulled it down so that it pooled around his neck. She leaned up and pecked him on the lips.

"No maybe I'm not," Kakashi murmured as he faced her quickly and then promptly dropped down to one knee. Gasps were heard. He reached into his pocket and tried to dig out what he had searched for, purchased and stored there on his 'mission' to Iwa. He looked up at the pink haired girl as he began to pull the object from his pocket.

Sakura blinked slowly before screaming out. Kakashi was beyond proud of himself; he knew that making the long trip was worth the reaction from the girl. Iwa after all made the best ones. But then Kakashi blinked as Sakura's face was suddenly on level with his, which was not supposed to happen. "You STUPID IDIOT!"

Whatever he had planned to say instantly buzzed out of his head, "What?"

"You are the most foolish man on the face of history!" Sakura cried out as she ripped his vest open with a loud snap. Snickers could be heard all around her but she didn't pay much attention to the extra noise.

"Uh…"

"I knew the you were injured!" Sakura muttered darkly as she continued to tear his shirt open. More snickers. "You always get injured on your dangerous and stupid missions."

Kakashi blanched, "I'm what?" He was growing paler by the second. For once in his life he had made a plan and now it was falling apart right before his eyes. It was official, he was never planning anything ever again.

"You got injured on your stupid mission again and you didn't tell me right away!" The snickers had turned into guffaws.

"I didn't get injured at all Sakura…"

"Then why did you fall to your knees?" Sakura demanded with a poke to his bare chest. Laughs didn't quite describe the sounds that were coming out of the trees now.

Kakashi could feel the sweat rolling down his neck, "I was trying to…"

"Trying to what you dufus?"

"I was trying to propose to you Sakura…"

Silence passed between the two as Sakura stopped running her hands across his chest and over his arms. His muscles tensed as Sakura's eyes ran over his form and his kneeled position. Her eyes then flashed to his hand where the one of a kind gem and ring were still being clenched. Her mouth opened into an 'O' before she turned a bright red. "You were trying to…"

"Just stand back up Sakura…"

"Y-Yah!" Sakura stuttered as she clamored to her feet and shoved her hand into his face.

Kakashi just laughed as Sakura continued to turn even redder than before. Her extended hand was shaking and he grabbed it gently with his own and gave her a reassuring smile. Screw his totally awesome plan, "Haruno Sakura…" He was going back to plan one, "Will you marry me?"

"Y-yes! I m-mean I can't even live without you anymore, if this week had anything to say to that…" Sakura murmured as Kakashi slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up to hold her once again. The laughs continued in the trees although now it seemed as though they were trying to be concealed. "I'm so sorry…" Sakura murmured as she hid her face into his chest in embarrassment.

"It's okay… you wouldn't be you if you didn't do something stupid," Kakashi replied as he held her close and grinned into her hair. He hadn't been able to sleep for the past few days either. He took in a deep breath and sighed in contentment.

"Everyone is watching aren't they," Sakura murmured into his vest as her cheeks heated up, "Everything everyone said this week makes sense now…"

"Yah they are and yes they do, but that doesn't matter. You're mine now, and I love you."

"Ah…I love you too," Sakura murmured, "Now let's go home so that you can be my pillow…"

"Okay."

A/N: This is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. The proposal was what I wanted to write the most for this whole entire story but I don't know if it ended up like how I wanted it to be. It hope that you enjoyed this story. And now for shameless advertising. Tell me if you like the idea!

Premise: AU Sakura's brother, Sasuke, has found himself blinded just as Danzou and his nins invade the Fire Country and so Sakura takes his place in the all male regime not expecting her general to be the famed Hatake Kakashi. KakaSaku. Based on Disney's Mulan