A little wobbly, but surely, Sakura walked passed the front gates of Konoha. She felt much better, still a little weak, but much better. It was interesting waking up next to Kakashi again. A little different than last time, she thought with a slight pink hue to her cheeks. She opened her eyes to see him looking straight forward, as if marching with determination. She couldn't stop the thought of wishing he would take off his mask again. She remembered his face in detail, but it was still a very nice face to look at.

He noticed she was awake and smiled down at her. That's when she remembered he had dimples under there somewhere. At that point she knew she needed to walk on her own before she drove herself crazy with thoughts of Kakashi.

So here she was, trying to march with confidence into the gates of Konoha. She didn't want them to see her as the weakest link anymore. Not how she was when she was younger. She wanted to be an equal, and an equal didn't need to be carried home by their team leader after a fight.

"Haruno-san!" Sakura blinked and turned to see one of the interns of the emergency clinic sprinting up to her. "We have an emergency, Team Asuma just arrived and-" Ino's team. Her heart clenched as she could feel Sasuke freeze beside her too. Wasn't Ino on leave to only work in the clinic till after the baby was born? Sasuke answered that question when he immediately began to sprint toward the clinic.

"She said she wanted to do one more mission before going on leave, she promised she would be fine! She is such a stupid woman! I shouldn't have listened to her!" Sasuke seemed to be yelling more at himself than at anyone else. Sakura quickly forgot her fatigue as she sprinted next to Sasuke, nearly blowing the doors off the hinges of the clinic as they ran in.

"Which room!?" The intern at the desk squeaked out," Fourteen," as Sasuke and Sakura yelled the demand in unison. Time seemed to slow down as they ran down the hall; nurses with bloody gloves were running out of the room that seemed to be in chaos. "Ino…" Sasuke froze outside of the door, unable to go in. Sakura busted passed him to see Ino covered in blood… standing over the bloody body of Asuma. Ino's eyes were filled with tears as she tried to heal him. She was shaking with exhaustion and she seemed focused only on Asuma.

"Ino, let me take over!" Sakura rolled up her sleeves with out hesitation and began to frantically work on Asuma. He had been run through the chest by several blades, which she could see were already removed by Ino. In Ino's panic she hadn't been able to heal him properly as she removed them so he was bleeding internally. The room seemed to glow a vibrant green as she forced as much chakra as she could into Asuma, his heart beat was faint, but it was still beating. She knew she still had a chance because Ino had kept him alive.

"Don't die Asuma…don't die…" Sakura's determined face didn't falter, even when he gasped and coughed up blood. A good sign that he was fighting.

Ino stood off to the side, her front covered in blood as she mumbled through sobs.

"He knows I'm pregnant, he threw himself in front of the blow, he protected me and now he's-"

"Don't you dare say that, Ino!" Sakura yelled in anger, not even looking away from her patient. "Go let Sasuke know you are alright. He is worried sick…" She tried to soften her voice to Ino, she knew just how angry she sounded but only because how hard she was concentrating. Ino was a wreck, this was a man she loved as dearly as if he were family and she had managed to keep him alive this long. Sakura would do her best to save his life. For his sake and Ino's.


Kakashi and Naruto ran up behind Sasuke, just as the operating room doors opened, and a very distraught Ino exited. Before she could get a word out Sasuke nearly knocked her off her feet. He picked her up and hugged her so tight she could only accept it in complete shock.

"I thought…" Ino hugged him back and began sobbing again.

"Asuma saved me. If it wasn't for him…"

Kakashi walked up to the operating room to see Sakura lighting up the room with her medical jutsu as interns scrambled around her trying to do everything she said. Her eyes looked dangerously focused, and the last time he saw that look was when her parents were…

The last time he saw that look was when she was trying to save her parents.

She hadn't shed a tear until Tsunade shook her and forced her to stop. Telling her that they had passed. They were too badly burned to bring back. That if she continued pumping her chakra into their hollow shells she would die along with them.

That's the last time he saw her face look that dangerously focused. As if she was going to pour her life into theirs to make sure they survived. He had been the one to carry her home that night, the one who comforted her and stayed with her all night. That's the night she stopped calling him Kakashi-sensei. The night he began to truly treat her as an equal.

He could only stand in awe of the woman, knowing that Asuma would make it. He would make it even if it truly looked grim for him.


They sat in the waiting room for hours. It was dark outside, and the dull sound of thunder seemed to fit their moods. Ino had already fallen asleep against Sasuke's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her as she curled up closer to him. If the air wasn't so thick with anticipation and worry it would have been the perfect time to nag him about his supposed self proclaimed lack of feelings for Ino. It was most definitely not the time though. Hinata was there too, she had brought food for everyone and ramen for Naruto. They all couldn't touch it though. Naruto just sat there, clinging to Hinata's hand in silence. This was the kind of night that reminded you to tell the one you loved just how much you loved them.

Kakashi could only pat Kurenai's back; her sobbing had eased hours before, now she only stared intensely at the operating doors.

The silence broke as Sakura slowly pushed the doors open. She looked about to fall over as she slowly made her way to the waiting area.

"He is going to be fine… he just needs to rest for a while. Kurenai, you can see him; he is being transferred to the recovery wing." Sakura said quietly, a tired smile gracing her lips. Kurenai stood up and nearly picked Sakura up in a hug.

"Sakura-san…" That was all she could say as she slipped passed her, almost jogging to see Asuma.

"You all go home; Ino nearly used all the chakra she had to keep him alive. Take her home Sasuke; she can see him in the morning. You two go home also." She looked sternly at Naruto and Hinata. "We can all visit in the morning."

They nodded, and began to slowly get up, still staring at her in amazement. Sakura had really become a powerful Kunoichi in more ways than one.

As she slowly shuffled the group out of the clinic, she turned to see Kakashi standing in the middle of the waiting room. He stared at her and she stared tiredly back.

"I want to go home, care to join me on the walk back?" Kakashi smiled and slowly walked to her side.

"Was planning on it whether you wanted me to or not." Sakura smiled at his comment as they began to walk out into the cool night. A slight drizzle was already coming down, but she didn't mind. She welcomed it. It woke her up, and seeing she had been in a stuffy operating room for hours after a very long trip, she almost needed it.

They both made their way slowly down the street in a slightly uncomfortable silence. They knew what was coming, and Kakashi was readying himself for it.

She stopped as her hands slowly made their way to her face. A sob broke the silence just as sky opened and began to pour.

She didn't even try to move as the rain soaked her to the bone. Kakashi didn't run for cover either as he reached over and gripped the back of her head, pulling her into a his chest for comforting hug. She knew why he was trying to comfort her. He knew why she was crying.

"I could feel their pulse. They were borderline. I just didn't have anything else to give. They died because I wasn't strong enough. It was my fault." She sobbed into his chest. Kakashi pulled her to him tighter and his eyes closed.

"Sakura, it wasn't your fault. You tried so hard, but it was their fate to pass on then together."

"I don't want to feel like this every night something like this happens. Knowing I was strong enough to save this person, but not my own parents…" Kakashi pushed her back slightly and cupped her face with his now wet gloved hand.

"You were very strong tonight, they would be damn proud of you. Just like we all are." She closed her eyes as more tears ran down her face, mixing with the streams of rain. "Your parents died knowing the fact you gave your all for them. They knew how much you loved them."

Sakura's eyes opened slowly to see Kakashi staring at her so intently. He always knew what to say to calm her from her crying fits after nights like this one. He was always there for her, only saying things like this to her. He was only open like this for her. He was her best friend. Things seemed to blur around her as she lost her balance, slumping against him.

"I'm so tired…" Kakashi smiled and scooped her up in his arms for the second time that day and began to walking home again.

"You depleted you chakra again while working on Asuma. You need rest." He was explaining to deaf ears, she had already fallen asleep in his arms. She began shivering from the cold and with out thinking about it he squatted, propping her in his lap as he shrugged off his vest to wrap it around her. He hoisted her up and began walking again.