Me: *glares at the computer*

Sasuke: Ha finally feeling like this was a bad idea?

Me: No. The computer keeps flickering.

Sasuke:…..

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. You would know if I did.

The bar was unusually rowdy and smelled heavily of smoke. The table I sat at also hosted Gai, Asume, Iruka, Jeriya, And a couple other teachers from the academy.

There were few nights where I would go out drinking with the guys. And even when I did go I rarely ever drank. SaiKura doesn't like alcohol so I do my best to limit it.

Speaking of SaiKura….

Asume said something that was apparently funny, because the whole table erupted in laughter. They obviously were all pleasantly drunk, because there was no way wine bottle corks were funny. Shaking my head slightly amused, I returned to my thoughts.

SaiKura.

She had been looking like hell for a while now. She was to thin, to pale, and to quiet, to everything. She always took time to take care of the kids and the rest of her time she spent working. I never got to see her anymore. There were nights were she'd wake up screaming and bleeding and all I could do was hold on to her. She's slipping from me and I know it. It's horrible to feel like she's going to break and it's even worse to know she's going to break. And all I can do is wait.

Dan was waiting too. Even though he was only five he seemed to know that his mommy is slipping and he was scared. He began to sleep in our room. Afraid that if he woke up in his own bed, he'd finds that his Mommy had disappeared just like Lylas did.

Lylas. Three months had passed since she died and it hung over the villages like a cloud that would never give way to sun. Everyone felt her loss. Hell even the trees felt her loss. They grayed and drooped sadly as if they had been hit by a horrible storm.

Sasuke was still a hermit. I heard about the threat that SaiKura had given him, but still he hunkered in his house, refused to move and refused to take care of himself. Itachi force-fed him, but that was all he managed before Sasuke had enough strength to lash out at him.

Itachi himself wasn't doing to good, but he was to busy trying to keep everyone else going that he couldn't grieve properly. Kirin did her best to keep him going to but she was losing the battle with herself to.

And me? Well I tried to stop SaiKura's demons. I tried to be strong just like Lylas wanted me to. I tried to take care of myself. But in the end all I can really do is continue to love her and be there and even then, I, myself, want to break down and cry.

So summery of everything?

Everything has gone to hell in a nutshell.

Something light landed on my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts. The table around me bustled on, but when I turned around everything around me seemed to stop. SaiKura gave me a sheepish smile, but it quickly turned to a sad one. Tenderly she combed a hand through my hair. I saw tears pooling at the side of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. I grabbed her hand and held it. I had a feeling I knew what was coming.

"It's Sunday shouldn't you be working late tonight?" I asked. She shook her head. "No." She replied. "From this moment on I am no longer the Mizukage." Silence reined behind me as the others processed this through their drunken addled brains. I just stared, my mouth hanging open. Not that anyone could really tell due to the mask.

She sighed. "I declared myself unfit for the position, so I passed the seat to Shinomaru." "But you loved your job." Asume slurred looking comically shocked. She just shrugged and gave another sad smile. "Sometimes there are choices that have to be made, no matter who is made unhappy by it. Because they still have to be done."

I couldn't help but notice that she didn't look at me as she said this.

Two weeks later

It'd been two weeks since SaiKura's announcement. Naruto as the Hokage was naturally pissed. A lot of questions were asked and it seemed that he was getting more of them than he was getting answers.

For some unknown reason I found myself hugging and kissing SaiKura every chance I had. I helped her more in the kitchen and refused missions that came my way. I even helped her clean out her office. That was an unpleasant job let me tell you.

Groaning I let my head fall onto Iruka's desk. Iruka who had been grading papers gave him a worried look. Though he did turn to glare at Asume as he entered the room smoking. Asume naturally ignored him. "Your looking rather depressed my friend." Asume said, sounding slightly concerned. Staring at him blankly I wondered if I deemed him worthy enough of an answer. "AHHHHH MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL! I HAVE COME TO CHALLENGE YOU ONCE AGAIN!"

Groaning I ducked to avoid the flying pencil attack from Gai. The green monster jumped in through the window to sit on the desk. "Not today Gai." Iruka muttered looking distastefully at the now crinkled papers on his desk. Gai opened his mouth to give an elaborate speech on how not challenging yourself everyday will cause you to die young.

He never got the chance too.

The class room door opened and SaiKura stood there with her head held high and her back straight as a rod. I could smell mint, and I immediately noticed that she was freshly showered. She looked healthier and I would have assumed that she was on the way to recovery…. If it weren't for the fact that she wasn't smiling.

"Sai?" I'd learned long ago that I was the only one she'd allow to call her that. Sasuke did call her that, but it was always said in a sneer or a degrading way. Without any warning she strode forward, pulled my mask down and pulled me into a desperate kiss. I could literally feel the shock emitting from the three guys in the room. Oh yeah forgot to tell them I was dating the Mizukage.

Though I forgot them as the kiss grew even more desperate. She held onto me as if I was her only connection to life and I clung just as hard back. The kiss dragged on for what felt like for ever, and I was afraid of the moment when I had to let her go. Yes I may have kissed her in the past, but this one felt…..final.

She was the one that pulled back. For a moment she just stared at me, running a hand through my hair. "I am so sorry." She said and she walked away.

I will always regret the seconds of hesitancy that I waited before realization struck me and I got up to follow her. Once outside, I found she was gone. Panicked, I made a mad dash to the apartment. The door was unlocked. The living room and kitchen looked untouched, but further inside what he found was devastating.

Nothing.

The kids rooms were empty. Nothing was left. The beds, book cases and cloths, all of it was gone. There was no trace to indicate anyone of them had been there. Even the pictures were gone.

Hesitantly I made it to our bedroom door. I was afraid to find what I knew was inside. The room held no trace of her. Not even a smell. All she ever had was gone.

Except the piece of paper that lay on his bed written in my hand writing. It was short, but at least it was something.

Kakashi,

I am so sorry that I just left like this. I know I'm taking your kids away from you but… I feel that I owe this to Lylas. I feel that I have to take care of her family. And I'm part of that family. You are to, but your stronger than me, you can go on without the reminders. I can't.

I have severed my ties with my village and I have removed all reminders of me and the kids from your house, to make things easier. I'm taking Sasuke and the kids to a quiet summer home north from here, once we've settled I'll contact you and you can come visit the kids.

I told you I had some decisions to make, and they had to be made, even if some people got hurt in the process. I'm pretty sure Lylas wouldn't really approve, but I think that at least she'd understand.

I'm not sure that you do though. Kakashi, I love you. I love you so much, but I need to do this. I need to do this so that I won't break and fall apart. Please I beg you to understand. I love you. Goodbye

SaiKura

Tears fell onto the paper and for a moment I refused to believe they were mine. But after a while though, it was useless. I threw the letter on the ground and sat there on the bed. She said she that had to do this before she broke, but what she didn't realize is that by just doing this, that she was already broken.

Ok I know. This was so cliché. All well at least it's done.