Kakashi sat up in his bed sleepily beside him Anko slept soundly, her chest rising and falling with her deep even breaths. When they had returned from the mission he immediately requested another when he returned, Anko had met him at the gate and offered to buy him a drink. He agreed and last night they had slept together. Anything to keep his mind busy, anything to keep him from thinking about her, he felt weak, ungodly so. He had let her get captured and he had let her get hurt, to the point of faintness due to blood loss. How could her face her?

Anko sighed and rolled over to look at him. She smiled weakly as he looked down at her. "Go to her," she said in the quiet stillness of the morning. "I slept with you last night because I thought I could get her off your mind for you," she looked at the sheets, "but I don't ink that's something I can do."

Kakashi sighed and got out of bed and padded his way into the bathroom. He stared the shower and ditching his clothing. The icy chill water jumped his skin alive. He sighed and looked at the plaster tub as the water swirled down the drain. How could he go to her, no doubt she hated him. He knew Naruto had seen him with Anko, and there was no doubt in his mind that Sakura knew what he had done.

How could he go to her? How could her explain his actions?

He heard Anko leave, he sighed and got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her waist. Dressing quickly he disappeared into the streets of Konoha, hoping to find some way to drown the pain his heart was feeling. He was ready for almost anything, ready for everything, except what he saw when he walked down a normally quiet road that led to the academy. It was where the rows of bridges lay, and on one bridge, towards the back, sitting on a bench were Sakura and Genma, kissing.

He felt horrible. He had talked to Genma the night before the mission they had left on, he told him that he and Sakura had agreed to be friends with benefits, but the way that they were holding each other, the way they were attached to each other made him rethink that. They looked much more than that. Like they were falling in love.

He walked over there and cleared his throat to get their attention. Genma pulled away slightly and looked up at him, not removing his hands from around her shoulders and waist, Sakura's remained on his shoulder and hip. Her lips were red and swollen from the assault, and her eyes were glassy. He remembered the night they had spent in the tent, she looked the same way it had drove him crazy back then, and it was killing him to see her that way with Genma now.

"What are you two doing?" he asked putting his hands in his pockets and leaning on the railing across the way.

"Nothing that you would be interested in," Sakura mumbled pulling far enough away from Genma that she could sit up straight.

Genma sighed a little and slouched. "Kakashi is there something we can help you with?" he asked keeping an arm wrapped around Sakura.

"Yeah, I thought you couldn't keep a relationship going, I thought you were going to leave her alone, so what changed?" he asked.

Genma glared a little. "Don't you dare Hatake." He stood up and his glare intensified. "You're running from your feelings. I thought you ilove/i her. I thought she was the addiction you couldn't fight, that you didn't want to. So why did you leave as soon as you got back, without seeing her to the hospital, without making sure she was okay. Why were you with Anko yesterday?" Kakashi flinched at his words and looked down.

Sakura looked between the two men and stood up. "Boys, have fun, I'm going home." She sighed and stared walking home. Kakashi and Genma both watched her go before turning back to look at each other.

"What are you doing Kakashi? You're going to lose her."

"You think I don't know that?!" Kakashi snapped. "You think I like this?" he glared and looked down. "I hate this. I was too weak to protect her, she got hurt because of me."

"Oh save the drama for the bedroom seriously." Genma groaned. "She's a kunoichi Kakashi, and very capable chunin and next week she'll pass the jonin exams with flying colors. Getting hurt is in the job description. She knows that, and you do too. People die in our line of work. You. Cant. Stop. That."

Kakashi knew he was right but he didn't want to believe it. He knew that this was all a part of being a shinobi, but he couldn't help it, he needed to protect her. It was in his nature…but he knew it couldn't be helped. "I know," he said softly.

Genma turned and started walking, "Good, because you're going to lose her." He kept walking and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.