Drat those traps, thought Kakashi as he edged around a particularly nasty trap consisting of several exploding tags, spikes and poison-tipped senbon. His destination was close, and yet he had to advance at snail's pace to avoid traps. Frustration and impatience gnawed at him.

After neutralizing a final trap, he came upon a small clearing in the forest. There was a small shrine-like building there with a set of stairs leading downward. It reminded him of Orochimaru's secret underground base, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Funny how the clearly-displayed stairs seemed to be inviting him in. Tsunade's warnings repeated themselves in his mind, and with a mental effort he pushed them away. He didn't come so far just to turn back.

Sakura's face came to mind, and he steeled himself to go on.

He crept down the stairs, Sharingan activated, peering intently before him as the passage grew darker. Not long afterwards, a large wooden door came into sight.

Inspecting it, Kakashi found that it was locked from inside. Double iron bolts. Apparently that meant no lock-picking.

Oh, well. He'll just have to kick it down.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"My, my. Here comes your knight in shining armor." A feminine voice spoke near Sakura's ear.

Sakura, who had been dozing fitfully, jerked awake. "What?" Her body was weary from the drug they administered to her an hour or so ago. The doses could only last so long, so she had three injections a day to keep her chakra in check.

The woman gave her an impish smile that she decided she would hate for the rest of her life.

"He tripped some of our 'sensors'. If I'm not mistaken, which I rarely am, he's right outside the door," said a man, appearing from another room.

Another one of the woman's comrades. Damn him.

"Alone."

Then, as the man's words sank in, Sakura's eyes widened in terror. If Kakashi came in now, he would be faced with two ninja carrying a hostage. He would never win in his desire to protect her. Immediately, she opened her mouth to scream.

But it was already too late.

With a deafening bang, the door flew off its hinges and crashed to the ground. Natural light filtered in, along with the spiky-haired silhouette of Kakashi Hatake.

"Good to see you, Hatake. I was starting to think you'd never arrive," said the man, stepping forward and offering a hand.

Kakashi's eyes flickered to meet Sakura's before turning back to the matter at hand. Something was wrong. He could see Sakura's chakra flowing in her, but why didn't she use it to break free?

"What do you want with me?" he asked quietly, ignoring the man.

The woman laughed. "Why, you're a clever one, aren't you? Well, here's the deal. You give yourself over quietly, and your girlfriend goes free. If you don't, she dies." She moved closer to Sakura and held a kunai to her throat.

"What do you want with me?" he repeated, gaze steely.

"Just your memories, is all," answered the man casually. "Unfortunately, you'll have to die as well."

"Don't do it!" Sakura shrieked. "They'll use your copied jutsus to-"

"Shut up, you noisy little b*tch," the woman snarled, pressing the blade harder to her skin. She whimpered, and cast her pleading eyes on Kakashi.

His eyes hardened.

"So what's it going to be-"

With a soft sound of metal cutting through air, a kunai sank deep into the woman's wrist.

With a shriek of pain, the woman dropped the kunai she held. Kakashi's blade had gone clean through her right wrist, rendering it useless. Blood poured from the wound.

Using her left hand, the woman fumbled for another kunai, preparing to stab Sakura through the heart. Kakashi leapt towards her, and a furious battle of taijutsu ensued.

While Kakashi was occupied keeping the woman away from Sakura, the man performed a set of hand seals. The tiles of the floor cracked and shattered as a great earthen fist rose from beneath and slammed on the ground, nearly squashing Kakashi.

He did a quick back flip and performed a few hand seals of his own. Drawing a deep breath, he blew through his fingers, igniting a wave of fire. The duo hurriedly leapt out of the way, but not before sustaining numerous burns.

All the papers and chemicals in the room promptly burst into flame. Sakura let out a screech as the tables beside her caught fire.

Crap.

He let out a yell as the great fist smacked into him, sending him flying into the nearest wall. Slumping to the ground, he hurriedly staggered to his feet.

The woman came at him, a kunai in her left hand. As he fought her off, the man attacked him from behind, forcing him to concentrate to coordinate his attacks.

All the while Sakura had been watching helplessly as the board she was bound to started burning at the edges. Not too soon after, flames started licking at her limbs.

Distracted by Sakura's whimpers of pain, Kakashi sustained more and more cuts as his focus wavered. If he didn't hurry Sakura would be roasted alive. Deciding to save Sakura first, he flung his kunai at the shackle binding her right arm. In her opponent's momentary lapse of attention, the woman drove her kunai into Kakashi's stomach.

He gasped in pain, and the man kicked him over the head, sending him to the ground. Every attempt to regain footing was met by a vicious kick to his body.

Sakura, having managed to free her right arm, grabbed the kunai and hacked away at her other shackles. In no time, she was free. She took a step towards the exit and out of the scorching heat, and paused.

Kakashi was being tormented. Having staggered to his feet, she watched as the man punched him in the face, narrowly missing his nose. A kunai was embedded in his left shoulder, and two more were lodged in his torso.

Kakashi was paying the price for her freedom.

The silver-haired jounin looked up, and saw her watching him, pain and conflict in her eyes. She wanted to help him, but did not have the power to.

He could almost see her broken heart.

"Go, Sakura, go now," he croaked painfully. The woman slashed his face with a senbon, and he gritted his teeth as the man kicked his head again. The world darkened before his eyes, and Sakura's face faded away.

He was going to die, but he didn't care. As long as Sakura was safe he would be satisfied. She was his life, and as long as she lived, he would be a peaceful man.

Sakura…I love you…

"Kakashi!"

Her face materialized in his mind's eye. Her pink hair, her soft lips, her painfully beautiful features…

Goodbye…

Everything faded away into nothingness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The man dealt Kakashi a crushing blow, and Kakashi landed heavily next to the entrance. His face was bloody, his clothing torn and dirty.

He did not get up.

"Kakashi!" Sakura screamed, tears streaming down her face. Throwing caution to the wind, she ran towards him and sank to her knees beside him, touching his face and calling his name.

The now heavily-injured duo strode forward, malice gleaming in their eyes. Sakura stared at them straight in the eye. All her fear had vanished, all impulses to escape gone. What was left was only love and pain. If Kakashi were to die, then she would go with him. There was no longer any reason to live.

Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. She loved him. She cared for him, and she would stay with him through life and death.

She closed her eyes and braced herself, her fingers tightening around his.

But the blow she expected did not come.

Opening her eyes, she gaped in surprise.

Naruto and Sai had joined the fray.

With a yell, the blonde ninja and his twenty clones fell upon the duo. Amidst the shrieks and yells, Sai hurried towards Sakura.

"Come on, get out of here. I'll carry Kakashi-sensei." He urged Sakura out, and hauled Kakashi out after her.

As he placed the jounin on the grass, Naruto's yells reached their ears.

"I gotta go." Sai leapt back into the flaming building.

Left alone with Kakashi, she touched his torn mask lovingly as tears pooled in her eyes. Why, why did he have to leave her? She felt so lost, so empty…

"Sakura…" he whispered brokenly.

"Kakashi!"

"I'm sorry, Sakura." His voice was so faint she could barely hear him. "I hope you'll forgive me…"

"Of course I forgive you!" she cried, tears dripping onto his face. "Kakashi, you shouldn't have…"

All her life, the Kakashi she knew had been strong, protective – always there to comfort her and keep her safe. She was scared, scared to see him in such a weak position. It felt like the nature of the world had been upset, and she didn't know what to do..

He coughed painfully, and a patch of red appeared on his mask. Frantically Sakura cradled his head and tried to elevate it without hurting him, trying to help him breathe.

She glanced back at the building. She doubted that the fight would be over soon. In her arms, Kakashi coughed again and worry grew in her heart.

If they didn't leave soon, Kakashi would never make it. His breathing was ragged, and the grass was already stained with his blood.

She refused to let him die in her arms.

Taking a deep breath, she took Kakashi's arm and draped it over her shoulders. She stood up, and, straining to support his weight, took a step.

Slowly, she made her way into the forest.

I'll save you, Kakashi. If it's the last thing I do.

xxxxxxxxxxx

A/N:

First time writing sad parts like this, so if it's not good enough, please give me pointers on how to improve. Enjoy!

Two chapters to go. R&R please!