Why hello there...long time no see. Now I know what you guys will be thinking..."Is this the same Kurenai-Sensei from the beginning?!" And no it's not. Not by a long shot. In the beginning I just threw a name in their because I had really no imagination for tiny characters and I just picked that one...and then I realized what I had done. So this is me clearing this up before you start ripping it apart. But rest assured that those two are completely different and that I am a dumbass for being way less creative with names. You may shoot me later. But as for the story I do believe we should get on with it.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the torture I seem to keep putting these characters through...

"Kurenai?"

Sakura kept looking between her lover and the literal ghost from his past and the look on his face was just one of pure disbelief mixed with shock. Tearing her eyes away from Kakashi she looked back to the woman in front of them and took her in. Kakashi never talked about his relationship with her much and Sakura certainly didn't mind because in all honesty she hadn't wanted to know. But the more she looked at her, the more she wished she had pressed because the look on Kakashi's face was making her worry more than she wanted to. She had never seen him look so...lost was the only word that came to her mind. She knew that when Kurenai had left that it had completely wrecked Kakashi, or that is what she had gathered from the snipets that he had let slip and the vague references the men had made whenever she had pressed. No one ever really talked about her and that seemed to be the way of things. Kurenai was an enigma to Sakura, other than the pictures she had seen of them together, and now she was faced with the real thing and she didn't know what to do to comfort Kakashi or even what to say to snap him out of his trance. She heard the shuffling of feet behind her and she turned and looked behind Kakashi to the three other men and she could have sworn they were looking at their friend with nothing else that could be described as less than pure worry and apprehension. She looked from face to face of each of them and she knew that something had to have happened. The three men caught her looking and she watched as the looks on their faces turned from worry for their friend to absolute terror as they finally remembered that she was there, and then she could have sworn she saw the briefest flash of pity before it was wiped from their faces. It was gone so fast tht she wasn't even sure that it had been there in the first place. A sudden pain on her arms forced her back to the issue at hand and she looked down at her arms and saw Kakashi's hands had a death grip on her arms. She peered up at him.

"Kakashi?" she asked.

She recieved no response in verbal form but she watched as he bent his head and closed his eyes. She reached up her hands, despite the death grip on her arms, and reached for his face. His hands let go of her arms in a second and gripped her hands, effectivley stopping them. She looked at him in confusion, but he refused to look at her. Instead, her hands in his, he spun her around so that his back was to the woman.

"Asuma, Genma, Gai...get her out of here." he said quietly.

"Kakashi?" Asuma asked, stepping forward.

"Get her out of here!" he growled.

He pushed her away and Sakura stumbled back into Asuma, her back colliding with his chest. Both parties were suprised as they almost toppled over. Asuma quickly grabbed Sakura's shoulders and steadied them both as they looked at him in shock. Kakashi stood there for a moment, eyes clenched shut as well as fists balled at his sides and he was shaking. He then turned and marched towards Kurenai before roughly grabbing her arm and yanking her towards an area where they could be alone and out of eavesdropping reach. Sakura watched helplessly as her boyfriend marched off with his ex and left her there. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she went to take a step forward but Asuma's hands clamped down on her shoulders freezing her in place. She whipped her head up over her shoulder to look at him and she almost lost it at the sight of Asuma's face.

"Why?" she asked.

"Just let them be Sakura. It doesn't concern you and I am very sure you don't want to be there for what they are discussing. Whatever it may be."

Confused and angry she looked back down at her feet and she ould feeling the anger boiling up inside her as well as the worry and the dread. She clenched her eyes shut and she could feel the tears trying to break free. She ripped her shoulders free from Asuma's hands and went marching off in the direction of her bus, ignoring the calls of the men behind her. Yanking open the door she stomped in and slammed it shut behind her, effectively cutting off the voices of the men outside. She stood in the middle of the buss, shaking with so many emotions. She didn't want to hear their excuses or their apologies. She wanted Kakashi...she wanted his warm embrace and his soft kisses, but she couldn't have that right now. Resentment gnawed at her insides as she though of him with that woman. Sakura had never met the woman before and she could already feel the hatred bubbling inside her at the thought of Kakashi with her. Sakura thought to how she looked and she just felt herself getting angrier. Kurenai's shoulder length black hair had hung loose and her red eyes shone with a strange light that Sakura couldn't quite place but she knew it had a purpose. Kurenai was wearing a red tank top and black skinny jeans that hugged her curves in a way that Sakura wasn't sure if she quited appreciated. The amount of cleavege that was being displayed certainly didn't help and Sakura could feel the self consciousness sinking in the more she thought of it. She made her way to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Reaching up she placed her finger tips on her face and just looked at herself, mentally comparing herself to Kurenai and the more she stood there, the more the sense of dread filled her stomach. Forcing herself away from the mirror she went to her bed and sat down on the edge and just stared at the floor for a moment before reaching under her pillow and pulling out her phone. Swiping the unlock screen and tapping the CONTACTS icon she scrolled through the names before she saw Ino's name.

"Ino..." she whispered.

She missed Ino and her company so much, and she needed her friend so much right now. She wanted her in front of her, a face to face interaction but she knew she would have to settle for texting. Sakura thought back to when she and Ino had begin this adventure together, but they had found out that Sakura was better suited for the road more than Ino was.

-FLASHBACK-

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Sakura asked as she watched her friend pack.

"Sakura...you know I can't stay. I miss home too much. I thought I would be okay with this, but I am not suited for it." she said as she folded a shirt and put it in her bag.

Sakura knew that Ino was haing a hard time adjusting to always being on the move, when she had always been used to being so stationairy. She had toughed it out for as long as she could beforeshe had come to Sakura and told her that she couldn't do it and that she would be leaving when they got to the next town. Sakura hadn't wanted her to go, but she couldn't force her friend to stay and be miserable. So she watched her friend pack and went with her to the bus station to see her off.

"I'll miss you." she cried as she hugged her blonde friend tight.

"No you won't. You'll be too busy up there singing and making eyes at Kakashi." her friend teased as she hugged her back.

Eventually the two let each other go andSakura watched her friend's back as she boarded the bus and watched still as it backed out and drove off. She had stood there for she didn't know how long before she forced herself to move and make her way back to the hotel they had been staying at and to a room that was now so empty.

-END FLASHBACK-

It had been Ino leaving that had caused her and Kakashi to really begin growing close in the first place, but she'd never tell Ino that. Skaing her head she tapped her friend's name and hit the "New Message" icon.

Me: Ino. Are you there?

Clicking the power button she turned her screen off and placed the phone on the bed before she returned to staring at the floor. It couldn't have been more than a minute before her phone chimed. Clicking the screen on and hitting the message icon, she opened the message.

Ino: Hey what's up? Haven't heard from you in a long time. How are things with you and Kakashi?

Me: Not so good. Guess who showed up?

Ino: ?

Me: Kurenai...and Sasuke.

She waited for a reply, but none came for the next few minutes. Suddenly Ino's ringtone filled the cabin and Sakura nearly dropped her phone in surprise. Swipping the green phone icon she put the phone to her ear and was met with a very angry Ino.

"What in the hell do you mean Kurenai and Sasuke?! Ino screamed into the phone.

Sakura then spent the next half hour filling her friend in on what happened, every single detail and Ino listened in a very angry but attentive silence. By the end of it Sakura was battling tears all over again and her friend was threatening to come and kick some very serious ass.

"Ino don't. Somehow I think it would make this more awkward and horrible than it already is."

"Sakura...you are my friend and I love you. I have to tell you that I don't like this. I really don't. Are you sure you don't want me to make the drive to wherever in the hell you are?"

"I'm sure. Thank you for the offer though. "

"Sakura. I'm serious. Please...call me if you need me. None of this texting bullshit. Anytime. Day or night. Any hour. You got it?"

"I got it Ino."

She and Ino spent another few minutes talking before Ino had to go and they said good bye. Sakura lowered the phone from her ear and just looked at the screen until it timed out and went black. Lowering her arm , she rested her arm on her lap before looking at her phone again. Anger flared and she threw it backwards and the phone made a loud bang as it connected with the wall. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it tight, burying her face into the soft material of the pillow case. She hate how she had been set aside for the monster that had broken his heart, and she hate that he had just thrown her aside, instead of just asking her. She knew that she was probably being unreasonable, but it had hurt. The force that he had used and the tone of voice...it had really hurt her deep inside. The Kakashi she knew wouldn't have treated her like that. She became so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear the knock on her door and she didn't hear the man enter until he was right in front of her. She jumped and almost screamed when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She threw herself backwards and her feet kicked outwards.

"Whoa! Sakura calm down! It's me!" Genma shouted, throwing his arms up to block her kicking feet.

"Genma?" she said, the voice sinking in.

"Yeah, it's me. I wanted to check on you. "

"Really now?" she looked at him skeptically.

"Alright you caught me. We all drew straws to see who got to come in here and face your wraith. I got the short straw."

She chuckled slightly as she sat back up, placing the pillow back where it belonged "Well here I am. What do you want? A kick in the nuts?" she asked sighing before looking up at him.

His eyes softened "Sakura look...I know what he did...how he did it...hurt. I know that you are probably over thinking it. But I am begging you to please not. "

"Why?" she asked before looking away. She didn't want him to see the tears she was still fighting back.

He sat down on the bed next to her "Sakura. I can't tell you why, it's not my place." he reached for her hand.

She yanked it out of reach "Then why come in here at all?"

He placed his hand back in his lap "Because believe it or not Sakura, we all like you very much. You are the little sister we never had. We care and we would rather have you around than Kureani any day. But I am in here to make sure that you know that."

She sighed and hung her head before letting herself slump to the side, her head resting on his shoulder "Why is she here Genma?"

"I wish I could tell you. We are as surprised as you."

"That's not a comfort Genma."

"It wasn't meant to be one."

"Great." she muttered.

They sat together for another few minutes vefore he asked "What are you going to do Sakura?"

"I don't know Genma. I just need some time to think."

He nodded before reaching up with his hand and ruffling her hair. She let a small smile sneak through before reaching and up shoving his shoulder. He laughed and stood up, once again placing a hand on her shoulder, which she clasped gratefully and smiled up at him. He returned the smile and then made his way out the door, and she waited until she heard the door close before cramming the heels of her hands into her eyes and letting out a few ragged breaths, trying to regain control over herself. She flopped herself onto her side and buried her face as deep as she could into the pillow, trying to hide her face, trying to hide the hurt. It finally became easier to breathe the more she lay there and the more she looked at the wall, her mind just numb. After what seemed like forever, she rolled onto her back and looked up and stared into the cieling...and felt a lump in her back. Shimmying to the side she removed her phone from under her and groaned to see a new crack down the side of her phone.

"Great."

After what seemed like another eternity she sat up and she knew what she knew what she was going to do, and she knew who it was going to hurt in the process. She had never been more thankful for the three men that were probably outside the trailer gossiping about how Genma had made it out alive and she was so sorry that they would have to be hurt. But she couldn't let her heart get broken again, she just couldn't. It had hurt when Sasuke had pulled his stunt, and she knew it would hurt even worse when Kakashi did it. She knew that with Kurenai back in the picture that she didn't stand a chance and that it wouldn't be long before Kakashi finally realized that. So she would save him the trouble. Pulling out her phone, she hit Ino's number and put the phone to her ear.

"Sakura? What is it?" came Ino's voice.

She told Ino her plan.

And there you have it...another chapter is this story. I know I need to keep my promise and finish this story, but life just seems to keep getting in the way. I see maybe another two chapters before this is done, so please stick with me!