[AN: Now that we're up-to-date on all things Uchiha, time to check back in with KakaSaku! FYI, I'll be computerless next week, so there might be a slightly longer than usual gap in posting between this chapter and the next. Thanks as always for the comments, follows, and favorites - they are so appreciated! As usual, this content is rated M, and I do not own Naruto.]

Chapter 29: The Midnight Promise

For as long as Sakura had known him, Kakashi-sensei had been a mystery. Pretty much from day one, she and her genin teammates had spent more time than was probably healthy trying to figure out what was underneath his ever-present mask (these days, her best bet was some sort of disfiguring scarring given the missing eye). And the curiosities definitely didn't end there. If anything, as she'd learned more about him and his habits, the questions had multiplied alongside his idiosyncrasies. The chronic lateness, the embarrassing fondness for pornographic literature, the Gai rivalry, the aversion to visiting the hospital, the obviously fake excuses, the nebulous past, the transplanted Sharingan, the emotional unavailability… it all added up to make Kakashi a frustrating difficult individual to get to know as a sensei, a taichou, and, most of all, a person. And this was particularly the case when combined with Sakura's rather disheartening suspicion, based on five years of aloofness and a seeming ennui regarding her development as a kunoichi, that he had little interest in getting to know her back. She'd never really resented him for it - Konoha's famous Copy Ninja had a lot on his plate, after all, and Sasuke and Naruto had been enough of a headache without him having to worry about her too - but she couldn't deny that it had, at times, rankled her spirits.

That being said, over the past two-and-a-half weeks, since that night in her apartment when Kakashi had let slip that he too had a history with Uchiha Itachi, Sakura felt like they were finally making some progress. That he was beginning to see her not just as a minor obligation but instead as a person, as a kunoichi in her own right, and even, possibly, if she squinted hard enough, as a friend. And with Naruto still out of the village, Tsunade busy as ever, Ino and Shizune both set on playing the role of mental health counselor (which was fair, because that was something they were trained to do), and Sai and Yamato not exactly emotionally with it, she could use all the friends she could get.

Somewhat surprisingly, Kakashi hadn't backed out of the tea shop lunch they casually scheduled the night of his drop-by. What's more, over the course of that meal, he'd turned out to be a relatively pleasant one-on-one dining companion, minus the whole "don't look at me while I'm eating" thing. He kept the conversation light, didn't press her on how she was faring (to her great surprise and appreciation), and had left her stunned at the end when he'd silently footed the bill, his visible eye crinkling benevolently at her stammered thanks. His relationship with Uchiha Itachi didn't actually come up over the course of the lunch - which had been the original point of their get together - but perhaps that was for the best. For Sakura's feelings towards Itachi were still exceedingly raw, and being overheard discussing secret affairs with an infamous missing nin wasn't exactly the best way to uphold one's reputation.

Three days after that first lunch, they met up, seemingly by chance, around dinnertime at a little tempura place they were apparently both fond of and shared a table. After that equally pleasant, staggeringly normal experience, they casually decided to make it a routine. So, the tempura dinner was followed by a sushi lunch four days later, which was followed by a return to the tea shop for a post-work meet-up the following Tuesday (her second day back at the hospital). After that, it was ramen on Thursday, and then, most recently, another dinner at the tempura spot that she was walking home from now. Each occasion had been more-or-less like the first - light conversation, no mention of anything Uchiha, him quietly paying the tab at the end despite her increasingly adamant protestations that she could certainly afford to chip in - but Sakura was beginning to glean little things about him here and there, some trivial, others potentially more significant. Kakashi was a frequent visitor to the Memorial Stone.… His favorite foods included miso soup with eggplant.… The Gai-Kakashi rivalry was really a Gai thing (but Kakashi humored him, being a good sport with a competitive streak)... His own genin team had included a girl named Rin with an interest in medical ninjutsu and another boy who was apparently a bit Naruto-like…. And, yes, he actually did sleep with his mask on when in the comfort of his own condo. Otherwise, his chin would get cold.

As Sakura turned onto the little side street leading to her apartment and glanced up at her window, all thoughts of her former sensei's increasing multi-dimensionality vanished. The lights were on in her unit. Someone was home. For a moment, the memory of red, lust-filled eyes; midnight caresses; and whispered desires sent her heart aflutter, but she forcefully banished the unwelcome thoughts with a determined shake of her head. No. She wasn't going to think about him anymore. It wasn't him. It couldn't be. It had been over two months now, and he was long gone… a traitor... dead, for all she knew.

Footsteps quickening, Sakura jogged the rest of the way up her street, through the front door of her building, and up the stairs, pulling out the kunai she kept strapped to her thigh for emergencies, just in case. Her visitor was probably friendly: Her parents, Shizune, and Ino all had keys to her flat (standard procedure given that the shinobi lifestyle often required unexpected absences from home). But she couldn't quite shake the haunting red eyes that she'd so vividly pictured outside from her consciousness. If the impossible were true… if it were Itachi or Sasuke, what would she do? As long as Itachi wasn't too crippled by his illness, there was no way she'd be able to subdue him alone, and the same thing likely held true for Sasuke given what she'd seen of him in Hidden Grass and the setting (for enclosed spaces weren't great for a taijutsu user, and he definitely had her beat when it came to genjutsu). And even if she did manage to take a prisoner by some insane stroke of fortune, would she really turn him in, whichever brother he was? She'd have to. They were traitors… enemies of their own village… the worst kind of people. And it would break her heart all over again.

Turning the key in the lock with a fumbling hand, Sakura clutched her kunai like it was a lifeline, her heart racing in her chest. She peered around the cracked door and took in the scene… the familiar little room, her cozy bed, her kitchen nook, Ino sitting at the table… Ah. Ino. Yes, that made sense. The discovery that the intruder happened to be a friend was quite a relief… but also, strangely, a bit disappointing? Ugh. No. Stop.

Aware that her pale complexion and wide eyes wouldn't give her whole "I'm doing much better, I swear" routine much traction, Sakura willed her body to calm down with a few deep breaths and tucked her kunai safely back in its holster. Once more or less composed, she entered with a slapped-on grin and a "Pig! You startled me!," just to ensure that she fully covered her tracks.

Ino responded with a smooth, easy smile that was frustratingly difficult to read. Ever since joining T&I's ranks as an intern last fall, she'd gotten much better at masking her expressions, even in casual conversation. "Good to see that you were out and about, Forehead! What were you up to tonight?"

Sakura shrugged, scuffing off her shinobi sandals and making her way to join Ino at the table. "Nothing special. Just dinner with Kaka-sensei. We went to that same little tempura place I was telling you about last week."

"Mm… interesting."

Was it? Sakura didn't think so, but the strange knowingness that made those blue eyes sparkle gave her pause. "That was your fourth meal one-on-one with your ex-sensei in the past two weeks, neh?" the blonde asked "casually," although Sakura could tell from her years of experience in dealing with her friend that there was nothing casual about her tone. "I don't ever remember you spending so much one-on-one time with him before."

Hm… was Ino jealous? Asuma's death was still quite recent; not even three months ago...

But bringing up Asuma just then seemed rather unkind. Ino meant well, even if her concerns too often came off as prying. And so, Sakura turned her attention to her friend's question, figuring that it was a safe enough one to answer. "Fifth, actually. Sixth if you count tea. Why?"

Ino shrugged, looking over her manicure (hot pink, this week) as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Oh, no particular reason. It just seems like a lot of time to spend with him… with anyone all of a sudden, out of the blue. You know what I mean?" She looked up, and Sakura was surprised to see a shadow of concern drifting over her pale face. "I just wanted to make sure you were… okay."

At that, Sakura scoffed, less than pleased to find that what had started out as a seemingly new conversation was circling back around to the same "are you okay, Sakura?" mode of questioning that had characterized pretty much all of Ino's visits since her return from Oto. "Of course I'm okay. I've told you hundreds of time for weeks now that I'm doing much better."

Ino nodded slowly. "I know… I know you have. And you seem like you are, Sakura. And I'm really happy that that's the case. I just, well, I find myself wondering why... hoping that you're better for the, uh, right reasons. I mean, I know your dates with Kakashi have a lot to do with the change in attitude over the past few weeks. And that makes sense… but, I just want to make sure, as your friend, that he's not taking advantage of you or anything like that. After everything else that happened."

Ha. After everything that happened. Sure, Ino knew she'd been seduced and dumped by Itachi, but she didn't really know the half of it. But wait a second. What was that about Kakashi taking advantage of her? And dates? Sure, Kakashi was kind of her type on paper but… SERIOUSLY? Sakura felt her cheeks warm in a mixture of outrage and embarrassment. "Ino! It's not like that at all! Kaka-sensei is my sensei!"

"Was your sensei," the blonde retorted, as if she'd been expecting this counter-volley. "He hasn't been your sensei in a good five years."

"Fine. Ex-sensei. And my current team captain. And the only other original member of Team 7 in the village these days. It's only right that he'd be worried about me after what happened with… Itachi." Ugh, how she hated saying his name. Each syllable was torture.

Ino sighed heavily. "I know, Sakura, I know. I just want you to be careful, okay? You're quite vulnerable right now, even if you don't want to admit it. And I don't want to see anyone else break your trust or hurt you again. That's all." Her lips quirked upwards in a familiar smile, clearly wishing to ease the tension that had erupted between them. "But you're right. Kakashi's a good guy. The age gap just… got to me a bit. Particularly after… well, anyway never mind. He doesn't matter anymore. As long as you're happy now."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, still not liking Ino's tone in the least. Why did it still sound like her friend was implying that she and Kakashi had some sort of romantic relationship going on? Ino was pretty boy crazy these days, and Kakashi wasn't actually a revolting choice by any stretch of the imagination, at least now that she'd been forced to think of him in that way... but really? How didn't Ino get it! Maybe Kakashi hadn't been the best sensei, but that didn't mean he wasn't one. Besides, even if she did find him kind of, sort of attractive, there was no way he'd want anything to do with her. He was an elite jounin, the famous Copy Ninja. And she? A foolish little chunin who let a criminal deceive, defile...

To her credit, Ino seemed to sense Sakura's increasingly dark state of mind. Eyes sparkling far too enthusiastically, she quickly cut in. "Let's change the subject, shall we? Did you hear about Shino? He just got tapped for a promotion to jounin! There's gonna be a party next weekend, and I was thinking we could start planning outfits!"


Meaning utterly no disrespect towards the Aburame clan, but Sakura hadn't wanted to attend Shino's promotion party. At all. The gathering at the Twisted Kunai represented her first appearance on Konoha's social scene since the failed Oto mission, and she wasn't entirely sure she was ready. She hadn't lied to Ino… she was starting to feel better about some aspects of what had transpired. Time and the support she was receiving from Ino, Shizune, Tsunade, and Kakashi had certainly helped to ease some of the immediate pain and shock. But, from a personal standpoint, she was still hurt, confused, angry, and more than a touch humiliated by what had transpired, not to mention mixed up by her feelings towards both of the Uchiha brothers. And when it came to the village more broadly, her guilt for the part she'd inadvertently played in allowing an infamous criminal to penetrate Konoha, saving his life when he otherwise would have died, and, most of all, turning Sasuke and his Sharingan over to the Akatsuki was steadily growing. Sure, it hadn't been intentional - otherwise, she'd have been sitting in a prison cell in the basement of the Hokage's tower - but she really should have known better, should have seen it coming, and, most of all, shouldn't have let her heart get involved. No, she was in no mental state for a party.

Yet, Ino had insisted, and it really was the socially responsible thing to do. And so, there at the bar sat Haruno Sakura on a busy Friday night slightly after eleven; clad in a little red party dress with cap sleeves, a scoop neckline, and a hem that hit her mid-thigh; sandwiched between Ino and a chunin three years older than herself who might have been named Yuri; clutching her fifth (or was it sixth?) cup of sake of the night; and feeling for all intensive purposes like the loneliest kunoichi in Konoha.

Ino was perfectly pleasant company - all of their peer group was (although Lee's eternal zest for all things youth could be a bit tiresome, Neji could be a bit of a drag, and Shino didn't really talk much) - but Sakura couldn't help but feel a distinct sense of separation between herself and her friends. Thanks to Itachi, it had been over three months since her last appearance at one of their larger gatherings, and she was definitely a bit out of the loop. And the fact that she was sitting on a bunch of classified information involving the Uchiha clan and their relationship with Konoha, Orochimaru's death, Jiraiya's disappearance, and Sasuke's brand new alliance with the Akatsuki didn't exactly leave her with a lot of talking points. Nor did the less important, yet still depressing fact that she was short two-thirds of her genin team. Sure, Sai was there, but given the timing of her kidnapping and the fact that he'd been an extremely recent addition to the roster, she hadn't actually worked with him much. He seemed to be fitting in well enough with the rest of the group - Ino certainly seemed happy about his inclusion, at any rate - but Sakura didn't feel any sort of connection that one would expect to have with a teammate. Kami, did she miss Naruto.

As Sakura drained her glass with a shudder - she wasn't a big drinker but needed something to get her through the night and figured that her Shishou usually knew best - a sudden disturbance near the front of the bar caught her attention. Peering tipsily across the room, she noticed that the commotion seemed to center around Kiba. He was standing in the doorway, his back to the room, and loudly exclaiming about something, although she was too far away to make out the words. Probably something stupid. He looked drunk. Typical Kiba. Not that she was really one to judge given her current state. Then, Kiba shifted slightly to the side, his usual toothy grin slapped across his face, and the source of the excitement became clear. Orange, black, yellow, and tanned all over… Naruto!

"Oy, Forehead, you didn't tell me your idiot teammate was gonna be back in Konoha tonight!" Ino slurred to her left, momentarily extracting herself from whatever bit of flirting she was doing with Sai to spare a glance towards the entryway.

Sakura eagerly hopped off her stool to greet her teammate. "He didn't tell me! He's never been much for letters." She could feel a happy bubble rising up inside her. Naruto's seemingly boundless optimism had always been infectious, and it was exactly what the medic-nin had ordered.

As she got within a few feet of where he was standing, their eyes met, bright, honest blue sparkling in the dim light of the bar. "Sakura-chan! I was just asking Kiba where you were. I just got back, dattebayo! How've you been?" He eyed her up and down, brow furrowing in what she was somewhat nonplussed to realize was concern. "You look kinda pale… have you been spending too much time in the hospital again?" He drew closer to her, lowering his voice. "Everything's been okay, right? I mean, last time I was home was right after you'd been kidnapped by you-know-who. I know you said you were fine then, but, well, I was kinda worried about you, Sakura-chan."

Well, that was not a great start. Slapping on a smile, Sakura let out a hopefully convincing laugh. "You, baka! I'm perfectly fine! You're completely right; I've just been at the hospital and haven't gotten out much since… you were last in Konoha. With you not around to distract me, what else would I be doing?" She nodded her head back in the direction from which she'd come. "Can I buy you a welcome home drink now that you're legal? How's training been?"

"Uh, sure, that would be great!" With some difficulty given the crowd, they steered their way back to her previous perch at the counter, Naruto taking over Ino's recently vacated stool, and Sakura catching the bartender's eye, ordering two more glasses of her Shishou's preferred poison. "Training's going really good! The toads and me are still getting along great! Although, to be honest, it's real hard, and requires so much focus. I don't think I've worked more in my life, not even when I was learning the Rasengan from Ero-Sennin. But it'll be worth it in the end, dattebayo!"

The happy bubble that had inflated at the sight of her friend sagged slightly. Hm… Jiraiya. Did Naruto know he was missing? Judging from the normalcy of his tone, Sakura suspected not. But that was really a concern for her Shishou, not herself… and she definitely didn't need anything else to worry about at the moment. Turning her attention to the little ceramic glasses that had just been placed in front of them, Sakura lifted hers with a grin and a little "cheers!" before taking a hearty sip. Gods, it was like fire. Even after however many glasses she'd had. How did Tsunade stand the stuff?

To her left, Naruto grinned back and drained his cup, only to start sputtering seconds later, returning the empty glass to the bartop with a thump and wiping his lips with the back of his right hand. "Whoa, Sakura-chan, that's strong! I didn't know you were into stuff like that! Must be Baa-chan's influence! Let's hope I don't end up like Ero-Sennin with all his women, neh?" The blonde grinned rather devilishly at his own joke, eyebrows wiggling for comic effect.

Unfortunately, the humor was lost on Sakura, for the additional reference to Jiraiya only served as a further reminder of the secrets she was keeping. Not wishing to dwell, she once again sought out a different subject, steering the conversation back towards her companion's training. Naruto liked to talk. If she could just get him started on something he was passionate about, she'd be safe. "So what sorts of exercises do they have you doing on Mount Myoboku, Naruto-kun?" she asked, right index finger absentmindedly running around the rim of her glass. She was starting to feeling pretty fuzzy headed… but one more would be okay, right?

"So far, a lot of meditation stuff… balancing energies… they've got this oil that's supposed to help… and a staff…" He broke off, scratching the back of head and frowning at her. "Eh, but you don't want to hear about all that, Sakura-chan. I mean, sure, it's real important, but it's pretty boring to talk about, and you know how hopeless I am at the theory stuff. Now Sage Mode itself…" He perked up, grinning broadly, and Sakura smiled back, exceedingly pleased with the direction that the conversation was heading (far away from anything... unpleasant). "It's so cool! It enhances all your stats - speed, stamina, reflexes, awareness, chakra capacity - you name it! With it and your insane strength and Kaka-sensei's Sharingan, we''ll definitely get teme back, dattebayo!"

Ugh. And they had been doing so well, too. But, as usual, all of Sakura's conversations somehow seemed to circle back to one Uchiha or another these days. Naruto lowered his voice and leaned in towards her, expression growing serious. "I don't suppose you've heard anything? I went and saw baa-chan before I came here. She was pretty cagey… threatened to throw me out of her office window when I asked about sending us on another mission, and I'm not actually sure she was kidding. Has she said anything to you? We were so close last time… I feel like if we try again, and if Kaka-sensei can come too, we'll definitely pull it off!"

Blue eyes gazed at her expectantly, and Sakura swallowed hard, all of the alcohol she'd consumed that night hitting her at once along with a crippling panic. Oh gods, she was going to be sick… all over the bar. Tsunade had apparently said nothing about what had happened with Sasuke, and now Naruto was looking at her with those eyes of his and, well, she couldn't lie to Naruto. Lying about Itachi had been bad enough. But the alternative - if she told him the truth - why, he'd probably go rushing off after Sasuke. He'd never really been one for playing by the rules, after all. And Sage Mode or not, she really didn't like his odds up against both brothers. Particularly given how active the Akatsuki had been lately in hunting jinchuuriki and seeing as Jiraiya had vanished. For thanks to Itachi, she now understood just how gigantic the targets were on both of her teammates' backs… and it kind of terrified her.

Unfortunately, Naruto's newfound perceptiveness did not appear to be limited to Sage Mode, for he easily picked up on her distress. Blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Sakura-chan… are you sure you're okay? You look really… not good, all of a sudden. I mean, you look real pretty - so pretty - but you look all clammy and sweaty and stressed too. Did something happen? Did you find out something?"

"Nothing happened! I've heard nothing!" Sakura managed to squeak out, painfully aware how high pitched and tight her voice sounded. Naruto looked so worried, eyes wide with earnestness, and it was killing her. And even worse, people around her - Ino, Shikamaru, Sai - were starting to notice. And the bar was so dark and too hot and so loud... and she was so drunk and miserable and... oh gods, she needed to get out of there. Immediately. But how? Naruto had just gotten home, she hadn't seen him in months, and it wasn't even midnight yet...

Desperately seeking an answer, her green eyes fell on the empty little sake cup still sitting on the bar before her. Yes, that would work. And it wasn't even really all that much of a lie, either. "I'm really sorry, Naruto-kun. But I'm afraid I'm feeling pretty sick all of a sudden. I think I may have had too much to drink before you got here, and that last one was my limit. I should probably go home before I embarrass myself completely."

Naruto's frown deepened, and, for a moment, Sakura feared that he'd seen right through her excuse. But then, his brow unfurrowed, the concern fading away and leaving him with usual, sunny disposition. "No problem! I can walk you!"

Sakura's panic grew. If Naruto came with her, then she couldn't even use the excuse of eavesdroppers as a way of getting out of talking about Sasuke. "No, no! That's quite all right! I can get myself home. I'm not that wasted. And besides, I'm sure you want to catch up with everyone else! Like… Choji. And Hinata-chan. I'm sure she'll be so happy to see that you're back." Sakura stood, making sure to play up the whole drunk thing a bit as she pushed in her stool. "I'll see you soon, Naruto-kun. Okay? Maybe… ramen tomorrow? My treat."

Naruto nodded amiably. "Just be careful, Sakura-chan. There are creeps out there, you know. But I know how strong you are these days. You can definitely take them, drunk or not!"

With a little wave and a massive sigh of relief, Sakura turned speedily away from Naruto before he could rope her into anything else. She didn't need or want an escort home. For, she realized with a sudden, rather startling clarity, that she wasn't going to be going home. She wanted - no, she needed - to see Kakashi.


Aging was by and large an intensely negative experience for the average shinobi. Thanks to the nature and demands of the job, every birthday meant one more year closer towards retirement, decrepitude, and irrelevance. There were certainly men and women who bucked the trend - hell, Sarutobi-sama had to have been over seventy when he passed, and the show he'd put on against Orochimaru had been the stuff of legends - but they were the exceptions. Fortunately, Kakashi had found that growing older wasn't all bad. Indeed, recently turning thirty had given him a newfound appreciation for certain pleasures in life... such as a quiet Friday night in with his favorite companions: a generous pour of whiskey, a good book, and, if he was feeling sociable, the ninken. Tonight was one of those nights (sans ninken), although it was also somewhat different. For the past few months had been rough, and not even Icha Icha could keep him entirely distracted from his thoughts.

With several months having gone by, he'd more or less made peace with the latest Uchiha incident. It was much easier to accept the enigma that was Uchiha Itachi the second time around, when he wasn't so emotionally tied to the arrogant bastard, although he was still wary of the long-term fallout. He knew too well that Naruto was not going to be happy when he found out about Sasuke's current activities, and, more broadly speaking, was also concerned about the implications of his ex-student's absorption into the Akatsuki for Konoha's fate as a whole. For the fact that Sasuke was running around the Land of Earth with Itachi suggested that he may very well have found out who was actually behind the massacre of his clan. And knowing Sasuke like Kakashi did, it would not surprise him if he decided that the entire village was culpable. Which could end very badly, given how formidable the Akatsuki tended to be, whom Itachi had mentioned might be leading them, and how much respect Itachi had held for his otouto's Sharingan. Although, that could have been brotherly pride… the elder Uchiha had always been a bit extreme about that.

Meanwhile, closer to home, there was the vexingly attractive issue of his pink-haired dining companion. Over the past few weeks, Kakashi had enjoyed his new role as Sakura's confidante far more than was healthy, safe, or wise. Now that staying detached was off the table, he found himself gradually telling her things that he hadn't really made a habit of sharing with, well, anyone. It felt odd… but also good, and the friendship they were forming satisfied him… to an extent. But he was playing with fire, and he was no Uchiha (although, he had a few katon tricks up his sleeve, being the Copy Ninja and all). Sooner or later, he was guaranteed to let something slip, and then there would be hell to pay. Although, the conniving part of his brain that he really shouldn't ever listen to whispered seductively, would it be so unethical? She was over eighteen; she hadn't been his student in years; and, while technically against the shinobi rules, taichous had a rich history of sleeping with their reports. Indeed, thanks to a rather memorable late night drinking session with Jiraiya a year or two ago, he was aware that Tsunade herself had committed the crime back in her youth. Yes, it was an interesting proposition, to be sure. One that certain parts of him would very much like to see through...

But not until he confirmed that Sakura was interested, willing, and capable of making such a decision. And was comfortable with his "keep things casual" approach. Because, much as he desired her, he refused to take advantage or sweep her into any sort of affair for which she wasn't ready. Between her unrequited love for one Uchiha and her disastrous affair with the other, she'd had quite enough of being used for one lifetime.

A somewhat tentative knock on the door had Kakashi setting down his book, rising to his feet from his old leather couch, and crossing to the door in one smooth motion. Swinging it open in vague surprise, he found himself peering down on the very kunoichi he'd been thinking about. She was clad in a rather showy red dress - he smelled Yamanaka Ino's influence all over the little number - her emerald eyes luminous in the harsh hallway lighting. How did she know where he lived? That was a question for another time, for she was clearly not doing well. Her body language was exceedingly glum, her expression defeated, and his nose told him that she'd been drinking. Copious quantities of exceedingly cheap sake, by the smell of it. Hm… the Aburame boy's jounin promotion party had been tonight. What could have upset Sakura-chan there?

Unfortunately, given the kunoichi's current mental state and the mix of characters who usually showed up at those sorts of gatherings, the possibilities were pretty much endless. Some interrogation was going to be required if he wanted to get to the bottom of things… and he found that he did. Well, it was technically his Hokage-ordained mission to do so, but he also cared rather deeply about the woman and couldn't leave her hanging when she clearly had something to get off of her chest. And, so, with a quick glance down the fortunately empty hall, Kakashi ushered the bleary-eyed woman inside, wordlessly settled her on the couch with his favorite grey throw spread across her lap, and padded off to the kitchen to fix her some jasmine tea with honey (her favorite, as he'd come to learn over the past few weeks).

Returning to his living room roughly five minutes later with his tea tray in hand, his visible eye ran over Sakura's form critically, more fully assessing what exactly he was dealing with. Her brow was furrowed in thought, her green eyes dull from a combination of drunkenness and a yet-to-be-identified emotion, and her kissable lips firmly down=turned in a pout that he chided himself for finding so tantalizing. She was upset. She needed to be taken care of. And he needed to sit down, shut up, and listen. Which was exactly what he intended to do, masculine urges be damned. And so, placing the wooden tray down on his somewhat rickety coffee table, Kakashi passed her a mug of tea with a gentle "there we are, Sakura-chan," careful to leave the chipped one for himself, and settled himself onto the far end of the sofa.

He allowed her five further minutes of contemplation before deciding she could use a bit of prompting. "Now then, pleasant as it is to see you, I take it that your visit this evening wasn't purely a social call."

Sakura's pale hands twisted nervously around her mug, those mesmerizing eyes focused steadily upon him in that unnerving way she'd developed over the past few months. Damn Uchiha Itachi's influence. Then, she sighed heavily, placing her mug down on the coaster (it wasn't really clear why she was even bothering given that the pitted surface looked a bit like it had gone through the Third Shinobi War alongside him). "I just don't know how to feel about any of it anymore, sensei," she breathed somewhat unsteadily. Her gaze dropped fixedly to her tea mug, as if no longer able to meet his eye. "It's making me crazy. And there's no one else I can talk to. Not Ino… Naruto… Shizune. You're the only one other than Tsunade who knows. And I can't burden Shishou right now, with all the stress she's under with Jiraiya and the Akatsuki. It's just… I want to know why. Was this his plan all along? Did something go wrong that night? Was everything a lie? And what about Jiraiya? Was he involved too? Is that why he's disappeared? None of it makes sense!"

Sakura fell silent, chewing nervously on her lip as her eyes filled with heavy tears. Ah. Well, those were certainly a lot of very fair questions. In truth, Kakashi was unsurprised by her sudden outburst. He'd sensed that the kunoichi had been bottling up her feelings for weeks, and, given how fully she usually wore her heart on her sleeve, that house of cards eventually had to come tumbling down. But what had precipitated it? Was it just the sake talking, or had someone at the Twisted Kunai said something? Thanks to their search-and-rescue missions during her kidnapping, several of her peers knew that she'd had some sort of involvement with Uchiha Itachi. They were a good group of kids - really adults these days - but alcohol had a tendency to loosen tongues, as Sakura herself had just demonstrated.

Aware that the minutes were starting to stretch, Kakashi frowned to himself beneath his mask. He had his own idea as to why Uchiha Itachi had done what he'd done, but he doubted that it would do much to lift Sakura's spirits, and, given the late hour and the fact that she was drunk, now was definitely not the time for theorizing. So, reaching into his arsenal of well-worn advice, he pulled out a suitably vague response that, fingers crossed, would hopefully leave her feeling better. At least until she got some sleep and sobered up a bit. "Sakura… knowing the why doesn't necessarily do much to assist with the healing process. Instead, I would urge you to focus on what you can take away from this. Some of the best lessons can be gleaned from the darkest of circumstances."

Kakashi's statement came from the heart - straight from his past with Obito and Rin - but Sakura's snort told him far too clearly where she felt he could shove it. Her chin rose to meet his gaze, green eyes glowing with wild, alcohol-fueled madness. "What I've learned. Let's see…" She held out her right hand before her, counting off dramatically from her thumb to her ring finger. "Some genjutsu, how to summon crows, not to trust dark-haired men no matter how handsome or convincing they seem, and a bunch of crap about the Sharingan that I'll probably never use given that all natural-born Uchiha are gone from Konoha forever and yours is a transplant." Then, she ticked off her pinky with a harsh, bitter laugh that sounded so, stirringly wrong coming out of her mouth. "Oh, and, of course, how could I forget? How to fuck."

Kakashi felt his ears turn pink, his mind grasping for something, anything he could say to diffuse this explosive tag of a situation. But Sakura charged on right ahead, the sake she'd been drinking in full effect. "But that last one was a lesson best not learned from Uchiha Itachi, wouldn't you say, sensei? Shinobi might be forgiving, but no one in Konoha will ever want the kunoichi who let him defile her."

Well, fuck. He was so utterly unprepared for this conversation. Now that Sakura mentioned it, he wasn't actually surprised by this particular concern either. After all, hearing that a bedmate had been deflowered by one of Konoha's most famous missing-nin would make for interesting pillow talk, possibly too interesting for a less-seasoned man. Which is why some things were better left unsaid. But there was no need to go into all that tonight. Willing his voice not to crack and his treacherous mind not to give him away, Kakashi swallowed hard. "That's classified information, Sakura. None of your future… paramours will know unless you tell them. And if you do… well, I think you'll find your concerns unfounded."

He was stretching the truth a bit, and Sakura seemed to know it. A pink eyebrow arched towards the ceiling, disbelief dripping from her expression. "Oh really? Prove it then. Kiss me. Now."

Resisting the urge to flee the couch and barricade himself in his bathroom, Kakashi instead contented himself with running his right hand through his hair, mind racing with a hungry, sinful desire he had no business having. She wants you to kiss her… so fucking kiss her. But no, he couldn't do that. Not when she was miserable, drunk, and so clearly out of her right mind. It would be irresponsible, unethical, and an egregious abuse of his position. But he couldn't just reject her either. For that would be playing into all of her fears.

And, of course, Sakura realized that he was stalling. Green eyes brimming with tears, she curled up into herself, hugging her knees to her chest to give him an alluring flash of lacy red that he really wished he hadn't seen. He liked the view just fine… but it wasn't making this any easier. "It's fine. You don't want me. I get it. You don't have to say anything more..."

There was nothing else for it. Praying that this situation would somehow work itself out - maybe Sakura would forget everything that had transpired when she woke up tomorrow morning? She certainly seemed pretty wasted - Kakashi replied in a soft baritone that he fought hard to keep steady, "It's not that. I would like to kiss you, Sakura. But if I did that right now... it would be an immense broach of trust. You've been drinking, and I'm not the type who takes advantage of a thing like that."

Feeling somewhat emboldened by the open-mouthed silence that followed his admission, Kakashi rose to his feet, proffering his right hand. "Come. Sleep here tonight. I'll take the couch. And then, tomorrow, we will talk." He sighed, finally succumbing to some of the temptation churning in his belly. "And tomorrow… if you still wish it, I will kiss you."

Slowly, she placed her small hand in his, the sensation of her smooth, warm skin against his own calloused palm positively electric. And, oh, those tear-filled, slightly unfocused, emerald eyes… they were going to be his undoing. "No excuses?"

Mah, did she know him well. "For once, no excuses."