A/N: Hello! I decided to post the next chapter early :)

If you guys feel like chatting, I do have a tumblr dearly-beloved-r-u-listening. I don't post anything about my stories there, just random crap, but also a lot of Kakasaku stuff. Feel free to drop a friendly message, if you'd like!

Head Up

Keep your head up, my love

Two years ago…

Consciousness returned to her in fits and bursts of disorientation. The first thing to come to mind when she was semi awake was the dryness in her mouth and her parched throat.

She coughed dryly and heard a faint rustiling beside her before a warm hand came to rest lightly on her forehead.

She opened reluctant eyelids and blinked rapidly, first noticing the speckled tile roof of the hospital that she knew so well.

"Sakura?" asked a familiar voice. The hand that had rested on her forehead had been removed.

Sakura blinked again and slowly creaked her stiff neck to the side to see Kakashi regarding her, his eyes held all the concern in the world.

"Kakashi?" she rasped. "I—" she tried to think. What had happened…

...oh yeah, she'd been stabbed. Her hip hurt like a mother.

Dull memories of pressing a hand to the wound bleeding profusely at her hip came to mind. She vaguely remembered stumbling through the Konoha gates and collapsing as soon she was through, her body subconsciously knowing that one she was there, she was safe and could let go.

Kakashi regarded her a second longer and then stood and poured her a glass of water from her bedside table. He sat down gently next to her, trying not to jostle her and slipped an arm around her shoulders to help her sit. "Here, drink slowly." Kakashi pressed the lip of the glass to her mouth.

Sweet, cool water slipped through her lips and she tried very hard not to chug it greedily.

"Thanks," Sakura said, voice coming out smoother now that she didn't have sandpaper for a throat. His arm was still around her shoulders and she found that his familiar woodsy smell comforted her.

Just as she had that thought, Kakashi set her back softly on the bed and returned to his seat again.

Better awareness was starting to gather in her mind again as she became more clear headed.

As she stared at Kakashi's slouched form, she realized that it had been around five months since she had last seen him.

She had an epiphany right then as she studied his uncovered coal-colored eye: reuniting with Kakashi, no matter how long they had been away, always felt as if they had never been apart. They were like spring returning after a harsh winter—familiar and expected no matter that it had been months and three seasons ago that they had been around.

Sakura smiled. "Fancy seeing you around here."

"Well, I was in the area," he lied airily.

Kakashi was never in the general vicinity of the hospital, unless it was because he had been dragged there unconsciously or because he was dragging Sakura away so she could heal him in the comfort of her home.

And judging by his bloodshot eyes and rumpled clothes, he had been there at least for a couple days straight. She decided not to remark in that, but her smile had grown wider.

"How long have I been here?"

"About three days. You had a pretty nasty head wound too that sent you into a coma apart from the wound on your hip. You lost a lot of blood, Sakura." The crease between his brows made a reappearance.

Sakura had closed her eyes, letting his soft baritone wash over her in gentle familiarity. For a moment on her mission, she had thought that she wouldn't make it back.

"Sakura, are you alright?" asked Kakashi, alarmed. His hand touched her face again, this time coming to rest on her cheek.

Sakura blamed her concussion when she contentedly rubbed her cheek against his calloused hand. His thumb brushed close to the corner of her mouth. "M'alright," she murmured sleepily. "Just tired."

"Go back to sleep. I'm right here." His hand slowly retracted and Sakura, even through her concussed thoughts, knew it would be extremely inappropriate if she protested even though she dearly wished his steady hand back. They did not have that type of relationship.

"Okay, but can you bring me jello first? I'm hungry. And tell me a story first." She said all this with her eyes closed so she missed his soft smile that crinkled his eyes just so adorably. A smile that she knew was reserved especially for her. She had already vowed one day to see it without his mask to get in the way.

"There was a mission I went on once concerning the damayo, he's very fond of figurine birds, you see…" That had been the day he had told her of the funny mission where he had nearly gotten the whole of Konoha in a rut with his actions.

When he was finished, he asked, "Green or red?"

"Both."

A small chuckle escaped him as he slowly stood. "I'll be right back."

Sakura was sleeping by the time he returned.

If she had known that it would be the last time she would talk to Kakashi for another year, she might have fought her sleep more fiercely.

...

As Sakura stood in front of Tsunade's desk the next day, she thought that she might be the cowardly one out of all of them.

"I just need a week to clear my head, Shishou." She had told Ino of her intentions before she left her house that morning, so she wouldn't worry. So all she had to do was run to her house quickly, hope that nobody was waiting to talk to her, and then be off on her way.

Tsunade eyes her contemplatively with amber eyes. "Anything you want to tell me, Sakura?"

Sakura hesitated, then shook her head. She didn't know how Tsunade would react to the news and she honestly was too exhausted to find out at the moment. She wanted to hold on to this for a bit longer. Although Mino might have already told her everything that had happened yesterday, though she thought not because Tsunade would have commented on it otherwise. "Not right now, Shishou."

Tsunade started her down for a bit longer, making Sakura squirm, but then she relented. "Fine, I happen to have an eight-day long mission handy. It's simple, you only need to renegotiate and sign our updated trade agreement with Shimoda. We only import tea from them, so the renegotiation should be very simple. I will send you as my liaison so you may sign the new trade document."

Shimoda was a small and homely town about a day and a half from Konoha. Many people went there for a honeymoon because of the quaint neatness of the town and because it was only an hour from the ocean.

That sounded like a good place for her right now.

"Thank you, Shishou."

Ino stormed into the Wobbly Shruikan the next day at five in the afternoon. She had wanted to wait until Sakura left to do this.

She spotted him sitting at the bar with Sasuke.

Ino had been building herself up since Sakura talked to her yesterday, but she would try to maintain calm solemnity while she talked to him.

She smoothed her skirt down, took a deep breath, and walked slowly over to Naruto. She leaned on the bar next to him and cleared her throat softly to grab his attention.

Naruto glanced at her once with bloodshot eyes and said, "Not now, Ino, I'm not in the mood."

Calm solemnity was way overrated.

Ino set her purse down on the counter, hard. "She thinks you hate her, you know?"

This shocked Naruto out of his funk for a moment. He sharply jerked his head up and looked at her with wide eyes before schooling his expression and looking down at his drink again. Sasuke stayed silent, eyes glued to the sticky bar in front of him.

"I don't hate her," Naruto mumbled sullenly into his drink, shoulders hunched.

"Well, you sure have a shit way of showing it."

"I don't have to like it, Ino—" Naruto argued.

"It's not for you to like or dislike Naruto! That's what you don't get! This has nothing to do with you." So damn pigheaded. "Haven't you noticed how happy they've both been the past few months?"

"I thought it was because we were all back together, I didn't think—" Ino could see him getting riled up too.

"That's right, you didn't think! I have never in my life seen Sakura as sad as she was yesterday! You should have thought before you opened your fucking mouth!"

That shut him right up. Naruto closed his mouth with an audible click. His brow scrunched and a great weight seemed to slump him even further onto his seat. "Really?" he whispered. Then, "Did you know?"

"Yes, of course, I'm her best friend," Ino said simply.

Ino shook her head—she needed to get through to him, but she didn't know if she had the right words. "Listen to me, Naruto: do you really think that Sakura, the Sakura you've known for almost all your life, would have jumped into something like this with Kakashi on a whim, knowing full well that you might not agree with it, if she didn't care about him? Do you think she would have risked your friendship and the relationship she has with all of you—because she loves all of you so much, she does and you know that—if she didn't love him?"

Naruto clutched his head. "Ino, please, I don't know. I need to think."

"Well, think fast and go apologize to her, you bastard. You have eight days."

"Wait, why eight days?" Naruto asked.

"She took a mission," Ino said. She then pierced Sasuke, who had been silent throughout their whole conversation, with her gaze. She jabbed her chin at him, "How about you, hm? Anything to say?"

Sasuke shook his head vigorously. "No, please don't yell at me too."

Ino nodded once. "Good."

...

She arrived at Shimoda right as the sun was setting, which afforded her a beautiful sight of the picturesque village below. The small cluster of squat, brightly-colored buildings sat huddled together on a hill that overlooked the ocean. And to the west, the rays of the sun glinted off of the gently lapping waves.

Sakura took a deep breath of the salty and briny air.

Yes, this would be a good place to think of what she would do next.

Over the next week, Sakura met with the village council, which consisted of a friendly middle-aged man and woman. They not so much discussed, but chit-chatted about the new trade agreements, which are written up and signed in a day.

The rest of the time, Sakura spent on the beach, burying her toes in the sand with a heavy weight on her chest.

She knew what she wanted—her feelings—and she had known for a while even though she could not admit them.

But now they settle on her as softly and curiously as the warm sand around her toes.

She would try. When she got back she would try.

Sakura arrived back in Konoha on the eighth day under the cover of night.

When she stepped into her apartment, she had to push aside the pile of mail that had gathered on her doorstep the past week, before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

After, she sat on her bed, drying her hair and thinking about what she had to do the next day. She felt better, now that she knew what she had to do.

While she contemplated, there came a rustling at her window. Sakura swiftly grabbed the kunai she always kept under her pillow, whirled around to the sound of her window sliding open, to find Kakashi tumbling in.

She blinked at him as he gathered himself and stood…

...and wobbled.

Sakura slowly lowered the kunai and set it on her bedside drawer. "Kakashi?" She could smell the alcohol on him from where she stood. "Are you drunk?"

Kakashi blinked slowly at her. "Yes." He said, simply. He started towards her, stumbled, then tripped over the carpet.

Surprised, Sakura lurched forward and caught him before he would have planted his face on the floor. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She had never seen him this drunk before. She wondered how much he had actually drank because he had a pretty high tolerance. She had found this out on the many missions they had gone on together in the past.

Using some of her chakra to help her carry him, she guided him over to her bed and sat him down.

He pulled his face away from her neck and gazed at her.

Sakura sighed: he looked like a lost puppy. "Well, I guess you better stay here tonight."

He nodded solemnly and promptly splayed himself on her bed.

Sakura grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him back up. "Oh no, Kakashi. You're not getting in my bed with those rough clothes. Come on." More gently this time, she started unzipping his flak jacket. Kakashi stayed obediently still while she worked, gazing at her still while he swayed on the spot.

"Who told you I was here?" Sakura asked softly as she started removing his shoes.

"T-Tsunade told me when you would be back from your mission," Kakashi slurred.

Oh.

Sakura finished taking off his trousers, leaving him in his briefs and thin undershirt. She removed his mask last of all and saw that the bruise where Naruto had punched him was now a mottled yellowish and purple across his jaw.

Sakura sighed again and touched it lightly. Well, he could just go ahead and suffer if he didn't want her to heal it.

Sakura moved to pull the covers down and then she settled Kakashi in them and covered him up to his chin. "Thank you," Kakashi said, humbly.

He wouldn't stop looking at her. As if she were going to disappear.

She walked over to the other side of the room and shut the light off before crawling into the covers after him. She settled down, back to him, though she wasn't quite touching him.

Sakura huffed in frustration. She had resolved to talk to Kakashi the first time she saw him upon her return, but she couldn't very well do it now that he was so knobbled.

She heard Kakashi rustling around next to her, then warm arms appeared around her middle, dragged her back, and pulled her flush against his chest.

Sakura oofed slightly at his tight grip on her stomach, but she didn't pull away. She felt like crying again, but didn't. She had missed him so much. Sakura inconspicuously savored the contours of his body.

"Please don't leave again," Kakashi said. His voice was so small and exhausted in the darkness.

Sakura sniffled. "I won't. I promise."

Sakura awoke the next morning to the sound of Kakashi's soft snoring. Sometime during the night he had let her go, though he had stayed glued to her side.

She scooted out of bed, trying not to wake him. Once she was out, she gently tucked the covers around him again, because the mornings were starting to get chilly again and she didn't want him to get cold.

She went to her kitchen and made coffee, deciding to make it a little stronger for Kakashi's sake that morning.

About an hour later, Sakura, back turned to her bedroom doorway, heard rustling behind her. Kakashi shuffled into her view, wearing his under shirt still, but having dressed in his rough pants again. He sat down next to her, hands running through his unruly silver hair.

Sakura went back into her kitchen and poured a large mug of coffee with a lot of sugar. She walked back to Kakashi and set it in front of him. He mumbled a quick 'thanks' and chugged it down while Sakura stared at him and waited.

Sakura waited for him to finish before speaking. "Kakashi, we need to talk."

Kakashi set down his mug and nodded.

Sakura drew in a breath to start speaking, but Kakashi beat her to it. "Sakura, before you say anything, I want to apologize about last night. I'm sorry I acted in that manner."

Sakura drew in another breath—

Kakashi bolted up off his chair and started pacing, much to Sakura's wide-eyed surprise. "Sakura, I need to tell you something before you tell me anything. I need to get this off my chest, please." Sakura stared at him, flabbergasted because she had never seen Kakashi this flustered before. His hands wrung together and he pulled them through his hair again in agitation.

"Sakura, I'm not good at this—at relationships. And you know why—everybody knows why, I'm not much fun to be around, and I get tired of things and people often, but-but...Sakura, I would never get tired of you." His chest heaved the whole time he spoke and his face had gone pale.

He looked as if he were about to faint.

"Kakashi!" Sakura cried, half astonished and half amused. He turned and saw the smile on her face and his face fell a bit.

She hastily made to rectify that. She looked into his charcoal eyes and said simply, "I love you, too."

He stopped moving and turned as still as stone.

Sakura slowly stood and walked over to him. She looked up at his astonished face then pressed her face up against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Jeez. You're such a dork."

In a different world, Kakashi would have declared his undying love for her in a way that didn't make it seem as if he were going to pass out at uttering the word "love". Maybe it would have been like Ronaldo in her soap opera and Sakura would have melted in a feminine and passionate way in his arms. But this, how he had declared his love, was perfect in its own way and she wouldn't have changed it for anything.

She felt his arms slowly encircle her. She started explaining in a soft voice, "I needed to go away for a few days to think about things, I'm sorry if I worried you. I had this whole speech planned every word memorized, but I don't think anything else needs to be said. Don't you agree?"

Kakashi had placed his chin on the top of her head, so she felt when he nodded peacefully. "Yes, I agree."

She knew that this might not be easy—that some days they would struggle—but she was willing and so was he. That was all they needed.

A/N: Thanks for reading!