Chapter 2 :

They must have been a strange sight, mused Sakura, but not strange enough to alert their sensei. Kubikiribocho in her arms they were going back to Tazuna's house with a limping Kakashi leading the way. 'He would surely need crushes' observed Inner. 'Once we are back we will go looking for some !' He was tired. She could see it in how his single eye didn't curve or the loss of his careless walk. He seemed tense. 'Or maybe you finally understood that he isn't a jonin for nothing'. He hadn't been surprised to find a trembling Naruto bowing to her or a brooding Sasuke. Those moments were usual in Team 7. But she had seen his eye widening ever so slightly at the sight of a red-cheeked Sasuke and not at her holding a weapon twice her size. He didn't say anything about it.

"I see that my cute little genin have been training !" he told them when nobody answered his previous question. His tone was cheerful, but it seemed forced to Sakura. He clutched his side, the only indication that still hadn't recupered. 'What is he doing here ? He should still be in bed !'. "Let's go back , Tsunami-san has prepared lunch."

He had stared at her, not even sparing the enormous sword, seemingly weightless in her old, a glance. At this exact moment, she had wanted him to ask her if she was alright. She had wanted to tell him about how she had been so afraid during the fight, how she had doubted that he will fulfil his promise to keep them safe. How powerful she felt when she robbed the sword before realizing her mistake. How scared she is of its power on her. How she couldn't regret almost dying for it. But he never asked and she kept quiet. He turned back without a second glance.' Sensei ! I-I am scared !' Kubikiribocho sent her a wave of peace and she felt guilty about how she could have ever been scared of it. Kubikiribocho was here for her after all. When Zabuza had attacked her it had been it by her side, not her sensei. Bitterness clenched her heart. She had always felt like her sensei didn't gave her the same attention as Naruto or Sasuke. 'Stop ! Stop ! It isn't true ! It's the sword !' Little advice while chasing the famous wild cat or gentle taunts were never for her. At first, she had supposed that Naruto being the last one and the Uchiha a genius they would of course need more attention than her. She had even been happy 'He trusted us to train alone ! Why do you complain ?'. The pinkette had deluded herself awhile before accepting that she was the problem. Was it because she was a girl ? Or because of her civilian descent ? Maybe her attitude ? She had tried, really, but nothing worked. Tried to ignore her crush when it was needed, concentrating in her mission, she recited all her knowledge to show how smart she was … the only thing she had going on for her. Put herself at his right so he could see that she was there, where she could read him more easily, please him more easily. She stayed calm like Sasuke and as his side 'Look how worthy we are sensei !' and when he was late she would whine with Naruto 'Joke with us too!'. She had stayed calm during the two missing nin attacks, protecting Tazuna even though she knew it meant death and for the first time he had congratulated her. She had been so happy ... before she understood, she was smart after all. It was meant as a wake up call for Naruto , 'Look ! Even the civilian did her duty ! You wouldn't want to really end last , will you ?'. Maybe that was why she run toward the sword ? ' Shut up !'Because if she helped him he would have to see her, no ? ' He love us all !' Kubikiribocho whimpered and it's calming aura drowned her sadness. Who cared ? This blade was all she needed to live. 'Then why are we at his right ?' snarled Inner.

Recoiling like burned, the pinkette ended next to the blond.

"S-Sakura !" he gritted in fright. His blue eyes had widened comically and he had stopped walking. "I already told you how sorry I was ! P-Please don't hit me !"

She laughed. It wasn't funny but she was high. Later, once Kubikiribocho calmed it's emotion she would ask herself why Naruto always seemed to expect a hit from her. Forgetting all the murderous anger that she felt as she had run toward them, ready to draw blood, she reassured him.

" Don't worry Naruto ! Kubikiribocho likes you anyway !"

At that all the suspicion he s eemed to hold against the blade disappeared. His hallmark grin splashed on his face, a lovely blush on his cheeks, he looked at the sword with a new light in his eyes. He glowed. Sakura thought that he looked cute that way.

"Uh ? Really ! Hehe ! I-I mean I totally understand ! The sword know how to distinguish a future Hokage like me than let's say ... " The Uchiha passed before his two immobile teammates muttering a very audible 'Idiots'. "... a loser like Sasuke !"

Naruto continued to insult the other boy while Sakura went back to walking. "You should've told him that the only this thing liked about him was his blood." But as the blond run back to her , happy, talking to her and for the first time not glaring at her companion Sakura simply didn't want to.

XX

Back in his room Kakashi finally laid down. Chakra exhaustion was no joke. His whole body ached, and his chakra was just enough replenished to let him stand up. As soon as she saw him enter Tsunami was all over him.

"Kakashi-sensei you shouldn't have run off like that ! " she admonished. "You're still injured ! I told you that they were going to come back soon ! Didn't you tell me that you would be unable to move ?"

"Who is supposed to protect who, Tsunami-san ?" his voice was calm and she could sense the amusement. His single eye was curved. He didn't seem annoyed. As she continued to glare he laid down. "Okay, Okay."

A light blush coloured her cheeks, he was a ninja after all not a child. But Tsunami didn't really care at this moment, the man saved her father's life even though he had children on his own to protect. Of course she ignored the voice in her mind telling them that weren't children anymore. Those genins were all but dangerous.

"Hey ! We brought the old man, Kakashi-sensei !" Announced Naruto as the team followed by her father came into the room.

"Who do you dare to call old man you-" growled Tazuna, but she could see that he liked the obnoxious blond.

Sasuke was as neutral as ever. The boy was awfully discreet and she could count on one hand the number of time he had talked to her. There was something in his eyes when he stared at her, something sad and dark but the woman know that if she let the pity that she felt flow in her eyes something bad would happen. He frightened her in a way. Tsunami didn't have any qualm admitting that Sakura was her favourite of the trio. The girl was gentle, friendly and the older woman found it cute how she would sometimes space out, a dreamy look on her face. Maybe a crush at home. She was medic material and if Tsunami was able to see it then it would be obvious to any half-trained medic-nin. So she had taught the pinkette the bases of herbs, like how her own mother had taught her. Living next to the forest and without any doctors in the vicinity meant that a basic knowledge of the herb was vital. It wasn't anything fancy but she had hoped it was enough to develop her interest in the field. That was why the sight of her protégé holding a sword twice her size made her blink. She seemed to be only one surprised though so she let it go.

"I think that Zabuza is alive."

Kubikiribocho pulsed. Sakura could feel her peace cracking down to let claustrophobia enter. Her breath quickened. LARYNX. She felt trapped in her own skin , trapped between a body kept alive but a mind let behind, forgotten. 'W-What is happening ? Let me go !' Anger formed inside of her. Was it how he treated her Kubikiribocho ? 'It's a sword Outer !' Like a tool ? Her sword whimpered and the pinkette brought it against her in a hug. Blood. This time it was her turn to comfort it. 'Don't do it' Slowly she let her shaking her wander along the sharp edge. 'You realize this isn't normal, do you?' But how could she refuse it ? 'We should tell someone.' Who ? At the battle who had been there ? Kakashi was busing reassuring Sasuke while she was suffocating in their killing intent. Naruto put himself in danger, he had ran toward it when she had wanted him by her side. Only in the aftermath was he here. Kubikibocho at been here all the time. She needed it. With new resolve blood fed the blade. Who noticed the shaking girl in the corner ? The anguish disappeared only to let her drown again in its familiar ecstasy. But hatred now laid next to her heart, in the pit of her stomach and she promised it would find release soon.

"Didn't the masked boy killed him ?" pointed out Sasuke.

"He is so smart !' Sakura ignored Inner. If Zabuza was alive then ... he will come back for what was now her's. Kubikiribocho pulsed in fright. A bloody finger ran circle on his surface. Sakura didn't notice how the sword absorbed the red drops. Nothing will ever separate them. Without thinking she interrupted her sensei's explanation.

"We need to train."

They all turned toward her. Normally she would have kept quiet, she wasn't one to ask outright for attention, it was more Naruto's role or even Sasuke. But since the fight she wasn't in her normal state. The blond nodded enthusiastically, they could all see how he was shaking from anticipation.

"Of course it's not from one week of training that we will be able to defeat him, but we need to be stronger for the next time we face him."

Her pale green orbs locked with her sensei's single eye. It was more of Inner's doing than anything else but Outer let her. She already knew what will happen. 'After we've fought for him, he can't just ignore us anymore.' Outer stayed silent, who cared about him ? She didn't really know what she searched in his gaze, care ? Like how he stared fondly at the back of Naruto's blond lock when the boy wasn't looking ? Or how he would look at Sasuke, with a knowing hidden smile and pride ? Maybe just ... recognition ? Like she mattered, like she had every right to be in his team, like she was worth something. 'Look at our hand ! Don't you see the blood ? Look at me !" Whatever Inner wanted he never gave it. Kakashi stared straight past her, like he always did. His gaze blank, like she was just a dull face in the crowd. 'H-He can't do that to me ! He can't !'Inner cried. Sakura could hear her faintly in the back of her mind but she drowned the noise by listening to Kubikiribocho. She willed it to fade the disappointment, to fill her newly empty heart. The sword purred all too willing to help its master.

Xx

When they let him to rest alone, Kakashi released a shaky breath. His body burned and the strain he had put on it to join his team didn't help the healing process. His almost empty chakra veins tickled, it wasn't pleasing, more like a needle piercing his skin. He had woken up in panic, the sight of Rin's pierced tattooed behind his eyelid. He didn't hear the loud yells of the blond or the mean mockery of his teammate. Following only his instinct he had ran toward them.

The sight of the bruise on Sasuke cheek made him tremble in rage. The real fear his smelled from a bowing Naruto ignited his blood. The shrill voice of the girl calmed him down. The copy-cat took in the scene again, Naruto must have landed a hit on Sasuke resulting in a angry teammate. Pride bloomed in his chest and lulled his previous panic. He curved his eye and decided to make his presence known. When no answer came, he observed again. A blush was on the Uchiha cheek and he refused to look at him in the eye, embarrassed, Naruto looked at him trough bright blue eyes, shinning with unleashed tears. Warm heated his core. He wouldn't have though that the boy would be so happy to see him. The pinkette was facing him and something bugged his mind. Something was wrong. Flesh. The smell of burned flesh was the first thing he could comprehend before the smoke from Naruto's clone cleared. This smell was familiar after all, he could always smell it on his arm since – Then came the noise. It may have been a whimper for some but he could hear the pain like a yell against his hear. He trashed against the water jail. Zabuza chuckled.

"At least this one succeeded in taking it down."

The tone was mocking but Kakashi could see the frown in the enemy's face. It was staring at the corpse. Body, he reminded itself as he saw her squirming. What was she doing ? The pained grunts ended as the little hand came in contact with the sword. All the pain and fear seemed to have disappeared from her body. Another dying girl came to Kakashi's mind, the same easy smile on her face even though they were hurt. A smile full of peace of mind, of freedom from this word. 'Rin !' Yelled his mind. Rin was hurt and again it was his fa-No. She was alright. Her chakra was strangely calm, strangely peaceful. Choosing to let it go and as pain resurfaced he went back to the house.

She had been the one to ask for training. She wasn't one to ask for much from him, she was fairly independent like Rin had been. Mature before her age. Lucky for him because Sasuke was a handful, so much like himself when younger, he needed to teach him so couldn't make the same mistake as him. Naruto needed to be taught how to be a ninja and be more confident, Kakashi refused him to have the same fate as Obito. So yes he had been very grateful for how similar to Rin she was, a great mind, a kind heart and he was sure she would have a great potential in the healing arts. Yet, this, this wasn't something Rin would do. He found himself taken aback for a second before staring at her. Something was wrong his mind screamed but Kakashi couldn't see what. The pinkette seemed alright, green eyes set alight by determination. He could see Rin in her, the two were almost identic in his mind. The image of her fallen body resurfaced. He gritted his teeth behind his mask. Maybe he had been too laid back with her, he needed to protect her more, keep her in his sight. A idea came to his mind, he knew what to do. He stared back at gentle brown eyes, he couldn't lose her again. He ignored the subtle smell of blood, the glint of light bouncing against metal or the fact that the voice wasn't the same. This wasn't healthy, he knew it. But every time he closed his eyes he could only see the fallen body of a girl and this hideous smile on her lips. 'Just a little more' he told himself, 'Then I would let it go. Just one more time.'

Sorry for the late ! There was a very big exam coming and my computer was lagging. There isn't much action in this chapter but I really wanted this to explain their relationship. I hope I didn't deter anyone with this description of Kakashi. I know that Kakashi seems very … disturbed but after seeing Sakura's state he awakened his trauma and worsened it. Thanks you for your all reviews ! Do not hesitate to leave one or ask questions ! See you next chapter !

Thanks a lot to : tiffanycr (Zabuza will be in the next chapter. I hesitated to put him here but I really wanted to concentrate on Sakura and Kakashi), StrangersAreBad ( thanks you for you review !), LostPrincessHolly ( Thanks ! I hope you would like this one !), Emma3mikan ( There would be a lot more of interaction with Kakashi ! I really want to write this evolution from being a replacement to Rin to finally being Sakura !), Suzululu4moe ( I think that the most sane will be Naruto and the worst ? Surely Kakashi for the moment. I'm so happy that you think the sword suit Sakura ! ), Vinolik ( Thanks you !), Ketsurui15 ( Thank you very much for you review ! I'm so happy that you think Sakura isn't overpowered, I was really afraid of that. ), Marisilveirad ( Thank you , I hope you also enjoyed this chapter !), myownersmanual ( Thanks you ! Yes, I think there will be a lot of friction between Sasuke and Sakura ), Ann ( Thanks you , I hope you also enjoyed this chapter ! Yes, I will go back in my previous chapters to verify the grammar and I will also start looking for a beta. Thanks for your advices !), Sincerely Athena ( Thanks you ! ), Harijime ( Thanks you ! As for your question I think this chapter explain some of them !).