Author's Notes:

Major thanks and apologies to those who took the time to point out flaws with the last chapter. That will be last time I post without doing some thorough editing. I think I may have been intimidated somewhat by the chapter length o.O As always, the reviews mean a lot to little ol' me, so thanks everyone!

Disclaimer:

See Chapter 1.


"Heh, you know, I was just thinking about how I may be lost . . ."

Her voice sounded uncharacteristically shaky even to her own ears. While pasting a parody of her usually confident smile to her face, Sakura mentally ran through an inventory checklist.

Two kunai, couple more shuriken, shit, I didn't attach my senbon pouch tonight.

She was just a bit poorly prepared as far as weapons went, so it looked like relying on her wits would be the way to go. The night chill combined with Baki's fierce expression in causing a plethora of goose bumps to swell across her cold skin.

"So, did you see where the assassin went?"

The kunoichi's bright look of genuine curiosity caused Baki's glower to falter ever so slightly, before he renewed his advance with suspiciously narrowed eyes.

"You didn't see anything . . . did you?"

Sakura shook her head fervently, while the familiar weight of her braid brushed against the slight curve of her back.

"She zipped right past me, same with that Yasu guy. Er, we should probably be getting back now that he's on it."

As though sensing that the Leaf shinobi was dying to inch away from him, Baki purposely moved so that each forward step of his mirrored her retreat backwards. Better to finish it here, he thought, where he could conveniently dispose of her body in some corner of the abandoned outpost making it look like the work of the "assassin".

"Yes, we should be returning. After you,"

Resisting the urge to brush the sweat off her brow, Sakura was more than ready to turn and bolt. Only as she moved and caught sight of the Sand Jounin's anticipatory leer, her blood grew cold once again.

That jerk . . . he's got another thing coming if he thinks I'll present him with an unguarded back.

"But I don't remember how I got here," she protested with a helpless shrug of her shoulders, "let alone figure out how to get back."

The other shinobi's face visibly darkened, as he extended a finger forward as though to point at a distant object over Sakura's shoulder.

"Baki, no."

The voice rang out with undisputed authority, severe enough to draw both Baki and Sakura's focus towards the speaker.

Temari, still clothed her midnight black garb, stood closer to them than her voice had given away. Sharp azure eyes were fixed commandingly on Baki, as she addressed him once again in that no-nonsense tone.

"Leave her, we don't need to involve the Leaf Village."

"So you say," the other growled, "but what if they make it their business to intervene?"

"I'm still here you know,"

Sakura looked between the two Sand shinobi who were wearing drastically differently expressions. Baki seemed a click away from reaching over and breaking her neck, while Temari was regarding her steadily as though waiting to see if she would immediately flee. With her lips pulled into a tight smile that aimed for appeasement, Sakura met the older kunoichi's gaze challengingly, bent on betraying none of the uncertainty she felt. It appeared as though appealing to the golden-haired young woman was the correct approaching if she wanted information.

"Look, I may not be exactly clear on what's going on here, but I witnessed an attempt on the Kazekage's life tonight. And in my books, that's a pretty grave offence against your own village."

Temari's cool gaze remained unchanging throughout the length of Sakura's self-righteous declaration. At length, she only snorted disdainfully in a dismissive way that made the other kunoichi bristle.

"Don't bring up such loaded ideas about something you couldn't possibly understand."

She turned as if to leave, only pausing to provide Baki with some last instructions.

"If she breathes a word of tonight's events, kill her along with the entire Leaf delegation."

The Sand Jounin nodded gravely, though his wary countenance revealed that he was still much in favour of terminating the eavesdropper right then and there.

"Wait,"

The beseeching word caused Temari to redirect her gaze back towards Sakura, who may as well have been fuming at the ears. Gone were the previously tentative eyes that had now hardened into glittering jewels that demanded attention.

"You don't need to threaten me into cooperating," she spat out distastefully, "none of the Leaf shinobi here are blind."

Her tone gradually softened to one that was more entreating.

"We can all tell that something seems off about the situation here. Tell us what's going on, why you want the Kazekage dead, and maybe we can reach agreement."

She waited eagerly for the other's response, since it all sounded rational enough to her. Whatever she had been expecting though, did not include having the Sand kunoichi suddenly burst into peals of amused laughter.

"Whatever makes you think you're worthy enough to strike an agreement with?"

Temari made an exaggerated gesture of wiping away several tears of mirth from the corner of her eye.

"Leaf shinobi . . . always have such inflated opinions of themselves . . ."

Swiftly, she made her departure before Sakura could indignantly protest that last comment. While the remaining kunoichi cursed colourfully under her breath, Baki approached her with renewed purpose, his original intent still fresh on his mind

She will be angry, but it will be for the best that I neglect her orders this time.

Sakura could almost see the tangible waves of murderous intent radiating off his person. It seemed that she was back exactly where she had been ten minutes ago.

"Trust me, Baki, you really don't need Konoha as a potential enemy with the way things are looking for your group."

"That won't be of any concern, unless you can send your lamenting ghost back to Tsunade."

"No," she stated firmly, "I won't be doing that. But let's see you explain my sudden, mysterious death to my two buddies over there."

She pointed behind him, where to his immense bewilderment, stood Neji and Lee only paces away. Both waved to Sakura, the deep green of their uniforms standing out under the silvery moonlight.

"So I'll keep my mouth shut if you do likewise," Sakura suggested in a light tone, before heading off towards her companions.

Baki's mind could only register buzzing shock as he took a second to ponder this unexpected turn of events. He came quickly back to his senses though, and the sight greeting his panicked eyes was one of the coral-haired kunoichi rapidly escaping with two other Leaf shinobi.

No . . .

He cried out mentally and gave heated pursuit, determined to take down the kunoichi by any means necessary. It if meant he would have to sacrifice himself in the process, then so be it.

With a final push, he was within range of grabbing Sakura by the tail of her long, wildly swishing braid. Grinning victoriously, he lunged for her, only to have his hand fall through at the barest touch of her immaterial form. He finally understood what had happened when all that remained for him to clutch onto were scattered wisps of smoke.

That conniving little bitch . . .


After running as far as they dared to without stopping, the figures of Neji and Lee halted for a quick breather. Or rather, "Neji" stopped to ease the pounding inferno that was his heart. Lee, at the command of his conjurer, disappeared completely with a small resounding pop.

Release henge.

Dropping her temporary guise, Sakura took the precious opportunity to lick her dry, cracked lips before resuming her race back towards the administrative building. As she bounded along, the rapidly approaching sound of swift movements from behind alerted her to the face that someone was gaining on her position.

Damn, that louse sure caught up fast.

She wasn't sure if she had the remaining energy or strength to perform a ninjutsu attack. But as the sound of her pursuer's steps fell almost right behind hers, Sakura cocked her wrist back to jut out the heel of her hand, and set herself on turning around and shoving Baki's nose halfway up his head.

She whipped around as planned, giving a determined yell as her hand swung forward to connect with the other's face. The kunoichi soon realized her mistake, as she could see no nose for her to strike. In fact, there was nothing she could readily see except for a stunned-looking eye and a messy head of flyaway silver hair. Luckily she didn't completely follow through with the motion, and Kakashi was able to catch her wrist before she struck him.

With an exhausted groan, Sakura flopped down lifelessly onto her back; she could care less that the coarse sand she laid upon wasn't the most tender of materials against her skin.

"That . . . was wheeze . . . close . . ."

She stared up unblinkingly at the starry canvas overhead, mesmerized by how the minute lights blurred in and out of focus. The sudden intrusion of a large hand into the scenic picture startled her, though she continued to lie motionlessly and stared at the gloved appendage dumbly. Finally, she grasped Kakashi's offered hand, and he pulled her smoothly to her feet.

"So you found me pretty easily," she commented while fervently dusting off her sleeves and pants.

"Well, it was all thanks to this little guy here."

Kakashi reached down to grab something by his feet, and much to Sakura's surprise, hoisted up a roly-poly brown ball of fur by the collar.

"Pakkun!"

It had been such a long time since she'd seen the "Ra Ra, go team!" dog that had guided her and Naruto in chasing after Sasuke during the Sand/Sound invasion. Pakkun stared back with his usually tired looking eyes, and yawned.

"The little girl doesn't look so little anymore,"

Sakura had reached over to hook her hands Pakkun's stubby front legs, and now cradled his plump little body gleefully to hers.

"Course not, but you're still as tiny as ever. So how did you track me?"

"Easily. Don't forget, we have a lot in common . . . didn't I tell you that was one of my favourite scents?"

Sakura's ecstatic smile faded several watts, as she suddenly realized how exactly Pakkun must have followed her. Or specifically, what scent he had used.

"Really Pakkun, you never told me about this. What scent, huh?"

Before the dog could reply to Kakashi's question, Sakura had quickly slapped a hand over the petite creature's mouth, as she forced a fake smile towards the Jounin. She would rather face the combined terrors of Orochimaru's Manda, Jiraiya's Gamabunta, and Tsunade's Katsuyu before admitting to her former sensei that she used the same shampoo as his dog.

Why did you not remember to change brands after that? Baka!

Inner Sakura's reaction was immediate and rather vehement.

"Pakkun just loves my perfume, dontcha puppy?"

For the dog's ears only, she hissed a menacing, "Not a word . . ."

"Hm, it'll cost ya."

"How much?"

"Say at least a month's supply of those doggie treats I love,"

"Done, but you say anything and you're a dead dog."

She mouthed the last bit before resuming her previously bright grin. That is, until Pakkun sharply bit the hand that was still preventing him from using verbal communication beyond muffled woofs.

Kakashi watched Sakura's startled cry of pain and her ensuing admonishment of the bored looking animal with more than a little curiosity. They must have been a lot chummier during their brief mission together than he thought.

"Did you catch up to the assassin?"

The sudden, but expected question stopped Sakura mid-rant, as she bent down to gently deposit Pakkun onto the ground. The dog instantly disappeared with in a small cloud of smoke. Yes, she had seen the assassin, and so much more. So much that Baki had deemed it necessary for her to die. As things went, she was obligated to report what she knew as a member of her team, only what then? There was nothing concrete, and the more people that knew about the situation, the more potential danger there was.

Only deep down, the taunting voice of her inner self piped up that all those reasons weren't what really gave her pause. From somewhere, Temari's voice replaced that of inner Sakura.

"What makes you think you're worthy enough to strike an agreement with?"

Maybe it was her hurt pride that was still smarting, combined with her desire to get to the bottom of the situation on her own and prove to Temari that she wasn't someone who would back down at her command. And so long as she hadn't revealed Temari and Baki's secret to the rest of her group, her silence could be used as a potential bargaining chip with them. She had a strong tingling sense that there was more going than Temari had let on.

So instead she smiled reassuringly at Kakashi and absently tried to sort out the dishevelled strands of her hair.

"I lost her somewhere back there. But the Sand Jounin called Yasu was on her trail."

The untruthful words came so easily, that it almost scared her.

"Oh, okay no worries then. Better to leave this whole thing for the Kazekage's people to deal with anyways."

Kakashi gave her a final glance over, as though checking for any visible injuries. To be perfectly honest, he had prepared a long reprimand for the young woman while he was hot on her trail. The cold wash of fear that overcame him when the gallery had cleared to reveal Sakura's disappearance had disturbed Kakashi greatly. Only whatever harsh words he had prepared for her, they died a faster death than Gai's modesty ever did in the face of their eternal rivalry when he saw her state of exhaustion.

Satisfied that there was nothing bothering her, Kakashi wiped his own hand on his pant leg, where the index finger had been cut to do the summoning.

"Um, don't you have a band-aid or something?"

He looked at her as though she were joking.

"No?"

With a roll of her eyes, Sakura reached into the chest pocket of her vest, and pulled out a white handkerchief.

"Here," she said, tossing it to him, "at least stop the bleeding."

"Aren't you going to bandage it for me?" Kakashi kidded with a mischievous wink.

You're not Sasuke, she almost retorted, but caught herself as the truth of the matter settled in. She realized it didn't matter if he wasn't Sasuke; she would have helped him wrap that little cut. She wasn't sure why, but she did know that if she ever did admit it to him, she would never live it down.

"Just suck on it or something," she shot back with an impish smirk, "you big baby."

Kakashi stared down at his finger, before shrugging in response.

"Good idea," he told her, and brought the bleeding finger up to his covered mouth all the while watching for her reaction.

"Eeek, Kakashi I was kidding! Ew, no, don't put your mouth- Ack, I'm leaving!"


Neji and Lee's reactions to Sakura's recount of events were pretty much on par with Kakashi's. There had been momentary chaos throughout the building after the assassin escaped, as around twenty Sand shinobi had poured into the gallery, forming a human barrier around the Kazekage. Only according to Lee, this did not have the intended effect of reassuring the Kazekage, who began yelling at the top of his lungs for the two bodyguards that seemed to have abandoned him.

Apparently the scene must have been quite hilarious, for even Neji was hard put to contain the slight twitching of his mouth that came with Lee's description.

"At least now we know you weren't kidding about the situation being flaky. . ."

Without any major disruptions, the next couple of days saw the uneventful continuation of talks. The assassination attempt had been passed off by the Kazekage as an "anomalous incident", one that had been committed no doubt by some dissatisfied locals.

All the same, Kakashi noticed how the young man's eyes would dart about nervously during their discussions.

Sakura, however, was enjoying a relatively uncomfortable time at the meeting table since she wasn't completely immune to the arsenal of death glares Baki kept sending her way. Eventually others noticed, and Lee even made a point of it to sit beside his teammate so that his body would always be partially shielding her from Baki's angle.

This behaviour puzzled the Copy Ninja, and caused an almost blazing desire to pummel the Sand Jounin. Whatever was causing the immense dislike, apparently Sakura knew nothing about it.

The talks themselves had become entirely pointless as far as Kakashi was concerned. They had basically come to the conclusion that the Sand Village had no intention of annexing any neighbouring countries, and in fact the shinobi that were frequenting the borders were there for the purpose of completing missions or advanced training.

The Leaf delegation certainly hadn't gathered any information that could prove the Sand Village had other motives, which was part of the reason why Kakashi was currently strolling through the local streets in hopes of picking up some info from random civilians. Only even though he had forgone the identifiable forehead protector, the people still gave him wide berth.

Probably the facemask, he justified to himself.

As he turned a sharp corner into one of the smaller alleys, Kakashi narrowly missed colliding into a middle-aged, blonde man who was carrying an armload of fresh fruit. The slight bump that did occur unbalanced the villager enough to spill the produce that now rolled haphazardly across the ground.

Kakashi crouched down and at once began helping to reassemble the scattered goods. Only as he did so, the other man moved ever so slightly closer so that his mouth was beside the Leaf shinobi's ear.

"Wind and fire were never compatible," he whispered hurriedly, "but what lies within the sand also threatens the vitality of the leaves. My superiors want to meet with you. Nine, tonight, 2.3 miles south of Northwest lookout tower."

After delivering the message, the civilian quickly gathered what fallen fruit was within his immediate reach, and scurried off down the alleyway.

Kakashi remained crouching on the ground, his silver brows furrowed in deep thought as bypassing spectators eyed both him and the ring of scattered fruit around him strangely. He was considering whether to satisfy his own curiosity, and whether or not to bring backup. The message had specified only him, but how safe would that be? Or was this merely some ploy of the Kazekage's?

Only one way to find out, isn't there?

He stood up, ignoring the mess that was left behind, and walked away briskly to continue his task to see if he could discover anything insightful before the scheduled appointment. His behaviour right then would certainly have scared all those who were familiar with his reputation.


Intent on changing out of her ANBU uniform, Sakura kept her steps soft and measured as she headed back towards the Leaf quarters to meet up with the others. Her investigation of her assigned location had been relatively unrewarding: the Academy was just that and nothing more. It had been very strange to wander through hallways with classrooms exactly like the ones in her village. And the students, they may as well have been Leaf children if it wasn't for the subtle differences in their clothing.

As she prepared to turn the corner into the residential portion of the building, the kunoichi caught sight of a bulky shape making its way quickly towards another set of double doors. The man was Baki no doubt, and he was striding purposely to the entrance of the general meeting room.

Slipping her ANBU mask carefully over her face, Sakura felt compelled to noiselessly follow and observe him from afar. She had learned nothing of Temari and his motivations these past few days, and it was driving her mad inside. There was also the indisputable fact that he had less than innocent intentions towards his Kazekage. And a dead Sand Village leader on their hands wouldn't look so great on their report to Tsunade.

The Sand Jounin, who had reached his destination, seemed to pause hesitatingly in front of the heavy doors before pushing them open and marching inside.

After he disappeared, Sakura took immediate action and dashed upstairs straight for her quarters. Luckily, none of the others had returned from their assignments, so she was free to proceed with her plans. Judging that Kakashi's room would be closest to her target point, she rushed into the Copy Ninja's generous room and started unsealing window panel.

Task accomplished, Sakura slid the glass barrier aside and slipped out, mindful of the narrow ledge that she would have to balance on. She moved sideways, with her back pressed evenly into the side of the building, as she inched her way over.

Four, five . . . six.

Bypassing six windows, the ANBU found herself directly above the one the led into the meeting room. Nodding to herself, she unclasped a spool of sturdy wire that hung at her waist and nailed it into the wall using a kunai. She then pulled out a good amount of the thin material, looped it twice about her left wrist and tied it in place. With the metallic filament wrapped securely about her, Sakura tugged several times to test the tension.

When she was at last content with the hold, she stepped lightly off the ledge, and gradually lowered herself down until she was directly in front of the desired window.

The window was in a high corner of the room, so as Sakura peeked pryingly inside, the occupants failed to notice her. Much to her elation, the window before her was wide open and not entirely sealed off like the typical clear domes that adorned regular rooms.

Inside, she could see Baki standing in a rigid half-bow before the Kazekage, whose back was turned to him. Both remained silent, until at length, the Kazekage shook his head slowly.

"I can't help but think that you no longer place my safety as such a high priority as you used to."

"That's not true," the other replied without much facial animation, "your safety is my first responsibility."

"Then why haven't you taken care of the rebel faction leaders yet? It has been months and they grow bolder with time!"

"Kazekage-sama . . ."

The man's shaking!

It was almost unnoticeable with his unwavering stance and tone, but Sakura had been one of the brightest in her class due to her remarkable memory and keen sense of acuity that could be employed. And now it was evident to her that the man's body was overcome by tiny tremors that even reached his tautly clenched face; Baki was shivering in his resolution, giving off a sharp note of fear or uncertainty.

But what struck her as odd was that the source of all his distress didn't seem to be the Kazekage himself, as the Sand shinobi's eyes kept flitting expectantly to the side whenever given the chance.

"I will tell you that your progress has been disappointing," the Kazekage told him threateningly, "I expect results and soon."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

Baki bowed lowly once more before walking away stiffly and quitting the room.

"I really don't know what to do with him, he's such an useless oaf!"

The Kazekage appeared completely unconcerned with hiding his revulsion as he turned around.

"Ah, but our Baki has his uses," someone pointed out pleasantly from the other side of the room.

Sakura swung her attention over, and was momentarily struck dumb as she glimpsed a snatch of silver hair. As her eyes picked up more of the person, she was able to process the sight of Yakushi Kabuto seated comfortably in a high-back chair, looking for all the world like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. She had learnt of his true identity as a spy for the Sound Village from Naruto, who had also related Kabuto's role in the battle between the three Legendary Leaf-nins.

She now felt an intense amount of stinging dislike for this man who had pretended to be so amicable towards her team. He was playing with a shiny object in his hand and listening with a half attentive ear to the Kazekage, who went on complaining about how the situation was becoming too dangerous for him.

"You have to do something," he whined, "these rebels are becoming a real problem."

"I thought you would be able to handle this," the other young man noted with an affable smile.

"Yes, but it's getting out of hand! Wait, maybe I should negotiate to have the Leaf shinobi help us weed those pests out . . ."

Kabuto, who had seemed agreeable enough to the untrained eye, now shot the
Sand Village leader a dangerous look.

"I hope you realize that I picked you because of your charismatic exterior and superior acting skills. Definitely not for you diplomatic capabilities-"

"No, of course," the other quickly amended, "we will do what you think is best."

The former spy returned to his previously engaging smile.

"I think we will start by finding out who has been hovering precariously outside that window there."

Without any further warning, Kabuto flung the surgical knife he was toying with over his shoulder, and waited with tacit patience for the impact.

Sakura had enough time to swing her body to the side and avoided any direct cuts. But the diminutive blade in turn caught the fine material of her line, and sliced clean through the wire.

As she began her death drop, the kunoichi tried to summon enough chakra to her fingertips so that she could rely on that and cling to the building. While she frantically attempted that option, she also hoped to decelerate her rapid descent by grabbing onto something. Only she failed to do so, and as a result, her right arm was dragged painfully down against the cement surface.

Just when she was about to cry out from the multiple cuts along her skin, Sakura's fall suddenly came to an abrupt stop with a sharp upwards jerk. Someone began pulling her up by the remaining length of wire still tied to her arm.

Busted. . .was her first coherent thought after the initial overwhelming relief that had gripped her. But she would rather face a Sand shinobi any day instead of the hard ground five floors later.

Steeling herself to face her "rescuer", the ANBU felt a strong hand grab onto her arm and lift her easily up while pressing the intact end of the wire into her palm. The actions stopped Sakura from hostilely confronting the individual, but she was still ready to deliver him or her a lethal blow if necessary. Only as she raised her head to deal with the person, the kunoichi found herself looking at her own reflection in a pair of black shades.

While hanging onto the proverbial lifeline, Sakura opened her mouth to thank Yasu, but the other instantly pressed a finger over his lips and shook his head. They were right beside the window; the Kazekage and Kabuto would inevitably hear any spoken words.

Yasu was using chakra to adhere himself to the building, something that Sakura had considered doing but abandoned after considering the energy it would cost her. With a final glance in her direction, the Sand Jounin slid over until he was hanging directly in front of the window, and deftly swung himself inside. Sakura wanted to call to him, but he was already gone. Instead, she used her free hand to unsheathe her sword from her back, and manoeuvred the blade's reflective surface to observe what was happening inside the room.

"Gods," came the Kazekage's exclamation as Yasu landed within, "it was you! Why can't you use a door like a normal person?!"

The other man paid him no heed, and walked assertively over towards where Kabuto was seated.

"Don't yell at me," was all he said in a deceptively quiet tone that belied all the underlying comfort of a sharpened icicle.

Sakura froze in her spot. The long blade of her sword quivered as her hand shook involuntarily.

That voice . . . that voice! But it's all wrong-

"But our own dear Uchiha would never settle for just being 'ordinary'."

Kabuto was grinning expectantly at the Sand Jounin, who was currently unwrapping the white cloth that had bound his head. When the long length of material at last came off, sleek ebony locks tumbled free from the constraint and arranged into a familiar chin-length style. The shinobi then removed his shades and tossed them carelessly onto the desk beside Kabuto.

"Isn't that right . . . Sasuke?"

Without acknowledging the question, the young man calmly reached a hand towards his face, and in one sharp motion ripped off his mask to reveal a face that though changed, was still enough to bring back vivid images of the past. The flurry of scenes converged to temporarily shatter Sakura's hold on reality.

"From here on out . . . we all begin new paths . . ."

"Please just stay with me!"

"Sakura . . . thank you."

"Please . . . the wish of my lifetime . . . please bring Sasuke-kun back."

The building crescendo finally exploded into one perfect moment of crystalline clarity for her.

. . .I've found him.


Author's Notes:

So is this where I go dun, dun, dun...­and start running? And as far as KakaSaku relations go, what does everyone think? Will this be a step forward or backward? It'd be interesting to know. Yes, this chapter came out later than planned since I ran into some very annoying computer problems this weekend. I actually had to deliver my baby IMac to a buddy who actually knows what goes on beneath its flashy neon exterior. I just write, dude.

Chapter 7 was really exhilarating for me to write, and it's in the editing stage so expect it out soon, really. Let's just say that I'm ready to purchase an angst lifejacket for future use. Anyone got one they're willing to sell me?

Review Responses:

Limewings: Urk, I really didn't want to pull the cliffhanger bit, honest! Only if I went on, I shudder to think how long the last chapter would have been. And yes...­I'm in denial about this chapter ending with a cliffhanger as well :P There's also a little SasuSaku in me as well. Thanks for the review!

prexus: Wow, all the support...I'm speechless. Hope you liked this chapter!

bishonennomiko: I really appreciate all the time you put into reviewing and catching my slip-ups with regards to grammar. Yeah, the last chapter didn't go through as much editing as I hoped, and I definitely learned my lesson there. I'll be posting a revised copy sometime later, so thanks there. Mochi is conventionally made with glutinous rice and a red bean paste filling, but I have seen the ice cream versions out there. And having dessert for breakfast is unfortunately an all too common occurrence...­

Sakura and Kakashi's relationship is turning out to be remarkably complex. Sakura is somewhat wary about the potential role that Kakashi would play in her life. A part of her would like nothing better than to return to their old teacher-student relationship, but her more recent experience has proved to her that the bond there wasn't really solidified. This is the man who basically ditched her and Naruto for a month so that he could train Sasuke in private. And his absence thereafter has probably also proved to her that there is danger in relying completely on another person. When she needed support the most, ultimately it wasn't Kakashi who was there for her. But there's much more development to come, as always :PYes, I like the direction you're going with your suspicions! And throwing Akatsuki in there. . .I can't say too much to kill the plot, but you're definitely onto something there. But hopefully this chapter didn't maim the previous assumptions that you had .

You know I love the KakaSaku pics! Thanks ever so much, and I must've stared at my screen for five minutes in denial when one of the links you gave me didn't work. The fixed link made my day!

Lady Light: Thanks for the review! Yeah, there'll actually be quite a lot happening, insert evil laughter, hack, cough

MaidenInTheMoon: Lol, yeah I totally agree that Temari's a good kid at heart . Glad about your confidence in Sakura's abilities. Only as soon as she gets herself out of one bind, she finds herself in a bigger one sigh. The KakaSaku is definitely going to be there, only the development may have come to a bit of a standstill with the major reunion that going to happen with the next chapter. Thanks tons for the glomp-worthy support!

Sailor Tiamat: Thanks! The possibilities for forehead jokes are just endless, aren't they? I hope this chapter answered some of your questions about the Kazekage. And nah, I'm not keeping you all guessing, shifty-eyed look

Mikazuki1: You know what, I actually kind of think Kakashi may have been looking forward to a "damsel in distress" scenario with Sakura . Only things didn't really turn out that way...I'm really a menace, interfering with the education of others :P And seven readings...!!! I'm really not worthy. But for all your wonderful support I ambush you with huggles!

Jewel Song: Yes, write the KakaSaku! Lol, being just a little pushy there, forgive me? I'm sure you have what it takes to make it great! Gaara will be making a future appearance, only it may be very different from what most are expecting. And as for love triangles...I can sense the beginning of one very problematic one already, eh? Yay for tension is right! Hope this chapter was enjoyable for ya!

Magdalena: Wow, so I updated right on your birthday? Happy b-day to ya! It makes me tremendously happy knowing that you like what's building here, as random as it may seem at first. Yep, the KakaSaku is definitely building, only it may have just run into one large problem by the name of Uchiha Sasuke. Thanks for your support!

fanartist: Lol, your fic deserve a whole lot more than just that! My comp's back online, so I'll be checking your fic out later. And you have no reason to feel incompetent! Go, write! :P And I'll be getting off my soapbox now...

Demeter1: Temari is just one really fascinating and complex character, isn't she? I love writing her, and I honestly hope to do her justice. She'll be making more entrances with future chapters, as the plot continues. And yes, Sakura has the tendency to be a bit impulsive, doesn't she? Maybe a bit of Naruto rubbing off on her?

Omigosh, I would kill to see a work of fanart featuring Kakashi fondling Sakura's clothing! I'll start my hunt, and shall we pool our resources? As for Sasuke's whereabouts, I hope this chapter answered part of the question. But there's still much more to be explained. All your support is muchly loved!

mkitty-chan: Ack, I was evil, wasn't I? I think it comes out of what I'm currently working on: writing from the perspective of the supposedly "bad guys" of the fic. Be sure to bap me if I get carried away though :P Hope you liked this chapter!

Kenhime: Constructive criticism is good! Yeah, there were quite a number of flaws as a result of me skimming through an editing session. It hopefully won't happen again . I totally agree with what you mean by reviews providing you with inspiration while your muse abandons you (mine probably deserted me as soon as I unravelled what would be the outline of my horribly convoluted plotline.)

Lol, but rambling is good! It's what keeps many of us sane instead of bottling the bad stuff up and randomly unleashing it on some unsuspecting bystander . Haha, it's always good to know that my KakaSaku mission is proceeding nicely. And yeah, the Kazekage is a bit of a wuss, ain't he? It heartens me to know that I've made a walking a paradox out of someone. A definite first for me :P I'm going to ignore how you mentioned you were too young to read some of the future stuff (gasp!), especially since a lot of the really rated material won't be coming for a while yet. I hope your hunger from chapter 5 was assuaged a bit by this chapter, or I can only hope that you won't kill me for leaving you with another one¡­ but thanks anyway! Your reviews always leave me either glowing or with soda over my keyboard, (bad, bad, choke)!

oOoshortayoOo: Aw, thanks! I hope you like what's ultimately going to come out of this chapter!

kUnOichi-sAkUrA: Hey, no worries! I'm determined to finish this even if it kills me Thanks for your review! Huh, sex scenes...? Lol, j/k, ­they probably won't be for awhile, especially with the coming development in Sakura and Kakashi's relationship after Sasuke's re-entrance. But hopefully you're willing to wait, right?

kookey: Lol, alrighty, I'll try to make the updates as quick as possible! Definitely continuing with this, and I even have this to prove it! pulls out beaten up, wrinkled piece of paper with plot outline on it Um, yeah. Your support really warms me, and yes, KakaSaku forever!

Chuwei: Alright, thanks for the huggable support! Lol, did you ever think for a second that inner Sakura would disappear? I can totally see Genma as a womanizer, 'specially since the guy obviously looks like he's single. And with those looks...something's definitely up with those Leaf Jounins :P Kotetsu and Izumo are two loveable characters who really don't get enough mention in fandom. But everyone seems to like them!

I think that though the Leaf team meets with the Kazekage dressed not in their ANBU uniforms, they're not fooling anyone. Both sides probably know that the talks are a farce and pretense if anything, but they have to be maintained just so that things don't get ugly. I will definitely be taking you up on your offer for Japanese translations! Yay, because yeah, Babelfish kind of scared me. Sakura's confrontation with Baki was remarkably similar to the episode where poor Hayate left us. That episode kind of left a bad taste in my mouth...

­I really enjoyed your ficlet about the unnamed ANBU chick and her relation to Hayate. So all I have to say to you is, will you be writing more Hayate stuff? Please?! But thanks again for the reviews, the support really sniffle, touched me.

edward-tivrusky-5: Wow, thanks for the praise! There's going to be a lot more coming, mwahaha, so I hope ya stick around for it!

hiddendragon88: Thanks! It's great to know that you enjoy this pairing! It's my personal favourite. Yeah, and Sakura's development was hopefully in-character, since I really believe that she had that potential, only it never really came out in the manga. Hope you liked this latest chapter!

Girl-chama: hides Yeah, this chapter was really supposed to be out earlier. Only I nearly freaked out on Saturday afternoon when I booted my comp up and it displayed "corrupted disk drive" on the screen. sigh But here it is, in all its late-coming glory! Not really, but I have to thank you for all the support you provided in your review! This is the stuff that makes me get off my butt and actually write/edit/update. There is definitely a lot more development of the Kakashi/Sakura relationship to come, especially since it is still early, cough. I'm glad you liked the team, I can really see them working well together if they get past any initial stereotypes and alienation. Lol, I hope this latest chapter helped in bringing down your FFic high. We all know how unhealthy those can be... Mucho thanks here!