Hi there! Sorry for the lack of updates. School started again and the teachers really know how to pile it on o.O Thanks for waiting, though, so without further ado, here is chapter ten. Reviews will be responded to at the bottom.

Kakashi stood at the base of the monument on the edge of the training grounds. He stared blankly at the lines etched into the surface of the smooth stone illuminated solely by the stars in the distant expanse of darkness. It was another clear night just like the one before, and the chill of autumn still loomed in the air. He could sense the impending rains, still miles away, which would fall from the sky in downpours in a matter of hours.

The Copy Ninja released a heavy sigh beneath his silky mask. Only his normal black eye remained uncovered on his face, distorting his vision in the shadows of the night. He shifted his forehead protector with a firm hand until his Sharingan was revealed.

Characters formed on the marbled surface that his eyes perused and joined together to create names of people Kakashi had once known. Men and women, young and old; everyone was here. They were the ninja who had once served Konoha. Every name represented one courageous Shinobi that had made the ultimate sacrifice for the village. To earn such an esteemed privilege as a having a place on this monument, that sacrifice was the only requirement. It was the one thing all the names shared.

They were all honored as heroes of the village because they were all dead.

There were ninja that had fallen in the midst of the battlefields while defending Konoha. There were ninja that had been struck down on missions in the service of Konoha. In exchange for their lives, the names of the deceased would be engraved onto the monument as a testament to what they had given up.

The names represented all the people who had once been loved and cared for; all the people who were now missed. Obito was there. Rin was there. Yondaime was there. Kakashi wondered why he, himself, was not.

Since Obito's death all those years ago, Kakashi had visited the monument in a daily basis. Excluding the times he was out on missions, it had become a habit to walk the path winding through the village in the early morning and end up at the foot of the monument. He'd say a prayer and linger on for hours at a time, mentally addressing the names etched in stone. He would ask questions that went unanswered, only to return home feeling no more fulfilled than before the visit. Then again, maybe the whole process had a consoling effect on the Copy Ninja, who was haunted by the guilt of living when everyone else was dead. Maybe he thought redemption would come if he visited the names enough. In any case, it had become a ritual in his daily life; a habit too hard to break. In escaping death, he would have to be alone.

You're not alone.

Kakashi listened as the words resonated through his head. He knew the silent voice was right. Ten years ago, he had truly thought that he had lost everyone he ever cherished. Ten years was a long time though, and circumstances had changed. There was now one who remained beside him when all others were gone.

Sakura.

The Copy Ninja scratched his head in frustration and sighed.

When did things become so complicated? When did he actually realize he had developed such feelings for the roseate kunoichi?

He never once doubted that he cared for all three of his three former students. In the beginning he had come to treasure Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura as his partners and teammates. Sakura had been twelve then; clearly intelligent, but even more obviously, innocently naive in her own way. She focused her energy on winning over Sasuke, letting her emotions get the better of her many times. She had been a mere child. It couldn't have been then.

So when was it that Kakashi first found himself gazing at her for no apparent reason? What had changed that made everything about her different to him? He guessed it would have been around the time Sakura was fifteen or so, before Sasuke came back.

Kakashi came home from an extended mission one day to find the little girl, who would usually stand at the village entrance awaiting his return, now replaced with a young woman. Under Tsunade's watchful eye the kunoichi had mentally developed the maturity and skills needed in the ninja world; and, physically, nature had taken care of the rest.

In his few months of absence, Sakura had blossomed.

She smiled up at him from her small stature as she always did, and took his bags to accompany him on the walk to his apartment. She prompted him on everything he had missed in his absence, as usual, but Kakashi had remained unusually quiet that day. He found himself staring oddly at this new person and quite unsure of why he was doing it.

Sakura asked him what was wrong, obviously worried about his health, and Kakashi smiled and said he was just tired. She accepted the answer reluctantly, but left him to his thoughts. When they finally reached his apartment, she had hugged him kindly before bidding him farewell, as was normal. However, he lingered at his second story window and watched her walk down the street, still baffled by the new sensation that had arisen inside him at the sight of her.

Although he had been tired, it was not the reason Kakashi had been at a loss for words on the short trip home. On the contrary, it was because of Sakura. Like a lovesick school boy, he had gone tongue-tied by the transformed kunoichi. Had it not been for his mask, Sakura would have seen the expression of surprise plastered on his face.

But Sakura was still Sakura. Even then, she still held onto the hope that Sasuke would come home safe and sound. Kakashi could not bring himself to tear away that hope. That unrequited love was the last piece of the kunoichi's childhood that remained, and he had let her cling to it.

Only a few months later, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura, along with other Konoha ninja, became involved in the messy schemes of the rivaling Orochimaru and Akatsuki. In the end, Sasuke had returned to the side of Konoha, helping to vanquish Orochimaru and finally getting the chance to kill his brother, Itachi.

Although he was badly wounded, Sasuke had survived battle. Sakura's emotions maneuvered back and forth between dejection over his injuries and elation over his return. She had sat by his hospital bed until he awoke from a coma and then nursed him back to health. Surprisingly, it soon became apparent that Sasuke had developed feelings reciprocating those of the roseate kunoichi. As his strength grew, so did his love for Sakura.

So, in the end, Kakashi backed down from his newfound feelings and suppressed them. Sakura had what she'd longed for over the last eight years of her life, and she was truly happy again. Kakashi would not interfere and cause anymore pain for her.

But then Sasuke died, and Kakashi became a shoulder for Sakura to cry on. Things were apparently different between them, then, since Sasuke had passed away. Otherwise, why had Sakura kissed him just the night before?

He could be wrong. After all, they had both been a little intoxicated. Defenses were down on their respective sides at that point. She could be feeling regret now for the kiss, labeling it as a simple spur-of-the-moment mistake.

However, he secretly doubted this theory. Even if Sakura had been a little drunk or off guard, she wasn't one to make hasty decisions when it came to men. His birthday was probably the first time Sakura had been out on anything that could be classified as a real date. She had several offers over the last few years by young, handsome Jounin who had taken notice in her, only to disappoint them with rejection.

Was it possible that there was something of substance between them now? Would she be willing to let there be something?

A breeze swept across the Copy Ninja, whisking away his thoughts as the presence of someone hidden within the shadows came into range. He was familiar with this subtle entrance, and identified the intruder as an ANBU member. He had a good idea of why the squad had dispersed throughout the village as he sensed the other members now at varying distances. He sighed and rubbed his eyes before sliding his forehead protector back down.

"I didn't expect this to happen so soon," he said, remaining turned toward the stone. He sensed the silent footsteps of the body approaching him.

"Neither did we," a feminine voice replied. The figure of a young woman appeared before Kakashi holding a sealed letter out to him. "I'm sure you're aware of what's been going on."

"Yes," Kakashi admitted, "Hokage-sama has been kind enough to keep me informed." He took the document and opened it with a flick of his wrist, chuckling as he read the contents of the page. "Well, well," he mused, "I gather this is a very big deal."

The masked ANBU face nodded in confirmation. "We'll be waiting," she said, quickly bowing before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

Kakashi shook his head and turned to gaze up at the village. He would have to cut his visit at the monument short today. He swore under his breath and abruptly took off in the direction of Headquarters.

"Just my luck."

After signing in with the solemn Jounin at the table positioned beside the doors leading into the conference area, Kakashi entered the empty room and took a seat in the center of the very last row. He hated being at the front of crowds.

To passersby he may have appeared to be dosing in one of the auditorium styled chairs with his head slightly lowered. Anyone who was familiar with Kakashi, however, would know better; he watched the movements of the other ninja around him as they entered the room and found seats throughout the spacious hall.

Kakashi now sensed someone moving in his own direction. That presence promptly sat down beside him and kicked a pair of sandaled feet up onto the back of the chair in the next row. Kakashi could just make out the tip of the silver senbon protruding from his neighbor's mouth. He chuckled quietly and sat up as he tried to get a better look at the ninja beside him. It was Shiranui Genma.

The camel-haired Jounin smirked at Kakashi and leaned back in the chair. He adjusted the backwards forehead protector he always sported and folded his arms behind his head. Kakashi tilted towards him.

"Genma," Kakashi said, "how nice of you to grace me with your presence. I have to admit I'm surprised to see you here, though."

"Yeah; you and me both." Genma shook his head, looking slightly downcast. "You wouldn't believe the hot little number I had to turn down. We weren't even halfway up the stairs before I had one of them banging on my door." He nodded toward one of the ANBU troops now positioned at the exits. "But what can you do?" He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Speaking of hot little numbers," a rough voice pointed out from behind Genma, "It seems that our Kakashi here was seen around town Friday evening with a woman. Quite a bombshell from what I've heard." Asuma sat beside the Jounin, a cigarette clenched in his teeth, which were set in a devilish smirk. "What's the matter Kakashi? Was my birthday party last year not good enough for you this year?"

Genma, meanwhile, sat gaping at the Copy Ninja. He grabbed at his chest as if he was undergoing a heart attack. "Hatake Kakashi? With a woman?" He gasped and pretended to faint, falling back into his chair and banging his head into the wall directly behind him.

"Ow!" The crash elicited a cry from the Jounin and made a few heads turn back in their direction. "Damn it..." He rubbed his head in the tender spot before laughing. An intriguing thought had come to his mind. "So, Kakashi," he mused, "As you can imagine, we're very surprised. You're notorious for turning down some of the villages finest ladies. Tell me, now, when you say you were with a woman…"

Kakashi grew hot beneath his silky black mask. He scowled at the two Jounin who sat staring at him inquisitively. Their cheeks were red and about to burst as they tried to suppress their laughter.

"I just thought it would be nice to go out and enjoy the evening with a close friend. You guys are making way too much out of this. And get you're minds out of the gutter," he muttered, flicking Genma in the arm. "If you hadn't noticed, there must be something big going down for ANBU to call a meeting at four in the morning."

Asuma pulled the cigarette from his mouth, a gray swirl of smoke emitting from his lips. "You're telling me. It better be for a good reason. Kurenai flew out of bed like a bat out of hell when the doorbell rang. At first, she thought I had made the noise and was trying to scare her. I nearly got a kunai in the face." He pointed to the slight scratch on his cheek. "There's only one person I'm scared of more than death itself, and it doesn't help when she's my wife."

"Seriously, though," Asuma said, returning to the previous subject as he pushed Genma out of the way, "who was it?" He leaned close to Kakashi and raised an eyebrow.

Kakashi nodded in the direction behind the two intently staring Jounin. "Take a look. She just walked in."

Thanks for reading! All reviews are welcomed. I had such a hard time writing this chapter for some reason, so I'm sorry if it's not up to par. I keep thinking about all the better stuff in here I can't wait to get to, though.

The new ending of Naruto rocks, and thanks to it I was inspired. As much as I love the KakaSaku pairing, I felt so sad when I watched it Friday. I was like aww, and all teary-eyed. I'm dorky like that. Anyways, it makes me want to write a story based on the SasuSaku pairing, so that may be appearing in the future. I'm not sure if it will become the prequel to this story, or if it will be something new. I'd like to use the flashback dreams from this story, though, to write it. What do you think?

So we'll see. Thanks again!

Here are my responses. I work from the oldest one, so there may be more than one response for someone who has reviewed multiple times from 3/31 - 4/05.

AznNarutoGrl-91: Sorry, but I've gotten into the pairing of Shikamaru and Temari after their fight :) She totally dominates him.

Firefox: Well, I'm glad I've been able to turn you in favor of the pairing. I know what you mean, I'm jealous, too, sometimes XD

...: Thank you! Yeah, sometimes I just get carried away calling them one thing :p

cuito: I really like the flashbacks too! I think you kind of need to see what she's struggling with through everything as she's trying to build a relationship with Kakashi. Thanks!

AznNarutoGrl-91: Thank you! I figured it was about time something happened :p

iamitachi: It took me a while before I opened up to the pairing, but I think it does work well. Thanks!

Afiag: Lol! I know how you feel. I'm sorry if I made you scare your boyfriend. lol, thanks!

Princess7: I'm trying, but my teachers are evil, lol.

xoxoKakaSakuxoxo: Thank you! It is truly motivating to get such great reviews. I'll keep working on it:)

Jemiul: Thanks for reading :) Updates are on the way.

Firefox: I know, lol. I'm evil like that. Don't worry though, he's going to reveal his face eventually. Also, sorry about the cliffhanger :)