Yay! Plot begins and Elly is very happy and excited to write now! And yes, I know Sakura's birthday is inaccurate. My apologies but I didn't put two and two together until now ;

I wish I got more reviews, but I don't really know how to advertise my story even. Just stick it on ffnet and affnet. I posted it on a mailing list or two but they all seem completely dead and I could tell I got no hits from them. Speaking of mailing lists, I'm missing the good old days when GWML got started!! I fear those good days of fandom are over ;;

Any suggestions for advertising my fic? Thanks!

It was the same old bridge they had been meeting since she was first appointed a Genin. It was also the same old bridge that Kakashi had been late arriving to since she was first appointed a Genin. It was 9am, where was he? Even when she moved the time backwards he was late! Really now, she was fairly certain his only reason for doing it was to keep up his reputation.

The only thing the extra wait did was give Sakura even more time to think, and she didn't need that. The weekend had been pretty uneventful and it seemed like all she did was think and train. She had dinner with Naruto on Saturday and he was upset that she was leaving…he was more upset that he hadn't been assigned the mission though. Sakura simply told him that he had got to try to get Sasuke back the first time, and now it was her turn. She would gladly given up her position to him had she been able to.

With a poof Kakashi appeared next to Sakura. Judging by the suns position it was around 10am. Well it wasn't his worst…she had to admit that.

"Sorry, I overslept."

Sakura nearly choked, "Wow a logical excuse, the world may end."

Leaning over, Sakura grabbed the bag she had packed with her necessities and several changes of clothes. It wasn't too heavy, she hadn't required very much. Her usual training outfit would do most likely, but she did pack some clothes for a cooler climate. It was almost December after all.

"I figure we would stop at Otafuku first." He spoke, taking initiative in the mission. Sakura didn't argue as it matched up with her idea perfectly. Otafuku was a logical first stop. After all, the city was a hotspot for gambling, boozing, and underground crime. Sasuke might not have seemed the type but they were sure they could pick up some sort of leads. They highly doubted he had settled in a cabin on the countryside.

They traveled for hours in the treetops with only short rests. Nothing was really rushing them, but they didn't see any reason to make the trip to Otafuku leisurely either. They had made it many times before for various missions and it was nothing special anymore.

It was nearing around 6pm when Sakura felt as if she could not move any longer. The sun was beginning to set and they were still a good half-day from the city. She knew Kakashi could keep going but she didn't think she could last another half hour even if they slowed the pace. Her legs had began to hurt hours ago and at this point they were beginning to numb.

"Kakashi, can we stop for the night? It's beginning to grow dark." Sakura voiced over to her comrade.

He nodded in agreement. He had been waiting for her to say something; he was actually quite surprised that she had made it this far. His path changed directions as he lowered towards the ground to scout out a spot to build camp for the night. There was a river near by, he could hear it, and he made his way over.

Sakura nearly collapsed as she sat down on the forest floor. Her legs were so weak and she knew she had overdone it. Optimally she should have stopped over one hour ago.

Kakashi eyed the girl near him and noticed her obvious fatigue. He silently blamed himself for not checking her stamina as they were traveling. It had been a while since they had traveled such a distance together and last time she had only made it six hours before needing a lengthy rest. It had to be noted, however, that she had improved greatly in many areas from what he had witnessed.

After starting a fire and catching some rather skinny fish Kakashi settled down at the camp with Sakura. The weather was quite chilly once the sun set behind the forest, and Sakura unpacked the small blanket she had brought along with her. They both sat at the campfire in silence. Kakashi had been quiet today and Sakura could not gather why. Nothing had happened over the weekend and she couldn't possibly imagine that anything would be bothering him. She was probably just worrying too much…they were both just exhausted and that was that.

"Hey, Kakashi?" The quiet was killing her and she craved to strike up a conversation with the man across from her.

"Yes?" He looked up from the fire in her direction. She had wrapped the blanket around her with only her pink head of hair popping out of it. How cute…

"I know why you're always late."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, wondering what had brought this topic up.

"You know you don't have to worry about your reputation with me."

He smiled. She had him figured out after all, "Maybe I'm trying to make an impression."

"I believe you had made one on me a while ago." She smiled in his direction, not understanding the true meaning of his statement. He just returned her smile, not taking the conversation any further.

Several minutes passed in more silence until Sakura spoke again, "Kakashi?"

"Hm?" He said, this time not looking up. The warmth on his face felt too good to sacrifice. A blanket had been one of the only things he forgot to pack.

"Have I changed?" Sakura asked him bluntly.

Well now he had to look up…she seemed to want a serious conversation, "Changed?"

"Just in general, have I changed? Not appearance…but me." Sakura spoke as she pulled the blanket in tighter around her. This was a product of all that time spent thinking over the weekend.

"All three of you changed. You've matured, Sakura. I think you left Naruto behind a few years ago in that department, even if he did improve some."

Sakura laughed, "I suppose I did."

"And there is no judging to what extent Sasuke has changed, since he seemed to quit speaking."

"He changed." Sakura replied.

"I don't see how he couldn't have." Kakashi mentally noted Sasuke's return from Orochimaru's and how different things had been since then. He could never tell what was going on in the boys mind since he was back. What he did to Sakura, though…Kakashi wouldn't have thought him capable of it.

"We've all changed. But still, there is something that bothers me." She made eye contact with the man across from her, noticing he was shivering slightly. Ah, the fool didn't bring a blanket! She suddenly felt bad for him.

Kakashi didn't say anything in response…he politely waited for her to continue without edging her on. Sakura hadn't spoken seriously with him in a long while, not since she had become Jounin.

"Look at Naruto, he still dreams to be Hokage. Sasuke still dreams for revenge. Hinata and Neji dream for peace in their family. I mean, even Ino has dreams."

"Dreams are a common thing that drive us." He replied.

"Yes, but…" She remained silent for a few seconds, "I don't live for a dream anymore." Her voice was beginning to get a little weak as she made the confession. She didn't want to cry, she had promised herself that she wouldn't. "Back then I lived for Sasuke…he was my dream."

Another short period of silence passed between the two ninjas as the glow from the fire illuminated their surroundings in the dark of the night.

"But as I grew up I realized he wasn't worth my dream. Since then, I never found another. I don't dream for peace, I don't dream for a title. Everyone I know has a dream, yet I don't."

Kakashi was giving Sakura his full attention, yet he was still shivering from the cold. She nodded for him to move over to her and unwrapped herself from the blanket to make enough room for two. He obliged, scooting his way to the opposite side of the fire without standing. They sat close, their legs touching, and she covered the two of them with the blanket.

"I don't have a dream, either, Sakura." Kakashi admitted. The warmth was beginning to sink into him more and he fought the urge to move in closer to her.

"You don't?" She was surprised.

"All my dreams have been ripped away from me."

"How do you keep going? Why do you keep going?" Sakura could see the pain from his last statement turn into confidence as he spoke his reply.

"I may not have a dream, but I have a purpose. That purpose alone is enough for me to keep waking up everyday." He looked at her, his one visible eye turning up into a smile. "I said I would protect you, didn't I?"

Sakura was speechless. A slight skip in her heart was caused by his statement, making her feel dizzy. He lives for me? No, I must be misunderstanding…

Neither one of them spoke again…they didn't need to. Their friendship had an unbreakable bond after his admission. Sakura honestly didn't think Kakashi had been that alone. She had imagined him with many hopes and dreams, always surrounded by people to live and fight for. How ironic that in the end he had no hopes and no dreams…and his only reason for fighting was to protect his former student.

The two Jounins lay back on the forest floor, side by side, and let the night take them into sleep.

In sleep lay the only dreams they had.

They had woken up early, around daybreak, and packed up camp to move on. Sakura could now see the outline of Otafuku ahead. It would only be another hour of traveling and they could check into a nice hotel and have a nice warm lunch. They both felt refreshed from the sleep they had the night before. It had been the best sleep Sakura had had in weeks even if it had been on the cold forest floor. Neither mentioned the words that had passed between them the night before…but even still, Sakura felt a closer bond to her former sensei as they traveled this morning.

It was around noon when the two arrived at the gate to the city. They quickly passed the guards after showing their papers and headed straight to an inn. Tsunade had not made any reservations for them; she hadn't even made out a plan. She had simply handed them some funds and told them to use their intuition and do their best. There was no doubt that Tsunade was as lost as they were on where to find Sasuke.

Kakashi decided on an inn located in the heart of the nightlife district. Sakura would have preferred one a little bit away from all the nightlife, but she didn't complain. It was pertinent that they do everything they can to find information about Sasuke, and if staying in one of the busiest hotels in the city would help them, then they would do it. Higher traffic meant more chances to find leads.

The clerk at the desk was a busty blonde that eyed the couple, spending an obviously longer amount of time inspecting Kakashi.

"What? Are you trying to undress him?" Sakura snapped at the woman behind the desk. She found the woman downright blatant and rude.

Kakashi turned his head with a raised eyebrow to look at Sakura. He had known the woman was looking at him, but he hadn't expected Sakura to even pay any mind to it.

The woman tossed the keys on the desk and huffed at Sakura while turning her back and walking away to the back room. Kakashi grabbed the keys and lead the way to the two adjoining rooms he had checked for the both of them.

The rooms weren't too shabby. Sakura's had a window overlooking the busy street below and Kakashi's was no different. Each was furnished with a simple full sized bed and dresser. The closet space was lacking, but at least they didn't have to share a bathroom. Sakura had not stayed in many hotels with private bathrooms, she considered this a luxury!

Sakura unpacked her things as Kakashi did the same in the next room over. Once finished, she opened the door to the balcony that overlooked the street below. She was surprised to find that Kakashi and she shared a single balcony. The rooms were only two floors up, if somehow they managed to find trouble they could easily escape this way.

There was a click of the other balcony door opening as Kakashi stepped out to join Sakura. He observed their location and took the same mental notes as Sakura had.

"I suggest we go ahead and get started. It would probably be best for us to split up." Kakashi offered.

"Where she would start? And how should we go about doing this?"

"Well I brought two copies of photographs taken about a year ago, if someone has seen him then these should strike a memory." He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a photograph to hand to Sakura. Without even looking at it, she shoved the photo in her pouch. She hadn't wanted to look at it…there wasn't a purpose yet.

Sakura had to be honest with herself and admit that she was slightly disappointed that they were splitting up so soon. She had traveled to this city before but she was nowhere close to knowing her way around. In worst-case scenario she could still handle herself if she found herself in a bad part of town…but she enjoyed Kakashi's company and was not ready to separate yet.

This is a mission, Sakura! Not a vacation. Her mind reminded her.

"Meet back for dinner?" Sakura suggested. "7pm?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, and we'll relax for the rest of the night. Now let's get going."

Sakura was on her way back to the hotel after six long hours of absolutely no progress. There had been a prostitute that had practically swooned at the photograph. The woman had even offered Sakura money to sleep with the guy in the photo. Sakura mentioned something about letting her fuck him for free if they ever found him.

The bars in this city opened their doors at noon, so Sakura had visited a few of them as well. No one hassled her for being under age, unlike they would have in Konoha. She had made her way into a few bars she would have been better off not visiting. At first appearance her leaf headband was not noticeable holding back her hair, and many took her to be a girl who didn't know any better. After being grabbed once by a drunken man she had broken his finger when he tried again. Needless to say the bartender wouldn't help her out in identifying the picture of Sasuke.

Sakura pulled open the door to her hotel room after fumbling in her pouch for the key. Kakashi was sitting on her bed waiting for her.

"Oh my god, you're on time." She playfully looked as if she were going to faint.

"What can I say? I'm trying to make an impression." Kakashi grinned at her under his mask. Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks and quickly turned her head so that he wouldn't notice. He still noticed, and his grin remained plastered on his face for a few seconds longer.

"Hungry?" He asked Sakura as she sat beside him.

Sakura nodded in affirmation and fell back on the bed. "Any luck on leads?"

"No, but there are still some places I would like to check later. Also I believe we should stay here at least through this weekend. I learned there was a festival in town. What about you?"

"Broke a mans finger, found a prostitute to fuck Sasuke when we find him, and found absolutely zero leads."

Kakashi laughed, "Sounds interesting. Tell me over dinner." He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he stood up.

They decided on a semi-nice looking restaurant near the hotel. Sakura ordered a dish of tako suno mono, an octopus and vinaigrette dish. Kakashi settled for some udon and over dinner they spoke of future plans in the mission.

It was decided that if after one week in Otafuku there were no leads, they would move to the next city over for a few days. As soon as they left the country they would need to be wary and possibly disguise their identities as ninja as to not arouse suspicion.

Following dinner they arrived back at the hotel. Kakashi had offered to show Sakura a bit of the nightlife but she had declined. She felt weary from the traveling they had done earlier. He admitted to weariness too and decided to retire at the same time as she. They would be in the city for a while, there would be plenty of time to live in the night when they were more rested.

The neon lights from the nightlife below made it quite difficult for Sakura to relax and drift off to sleep. Even after pulling the curtains tight she found the room still illuminated by the fluorescent pinks, greens, and blues. Every few seconds a scream or holler from the street below would invade her not so silent room. This would take some getting used to.

Sakura glanced at the clock next to her bed. 1am. She had been lying in the stiff bed for over three hours now without being able to sleep. It led her to think of many things and her thoughts not surprisingly eventually ended up on the things said last night.

/I have a purpose. That purpose alone is enough for me to keep waking up everyday. I said I would protect you, didn't I?/

His words echoed in her mind as she lay there staring at the wooden ceiling of the hotel room. No one had ever said anything like that before. Her parents had shown the normal love and affection but outside of her family no one ever considered her dear to them. She had held many dear, but all her efforts at building relationships were usually shot cold…mainly by Sasuke.

She hadn't even been trying with Kakashi. Not once had she pursued their friendship. She used to believe that it was necessary to do special things and to buy special gifts to maintain a friend's opinion of her…but she had not done that for Kakashi. She had not done that even once and he still thought more highly of her than anyone ever had before.

Her thoughts drifted from their friendship to his body…mainly his face. She may have put her curiosity aside for a few days, but it was definitely still there.

Tonight was one of those nights where her curiosity would get the best of her. Sakura removed her covers and stood up from her bed, quietly walking over to the door that connected their rooms. Ever so carefully she pushed the door open, not making one sound.

Maybe he's sleeping without it. Sakura grinned to herself in anticipation.

She tiptoed into his room after squeezing through the small crack she had made with the door. Making her way to the side of his bed she looked at his face…

…to see that dreadful mask.

Sakura silently cursed her luck and then decided her silent trip to his room was not all in vain. As she looked at his sleeping face she noticed how the neon lights fell on his sharp features. His arms were bare and rested above the covers…she took in the sight of the formed muscles with a breath.

Wow…

The way he looked right now….she had never looked at him like this before. Always it was as a superior, even though he was a friend. But they were of equal status now, both Jounins. Here he lay in front of her, completely vulnerable, his hair falling onto the pillow and over his eyes. His eyelashes were long and thick, she fought the urge to reach out and touch them. Sakura now realized why he was so popular with the ladies… laying like this he seemed almost irresistible.

"I knew I couldn't trust you – I had hunch you would come try to take advantage of me in my sleep." Kakashi slowly opened his eyes, smiling at her.

As shocked as she was at being caught, she couldn't speak. The red glow of his sharingan captured her attention and she found herself unable to break the gaze he held her with. She barely noticed as his hands grasp her sides and pulled her down onto the bed. She fell asleep there, looking into his eyes…not even knowing where she was. Gently, he took her small body into his firm but gentle arms and carried her back to her room.

Looking into his eyes there, she saw the cherry blossom trees. She saw herself smiling…dancing…with many dreams to live for.

It's so hard to stop writing! I want to keep going and going…but I have to set a stopping point somewhere or I'll end up writing throughout my classes, lol.

Thank you everyone for reading! Please review -v