Sakura sat there for what seemed like an enterity but was really on hour, untill her sobs began to soften and stop.She sniffed and whipped the tears from her now red features. Reahead, she grabbed the phone that lay on the kitchen counter.She blinked away the tears that remained in her eyes with had been blurring her vision, as she made an attempt to dial a series of numbers.Sliding the phone under her hair and onto her ear, she listened to the ringing untill a soft voice echoed a hello.

"Ino" She whispered, finding her voice quite rasp and deep.

".. Sakura, is that you?"

"Yeah... it's me." She whispered."can you come over?"Sakura hated invovling her friend in her problems but the overwhelming need of a friend guilded her actions.

"Is something wrong, are you ok?"She heard the worry within Ino's voice.

"Please." She pleaded.

"...Ok, I'll be right there."

Kakashi lazily slide up onto the bar stool before the large counter inside the jounin bar.The place wasn't nearly as packed as it had been last night, but there were still a few others needing a drink like Kakashi did.His head still throbbed painfully from yesterday,even worse off now. He had left without his headband and the bright light was positively killing his eyes.

He hung his head as his body slouched heavily over the surface. A thousand thoughts ran threw his mind all at once. Sitting at the top was why did he scream at her like that? Sakura had good reason to be angry at him and at Tsunde.But he should have never lost his temper like he had.He knew that she was just worried about him and the baby.

Reaching into his pocket on this pants he pulled out a cigarrette and a lighter. He didn't usually smoke. Sakura hated it and it wasn't good to be around her in her condition. But once and while, when his nerves were really on egde he would light one to relax him.Slowly placing the end inbetween his parted lips, he flicked the large red flame up and slide it beside the other end.Inhaling a deep puff, he allowed the smoke to escape his pared lips as it fluttered up around him in a blue cloud.

"Hey, what can I get ya?"The very musculer bartender replyed as he came to stand infront of Kakashi behind the counter.

"Anything striaght." kakashi mummbled over his cisgarette which had once agian between his lips. The man nodded, but it went unnoticed due to Kakashi's downturned gaze.

"And when did this start.?"He heard the sound of a very familer voice appear beside him and instantly knew who it belonged to. Not even bothering to look up, he inhaled the smoke again.

"Recently."He mummbled.

Gai slide onto the stool next to Kakashi who intinctively shift further away.Gai waved off the questionly look from the bartenderas set set the drink Kakashi had ordered down infront of him. Kakashi removed the cigarette from his mouth as a picked up the glass and drowned the liguor in one chug.

"Normally I wouldn't care. Hey normally I would be injoying your troubles rival Kakashi but..."He observed the obvious mess that sat next to him. Wearing a skin tight tank top, a pair of blue jeans and noticeing the absence of the mask witch he, and the village, had grown familer out of uniform and hs hair more meesy than usual."What's up?"

Kakashi merly shock his head signaling that he didn't want to talk about it to anyone, let alone Gai. The single most creepy ninja in the village.

"Come on. Unkept looks unbecoming of a jounin, downing straight drinks at 12:00 like it was fruit punch and smoking?It's got to be quite bad."Gai replyed.

"Why the hell do you want to know anyway? I stinctly remember me not liking you all that must and you refer to me as 'rival Kakashi' on more than one occation. Now you want to be all buddy buddy just because.?"Kakashi finally torn his gaze from whatever was so interesting on the counter to look him directly in the eye. Gai immediatly noticed the fatigue in his features.

"Nothing better to do."He shrugged and found himself looking directly forward at the rows of bottles. Kakashi studied him for alittle while, slightly confused at the mans behaviour. Then turned back to his empty glass. He hesitated for a minite then decied an what the hell.

"We had a fight."He mummbled finally and inhaled another puff of his constant depleteing cigarette. Gai looked over at him, slightly surprised that he would accualy talk to him.

"Ah."He replyed."Over the mission, I persume."Kakashi quickly turned to look at him in surprise."Genma told me." He confirmed.

Kakashi turned back to find his glass mysteriously refilled. Not bothering to complain he instead burnt a menal note in his mind to kick Genma's ass later.

"Didn't know my wifes and I lives were open to the general public."He mummbled."I guess you're here in an attempt to cheer my up, huh?"

"Quite the opposite accucaly.I came here to tell you to stop being such and asshole."Gai glanced over at him.

"Enlighten me." He replyed.

"Well, I think that you should've told her immediatly after being told yourself."

"God damn it, doesn't anyone understand that I only kept it a secret to prevent hurting her? I know that it hurt her more to find out like that, but it was the last thing I wanted to do.I love her so much."He glanced up at him."I'm an idoit for breaking her heart as I surely have." He whispered.

"No one thinks overwise. And it's very clear you love her or you wouldn't be acting as you are now. But keeping it a secret for as long as you did, was the wrong decison on your part." Kakashi turned to glare at this compainion.

" When I ask for you opinion, that's when you can contribute. Untill then I'd perfer to be alone." Kakashi whisper taking a huge chug of his drink.

" Don't you think you've been alone for long enough.?" Gai sighed and slide from his chair. Placing a hand on Kakashi's back before he left.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as Gai's words sent the thoughts fying threw his head once again. Striing him in the heart he felt tears begin to form behind his eys but was able to hold them back.He was right, Kakashi had been alone for far to long, and Sakura, she changed all that and yet, he didn't trust he enough to to tell her of his assigned. But how could he ever hope to gain the courage to go back after all that he said.?

Ino raced up the stairs to the Hatake residence, her heart beat franctially in her chest and the reasons for Sakura behaviour ran threw her mind. She quickly knocked on the door as she tried to slow her breathing and mentally told herself to calm down. But her mind went totally blank when the door opened and a visably distroute Sakura leapt into her arms.

" Sakura, what is it!" Ino tightly embraced her friend as she cried fresh tears onto her shoulder.

" Oh, Ino! It's so horrible.!" Sakura cried.

" Come on, let's talk inside."Ino relyed as she lead her inside the house.

Once Ino had shut the door, Sakura had sat on the couch where Kakashi had slept the pervios night. Burieing her head in her hands, she began to take deep breathes in an attempt to calm down.

"Now, what happened.?"Ino asked as she sat next to her and placed a comforting hand on her back. Sakura took another deep breath as she perpared to speak.

"Kakashi and I, had our.. first fight." She shrugged halfway as the tears begasn to flow freely once more down her cheeks.

" Oh, honey." Ino pulled her into a tight embrace."Whatever about?"

"Kakashi's leaving for a mission tommorow."She whispered and withdrew from the hug only to lay her head on Ino shoulder." God, everythings so meesed up! I shouted at him because he was only trying to keep my safe. I was.. just so scared. He hasn't been on an Anbu mission for so long, I worry about him.But it angers me that he choses now of all times to decied to leave. The baby comes in less then three months and I fear that he'll be injured."

"I'm positive that Kakashi didn't choose this mission. Tsunde must've had good reason to select him now." Ino replyed"Where is he?"

" I told him to leave, about three hours ago. He hasn't come home.I've messed everything up havn't I?This is all my fault. I know that he's a jounin and must leave when needed."

"Sakura, you-"

"And now he's going to leave without even giving me a chance to tell him that.But, I guess that I don't blame him."

"Look, If Kakashi loves you, which I now he does. More than anything his this world. He'll come back. He'll never just leave without coming home."Ino whispered.

"How could I have ever said those horrible things to him? I accualy accused him of putting his family second. That's not true! I know that he loves me and the baby with his entire heart. As do I to him. He's everything to me." Sakura shut her eyes trying to stop the tears from falling again.

" He knows that. You were upset. People say things that aren't true when they are scared."

"Not to him."

" I know I can't stop myself from speaking such things when Shikamaru and I have an arguments.But he knows I scream at him because I love him and I worry about him when he leaves."Ino smiled to herself as Shikamaru fell into her mind.

Night had fallen on the village of Konaha, as well as the Hatake residence.Ino had long since left when Sakura had fallen to sleep while her head gently rested apon her shoulder.Ino had tucked Sakura comfortably into her bed and went home.

But now there was another presence in the room that smelt of blooms.A tall figure walked soundlessly and gracfully to the side of the knig bed where the sleeping Sakura turned.The figure gently knelt down before her face, admirering the soft features being lit up by the slight moonlight. And for a moments, remaind still,then carefully, as not to wake her, reached up and loveingly brushed some stray hairs that had fallen over her face as she slept. Watching as her eyes fluttered open.

"Kakashi?" Her small, almost childlike whisper pierced the ill silence that had engolfed the room only moments perviously.Kakashi grinned as the sound of his voice provided him with slight happiness, as it escaped her soft lips.He looked down at her tired features and smiled as she slowly reached out as if to prove that him presences wasn't an illusion brought on by the overwelming urge to see him as he was now.

"Hey."He whispered as the touch of her fingers were felt on his neck and he perposely moved slightly forward to make her touch him more. He yerned for her to run her fingers through his hair as she did each morning.

"I'm so-"

"No."He whispered placing a finger on her soft lips, silencing her words as she spoke them."Please, don't ever apologize to me.I love you so much. Much more than I will ever be able to translate to words. All I want is to see you happy. And if my presence makes you happy, I shall stay. I will not go on this mission, if that's what you wish."

"You have to Kakashi. It's your duty to the village, as mine is to the medical unit.I love you more than anything but I wish you to keep your loyalties to Konoha. Because I know that you do these things to protect me."She smiled and reached up to grabbed his wrist gently."I've been so selfish, forgive me.But now I see.I believe in you with the entirerty of my heart. I have complete faith that you'll come back to me. Because I know that you have two things to return to." Kakashi nodded sweetly."But if it's not to much to ask. I have one further request of you,Kakashi."

"Anything."He responed in a second.

"Hold me, tonight."She whispered.He blinked then slowly nodded.Just like her to ask of him something so small as holding her, when he would have done it anyway.She released his wrist and he stood up, moving around to the other side. Pulling the worn shirt over his head, he slipped into the warmness of the bed, not bothering to go under the covers. He merely slide as close as he could to his wives body and wrapped his arms protectivly around her.

End of chapter 4

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