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TAKESSOLONGTOWRITEANYTHINGEVENVAGUELYWORTHREADINGANDEVENTHENIHAVEMYDOUBTS…………..

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Like countless other times before, Kakashi stood in the rain staring at the centograph. Staring at the names engraved in the stone, thinking of times that had passed, of people no longer present. As always, the guilt and grief washed over him, sorrow that his name was not among those engraved in the stone like so many of his comrades.

"Rin, Obito, why am I standing here looking at your names instead of your faces? I used to think both you would always be watching my back and now, ironically, I'm the one that's been left behind. I sometimes thought, after both of you left me, that if I could've given my life for both of yours, I would've. Of course, I didn't realize that until too late, I never saw your worth until too late. It always seemed that both of you had so much more to live for than me. Both of you were happy to be alive.

All along, I've just been doing my duty and waiting for death. My duty. You know, the day I finally passed a genin team, I felt a spark of hope that maybe I could do things again. Like I'd been given a second chance to appreciate my teammates. I guess I got that. Though Sasuke didn't have the warmth you did Obito, Sasuke ended up being cold like I was. I guess that's what family history does to you. It scars you and eats away at the chances you get to heal. He came back though, a bit broken, a bit battered, but still somehow the good comrade Naruto and Sakura believed him to be. That faith, I wish I had it when both of you were alive. I wish I'd seen you as the teammates you were and not just extra burdens.

Naruto's going to be promoted to Hokage soon. Isn't that funny? That some ridiculously noisy, hyperactive, mouthy kid I once trained is going to be Hokage. Bet you wish you were alive to see that. I guess I did something right, somehow. But they were all good kids to start with.

I feel old seeing them so grown up. I see them with all their friends and I feel envious that that isn't us. There's only silence whenever we meet up now. There's laughter or shouting or battle cries when those kids are together, but never silence. Not the type of silence we have now. No matter who they become, that group is bound together, with joy and not grief. It sounds so ridiculous coming from me, but I don't want to intrude on that. I'm still seen as their teacher, not their equal. To be with Sakura, I still don't know if it's right. Is it right? Is it wrong?

I taught her when she was twelve. I don't know if anybody's going to forget that. I should've stepped away from her instead of letting her become so close to me. But as stupid as it sounds, I didn't even realize how close she had become until it was too late. Just like with you both.

Obito, Rin, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how important you were to me until it was too late. And so I stand here every day trying to make amends. Hoping that somehow it's enough when I know that it'll never be. Hoping that you will forgive me for not appreciating your worth until too late, for not treating you both with the friendship that you offered me, for being the one with a second chance when yours were stolen. Forgive me."

Kakashi stopped and stood silently staring at the centograph as the rain drenched him. He was startled out of his musings by a pair of slender arms wrapping around his waist. He would have attacked in his surprise had he not instantly recognized the faintest whiff of his assailant's shampoo. Sakura. Kakashi mentally smacked himself in the head. Since when had he become so careless that he hadn't even noticed her sneaking up on him?

Noticing that Kakashi's sudden tenseness was not melting away, Sakura buried her face in his back and hoped he wasn't angry that she had snuck up on him. The thing was, she had been walking by the centograph when she had seen him standing there looking lost and muttering as though someone was there. Out of curiosity, she had eavesdropped and by the time she had realized how private the conversation was, she was unable to leave him in his solitary forlornness.

"Kakashi. Give us a chance." Sakura couldn't bear this stony silence any longer. "Let me share the burden of your ghosts. I'm not a weak little child, let me support you. They would've wanted you to be happy."

"You don't know what they would've wanted. You don't know them. And you barely even know me." Kakashi's curt response came lazily without a second's pause and pierced through Sakura's heart. He sounded so casual, so matter of fact that Sakura was taken aback.

Kakashi felt Sakura stiffen at his harsh words. He brushed off the twinge of regret that passed through him and began to pry her arms off. Only to find that he actually couldn't. She was holding onto him in a strong but loose grip and it seemed like nothing was going to make her let go.

"Then let me know you. Stop hiding and running from me. I won't sit around and wait for you anymore Kakashi. I'm going to stick to you and follow you everywhere until you finally see that I'm not going to let you go. You love me. Don't add to your list of regrets. Don't let me be another thing you regret because I have never regretted any instant or any thing that we've shared. I love you. I want to be with you. Surely that has to be enough." Sakura's voice was steady and determined. She didn't know where this confidence came from. All she knew was that she loved the broken man in her arms and she didn't want him to be alone anymore. She let out a small breath of relief and relaxed as she felt Kakashi slump in her arms.

Too soon. Kakashi slipped out of her arms and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief as her empty arms fell. Once again she stared at the dissipating smoke before her fists clenched and her eyes began to blaze with fury. Why that sneaky bastard! Not only was it just plain insulting, it was unbelievably rude! Sakura swiveled around with the intention of letting off her steam (or building it up) at the old training grounds before heading off in search of Kakashi when she caught sight of the centograph.

Her fury waned as she stepped closer to properly inspect it for possibly the first time in her life. The last time standing here had really had any meaning was at the funeral of the Sandaime. How right Iruka-sensei had been. Memories really do live on. Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered the names she had overheard Kakashi saying. Obito. Rin. Who were these people? Now that she thought about it, Kakashi was right. She really didn't know very much about him at all. Sure, she knew many things about him, especially from recent years. But he had always remained so mysterious about his past and she had never thought to ask. Ignoring the rain seeping into her, Sakura scanned the names engraved in the stone and suddenly her eyes fell on an Uchiha Obito. Uchiha? I wonder if Sasuke…? Sakura dismissed the thought immediately. Mentions of his clan always brought Sasuke equal amounts of grief as pride, and she wasn't sure she could deal with two moody Sharingan users today. She continued scanning the names when unexpectedly, a tear fell and mingled with the rain on her face.

Aside from the Sandaime, there were no other names engraved that she recognized. But the overwhelming sadness that engulfed her as her fingers brushed over the long list of names on the centograph made her realize just how many people willingly sacrificed themselves for Konoha and how she would be no exception. It made her grateful from the very bottom of her soul that there were only a few names that she recognized. That none of her close friends or teammates were on it. The grief Kakashi must feel. These names were faceless heroes to her, but to Kakashi, these people had been real. They had been his family, his friends, his comrades. They had been people who had changed his life and who had had their lives changed by Kakashi. Letting the rain wash away her tears, Sakura closed her eyes and wished that the pain in her heart would stop.

Kakashi watched Sakura from the branches of a wet tree as she ran her fingers over the names on the centograph. He saw the fury on her face melt to something much more somber and thoughtful, much more darkly contemplative. He watched her fingers temporarily pause, before continuing. And then he saw her freeze and turn her face to the sky. She's crying. He realized with a small degree of wonder. Like a moth to a flame, he materialized behind her and held her as she wept.

Sakura felt wet arms engulf her soaked body and a masked face bury itself in the crook of her neck. She didn't move. With her eyes closed, she spoke shakily. "When Sasuke left, when Naruto couldn't bring him back, my heart, I thought it would be permanently shattered. And when Naruto left too, I thought I would never feel anything again. It didn't mean anything to be alive. All of a sudden, happiness had become such an abstract concept. Training with Tsunade-shishou kept me together then, because I finally had a purpose. I would be useful by the time they came back, I wouldn't need to be protected anymore. I wouldn't be the one always left behind. But it was always a purpose tinged with doubt, what if they didn't come back? What would be the meaning of anything then? And through it all, whenever I was numb or drowning in my despair, you were there. You were my teacher, my mentor, my confidante. And you made me laugh. You trained with me to push my fears of being useless away. You made me feel that it was ok to be happy and to laugh and relax, that I didn't have to prove myself every second of the day, that I didn't have to feel guilty for having fun. You reminded me that Naruto and Sasuke would never have wanted me to suffer. Why don't you see that your teammates would never have wanted you to be like this either? They loved you Kakashi, I know they did and wherever they are now, I know they still do. If this is your second chance, don't bury it in regrets. Moving on doesn't mean betraying their memory. Let me stand beside you. Share your memories of them with me."

Kakashi held her tighter. "You're going to catch a cold." His voice was like always, a lazy drawl, but Sakura's eyes flew open as she felt masked lips press just below her jaw line. She shivered involuntarily and felt those lips, still connected to her skin, curve into a smile. "See? You're shivering already. My place or yours?"

"You pervert! Whose fault is it that we're standing in the rain? Who stands for hours on end in the rain without even thinking of bringing an umbrella!" Despite loving the feel of Kakashi's lips on her neck and the closeness of their bodies, Sakura pivoted in his arms to yell at him to his face. Her mistake. Their eyes connected and she bit her lip as her rage subsided.

"Your place." She whispered shyly.

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A/N: And that concludes another chapter…I have to say, it's actually getting harder and harder to write a semi-decent chapter…Were the characters too out of character? Felt like it was getting a bit too fluffy and so made a more serious chapter...coz i can't imagine any real relationship with Kakashi to be simple and fluffy only...Has this chapter been believable? Onegai! Review and let me know what you think! Thanks!