Sakura entered the pub and immediately searched for her Team. The bold blonde haired ninja caught her eye just beside the silver haired and in front the deep black hair of the onyx eyed man. She smiled. Her team has unique colors of hair. Add her up and they will look like a for sale wigs in a store.

"Sorry I'm late," as she stopped in front of the table that the three had been sitting on, maybe, for almost one hour already.

"Welcome back." Sasuke said in a monotone voice.

Sakura was taken aback from the sudden comment. The cold ice had begun to melt. Maybe tomorrow is the end of days. She took her seat beside him.

"That's very unusual of you Sasuke."

"It's very unusual for you too for being late." He mumbled.

Sakura dismissed the argument. She looked over Naruto who was busy eating his favorite ramen. He never changes does he? Well, the thought was never considered a question in relation to his appetite.

Naruto saw her staring at his ramen. "Ne, Sakura-chan, what do you want to eat?"

"Sake would be enough," as she waved at the black haired waitress that had been standing on the counter of the pub.

Kakashi put his priced possession down and looked up to Sakura. "Still on the diet?"

"No. Not just in the mood." Sakura let out a bored sigh. "Naruto how's Hinata?"

Naruto finished his third bowl of ramen and he glanced at the cherry haired friend.

"She's okay. She's always mad at my missions though but we're okay."

"That's good. I missed her." Sakura forced a small smile out of her lips. She hadn't had the time to think about her love life these past few months. Even though Neji had been hitting on her since she passed the Jounin Exam, she felt like he will just don't fit in her system. She even thinks that he would be better off with Tenten. Everybody has someone.' She thought inwardly.

"You sure you don't want to eat anything? You look thinner Sakura-chan."

Sakura just looked at him and sighed. She doesn't know what she really wanted for tonight. She was happy being here with them but it's just that she hated being treated like the youngest of the team when she was not. She somehow felt that she wanted to be alone. But then again, she pushed her thoughts away; it's been a long time since they had been together.

"You should eat." Sasuke nudged at her without looking at her.

Wow, is that Sasuke really talking? Sakura gave him one long confusing look and giggled. "Really Sasuke, since when you started talking too much?"

Even though they already reached eighteen years of age she believed that this ice cold guy would never change. Maybe she was wrong. After all, the only constant thing in this world is change. However, she still believed on her first conviction.

"Whatever." Sasuke said irritatingly.

Sakura could sense his embarrassment in his tone. He really sometimes amuses her with his varied emotions that can be written on his face whenever he tries to hide them.

She smiled and looked to the gray haired man in front of her who is very busy reading the hentai book which she still believes was done by Jiraiya. She could see he's on the half part of the book. How could he manage to still have the time reading that perverted book when he has tons of missions?

"Still addicted with that Kakashi?"

"As always." He responded at her without looking away from the book.

Sakura reached the top of the book and held it mid-down to have an access to his masked face. "You know, you should learn how to take it once a while." Sakura snorted at him and reached for her sake and drank it with one gulp.

"As for your drinking?" Kakashi stared at her green eyes. Sakura had been on to drinking since she had passed the Jounin Exam. He couldn't list down the many changes Sakura had over the past few months.

"Why don't we trade then?" Sakura sneered at him.

"That's not a problem for me. Just don't blame me for the consequences." Kakashi handed her the book.

"Oi, oi! Don't teach Sakura-chan with your perverted book!" Naruto yelped as he snatched the book from Sakura.

"What a good scheme Naruto." Sasuke snickered.

"What do you mean?" Naruto turned red and handed it back to Kakashi.

"I heard you accomplished your mission well. Congratulations." Kakashi gazed at Sakura as she took her third shot of sake. Her temples are beginning to be reddish from the effect of liquor.

"Is that a compliment or what Kakashi?" She said in a wobbly manner.

"Still not believing in yourself Sakura?" Kakashi spoke in a plain way as he crossed his arms. Sasuke moved the cup away from her.

"Give that back to me!" Sakura grabbed the cup from Sasuke.

"Oi, Sakura-chan. Stop it already. You're drunk." Naruto scolded her.

Sakura laughed boisterously and raised her hand signaling the waitress. "One more sake please."

"Sakura, that's enough." Sasuke held her wrist.

"What's with you guys? I just wanted to celebrate my accomplishment." She laughed again.

Kakashi on the other hand who had witnessed her unusual action calmly interrupted in.

"Let her be Sasuke."

"But Kakashi." Naruto gave him a worried look.

"Naruto, Sasuke. Let's enjoy our once in a while reunion." He smiled under his mask.

Both young men let go of their argument and sighed.

"I'll have sake too!" Naruto grinned.

"Add us up." Sasuke motioned the waitress.

-----

"Shit. My head hurts," as she slowly got up from her heavy morning sleep. She gritted her teeth as she massaged her head.

"That's suspected."

Sakura looked at the man clinging on her window. The same man who would always be right there to check on her. She was used to this but for some reason, when she looked up to him, in his eyes, there's something that tells her that he knew something. Something about what she feels recently, particularly how bad she feels for all those years that she had been alone.

Kaksahi knew everything even before she could blurt it out from her mouth. For all those years of emptiness, he would always be there to keep her thoughts away or just simply make it fade away.

But somehow, she wished he didn't know her too well so that she could just keep her thoughts in herself and convince everyone that she's still the same Sakura they knew. But even though how hard she would try to conceal it, this man always knows how to make it resurface in her mouth.

"You should learn how to knock Kakashi."

"Like this," as he knocked on the window pane.

Sakura sighed annoyingly. "What brings you here?"

"Checking on my drunken student."

Sakura slowly got off from her bed and searched for her towel. Maybe a nice morning bath could get the headache off her mind. "What time is it?"

Kakashi walked in her bedroom and sat on her king sized bed.

"Eight in the morning. Sakura you really have a comfortable bed. Guess I should buy this kind of bed."

Sakura turned her eyes over her former sensei. She could see the tiredness in his eyes but still have that energy to tease her early in the morning.

"Had I let you in?"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. He always likes how she would respond to his teasing.

"No, but I let myself in."

"I'm okay now, so you can go now." Sakura said and continue to find for her towel.

"Woke up from the wrong side of the bed?"

Sakura gave up finding her towel and grabbed a new one in her closet. Maybe she had misplaced it somewhere. He looked again at the man who would always like to make fun of her whenever she's not in the mood. What does he want early this morning? Good thing she had learned how to deal with his mocking, if not, maybe she had raised hell just minutes ago.

"Tsunade sent you here. What does she want?" She asked assumingly.

""She wants you in her office at exactly nine in the morning."

Kakashi looked at her grown figure. She had become skinny over these past few weeks. That's no question to that, she barely eat foods. How long since he had the chance to be in her room like this? As far as he remembers perfectly, the last time was, when she first moved in on her own.

Every month that ends, the usual perky smile that she used to have begins to die away. It somehow worried him to the great extent. Kakashi stood and walked towards her bedroom window.

Sakura noticed the sudden change of Kakashi's mood. "Ok. I'll be there as soon as I've showered."

"Later at fifteen hundred hours, same spot. I'll be waiting."

Sakura frowned and turned her back to him. How could he notice her dilemmas in her mind? She wished that he didn't know her at all. It infuriates her somehow when his hunches were close to true. She feels very bold in front of him.

"Not today Kakashi."

She just wanted him to leave. She doesn't want to talk to him about it. Not today, as much as possible she never wanted to deal with her pathetic emotions ever again. As for Kakashi who would always pretends to care about her makes her sick even more.

Kakashi heaved a sigh. He's not going to push her this time. Maybe she needs some time alone right now. "Yosh. Ja ne."

Sakura could feel her eyes were welling up with tears. Good thing Kakashi let go of her this time, if he didn't maybe she had broke down.

Sakura wiped the little amount of tears from her eyes. She's progressing very well; she can now stop her tears from falling. Contain it in was her motto now because she can't always dwell on her feelings all the time. She has to learn not to be a burden on someone else's shoulders. She knew she slows Kakashi down. He was good to her; too good to be wasted on her.

Kakashi looked at the pink-haired kunoichi went to her bathroom before leaving her apartment. He saw the tears. He saw how she had stopped it from falling. Kakashi was known for the line 'Read the underneath of the underneath' but from what happened earlier, he just couldn't apply that statement on her.

Since she matured into a woman, she had sometimes been unpredictable. 'I guess that explains why some men couldn't deal with women.' He thought silently. And from the tone she gave him when he said about their meeting is somewhat cold, distant and detached. He glanced at his wristwatch and sighed. He'll be meeting Genma at eight-thirty. He's late again.

-----

Sakura finished her shower thirty minutes later. She went downstairs to have breakfast but empty cupboards greeted her bad morning. She made her way to the telephone and dialed Ino's number.

"Hello." Sakura could say that the blonde party girl just woke up.

"Ino, it's me."

"Sakuraaaa!" Ino's high pitched voice suddenly uplifted her mood.

She missed her friend terribly. 'Good thing she was the one I called.' Sakura smiled.

"Mind if I come over?"

"Now?" Ino yawned.

"Yeah. I haven't bought any food since I got back so I was thinking if I could there and eat." Sakura said as she played the cord of the telephone.

"I heard you took it long, how did it go?"

What's up with these days? Same lines had been repeating again and again. She sighed.

"It's a long story I'm starving already."

Ino giggled. "Ok. Let's have breakfast together."

"Ne, Sakura are you alright? You look thinner." Ino said as she examined her body and motioned her to come in.

Sakura looked at her friend; as always beautiful. How did I manage to compete with that sexy body long time ago? She wondered.

"Tied by missions."

Ino waved her hands in the air. "At least have a rest every once in a while Sakura! You should learn that women like us deserve some beauty sleep ok?"

Sakura laughed sheepishly. "I'm not like you Ino. I don't have Shik to get prepared for all the time."

"Shik is always busy so I always have the time to, you know, roam around Konoha." Ino winked at her devilishly and gave her ramen.

Sakura grimaced. She thought she would be eating something more class than this ramen steaming hot in front of her. "Ino, sorry but don't you have anything else beside this?"

Ino stared at her friend who looks at the noodles disappointingly. Her mother didn't get to have groceries yet this week. Why did she allow her to come over by the way? Well, she just has to be contented with that after all; she was the one who needs the favor.

"Sorry Sakura but we just have to stick with this. You know me well; I don't know how to cook."

Sakura sighed again then started to eat.

"So what's up?" Ino asked her.

"Exhausted. I think I just want to sleep forever."

"Why did the mission took so long? We are all worried about you."

Sakura looked at her through her bangs. She couldn't tell Ino what happened in her mission because Tsunade wanted it to be confidential for the time being which she didn't understand at all. "Cloud let me stay to rest." She lied.

Ino raised her left eyebrow. "That's weird."

Sakura smiled and finished her ramen. "Sorry Ino but I have to go now."

"Why?" Ino looked curiously at her long time friend.

"Tsunade wants to see me at nine."

"I see. Drop by again, if you could. I miss you." Ino hugged her.

"Sure. Thanks for the breakfast." Then she was gone.

Ino smiled. It's been a long time since she had been with Sakura privately. Sakura had been through too much and for those years she had been so distant from almost everybody, Ino would always try to be there for her but Sakura would always gave her the same assurance that she's okay.

No one could open her up unless it was Kakashi. She had observed the two well to know that their relationship had gotten very close. If there's one thing she's sure of, the two would be an item someday.

Ino didn't actually give a damn if kakashi is wasy older than her friend as long as he wouldn't hurt her. Sakura is too fragile even though she would put up her strong appearance. And base from what she had known Kakashi over the years, she is confident to say that Sakura is in good hands.