So, this chapter took a little longer, I apologize… I was having trouble to write it, couldn't really decide what it should be about it, but now Im pretty sure I was able to say what I wanted… It's a long chapter, basically one scene of KakaSaku. No other characters or special guests… :(

Also, I did my best with the grammar, but Im sure a few mistakes can be found… English is foreign language to me, and Im doing my best with dictionaries – another excuse for the time I took with this chapter: I had to go almost word by word to make sure I wasn't doing any shameful mistakes.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and thank you very much to everyone that reviewed it. I hope to hear from you guys again, and if you havent reviewed yet, well, don't be shy. I will be happy to hear what you have to say.

Day 10

The moon was already visible over the roofs when she left the Hokage's chambers.

"Late training, hum?"

And there he was, surrounded by shadows, his tall and quiet figure leaning against the wall of the bulding, just like he had been every night of the past week.

"Kakashi-sensei…", she smiled, "I told you, you don't have to wait for me every day!"

"Yeah, well, I was…"

"…nearby. Yes, I know." She laughed.

"That's right…"

He just started to walk, hands inside his pockets, the same cool, inexpressive face. She speeded up to catch up with him, and so they walked, side by side, a now confortable silence between them, just interrupted by the sounds of the night or her steps. Never his steps, she noticed.

Sakura was more than just surprise on the first day she saw him outside, waiting for her. She immediately thought something terrible had happened, either with Naruto or Sasuke. He had trouble in making her belive that nothing took place:

"Do you promise me? You swear nothing bad happened?"

"Yes, yes, I swear!"

"You are not hiding things from me?"

"Sakura", he looked into her eyes again, "I told you I would never hide or lie to you again."

She belived him.

Since that day, there he was. Always waiting for her, no matter how late Tsunade kept her with lessons. He never said much. He never really explained why he was there. She asked, of course, but the answer was the same: "I was near by, and decided to check on you…" Ok. If he said so, why not belive him?

He usually walked her home, and once they stopped at the Ichiraku Ramen for a treat – he didn't eat, however.

"You are not hungry, sensei?", she asked. He was lost in thoughts, watching her eat but not actually seeing her.

Kakashi blinked and seated straight, one of his elbows on the counter. "Hm? Oh, no, Im not hungry… Had dinner already." His visible eye signed he was smiling.

"Oh, ok."

She proceeded with her meal, trying to imagine what was the thought that consumed Kakashi. Maybe the same thoughts she constantly had? Wondering what happened to Sasuke, or how Naruto was doing with his training. Trying not to think if the boys missed her, if they were hurt, if they were in any danger. Or if, eventually, things would turn out all right.

"Sakura", he called. She looked, realizing he was staring at her with an enigmatic gaze. Oh, it was so hard to know what was going on under that mask, behind that only eye he allowed people to see.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I was thinking…"

Sakura tensed, a little surprised that he was sharing things like his intimate dilemmas. Was that what she was about to hear? "Tell me."

"Considering you are now Tsunade's student, you really don't have to call me 'sensei' anymore…"

"What do you mean?"

"You see, we are no longer student and teacher…"

For some reason, she resented that remark:

"Well, what do you wish me to call you?"

She could tell he had noticed her subtle anger.

"No, really, only if want to… You can still call me sensei, if you like…"

"No, its fine! I understand. Im no longer your student… Why should I call you that? You are no longer responsible for us… I mean, for me."

"Is that what you think?"

She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Isnt that what you are saying?"

"No."

He put a hand on her shoulder. A soft, gentle touch, the one he always seemed to have for her.

"Im just saying you don't have to call me sensei…", he moved his hand to her hair, his fingers lightly moving through her pink locks, "… but only if you want to. I don't want you to feel that I have some kind of authority over you. I don't. Not anymore."

"But than..?"

"Because we are friends."

Friends… She never had thought about them like that. Friends.

"I like calling you sensei…"

He smirked.

"Ok, no problem."

"You know", she kept talking, a little afraid he could misunderstand what she meant, "I really feel better… I don't know… safer."

Kakashi retreated his hand back to the counter, and Sakura had the feeling she had said something that made him uncomfortable.

"We are friends…"

"…but I will always be your sensei.", he completed.

For some reason, that didn't felt right also.

"I just don't want things to change so fast."

Sakura was relieved to see he was smiling at her:

"I know, Sakura… Too much happened."

"Yes, that's it." He hitted the point.

"I just want you to feel comfortable."

For her own surprise, Sakura standed up and hugged him.

"I do." And as he accepted her embrace: "I really do."

That was a strange night.

"Sakura?", he called. "Are you ok?"

She turned her attention to him, driving away the awkward feelings the memory had brought. For some reason - one she was having a hard time to understand - the picture of that moment, of that hug, of her arms around his neck, and of him bringing her closer to his chest, all that was making Sakura feel a little uneasy. That night, it had seemed like the right thing to do. It was a brief gesture, and she thought of nothing but in showing him with that hug how close she felt they were. Words couldn't say what she wanted to let him know: that she cared, that she needed him. That's why she did it, right?

"Oh, Im fine…". She felt her face hotter than usual, and quickly looked down. Oh, she couldn't belive what was happening… Why? "Its just Kakashi-sensei…" She had nothing to be embarrassed about, and, most of all, she had no reason to blush. Its not like she was talking to Sasuke or something, right? She usually blushed when that happened, but now…?

"Beautiful night, hm?", he said, and Sakura couldn't tell if he was just trying to make a conversation or if he really appreciated the midnight sky. She realized that they were almost at her doorsteps, her house not more than twenty feet away.

"Yes", she agreed, honestly enjoying the view of the clean sky. "Full moon and all…"

"No clouds. Not anymore, anyway."

She couldn't help taking notice of the moon light that reflected on his silver hair, making it even more remarkable. The night suited him well, he looked different under that sky, covered in an aura of silver light that made impossible for her not to see him as a handsome man, emanating great power and confidence, and yet… "Sad?"

Sakura remembered Rock Lee's words, and wondered about her former sensei. So, did he look sad? Oh, it was hard to tell… He almost seemed like his old cool self, almost. The exception were moments, well, moments like this one, when he would quietly admire the stars, and would let himself show a nostalgic look, like memories from some time ago would uninvited invade.

Without much effort, Sakura could remember other moments when she had seen Kakashi with similar expressions, even before the boys had left… He always looked like that when he was at the monument. Yes, when he would spend all those long hours staring at that rock – the black rock in which were carved the names of Konoha's former heros, of all those ninjas who died to protect the village and their missions… She knew that some of the names on the monument were of Kakashi's friends, his best friend, actually, wasn't that what he said? That day, when he first took them there, that's what he said…

There were so many things she wanted to ask, but couldn't. And so, she wondered…

"Here we are", he said as they reached her house.

"Yes… Here we are."

"Are you sure you are ok?" He sounded amused.

"Why… why…?"

"Nothing", and he laughed under the mask, "no reason at all…"

Again she faced the floor, and again embarrassed for not being able to hide anything from him. Could he even tell she was thinking about him? "Maybe his sharingan can read minds, after all…"

"I just don't want you worrying, Sakura…" Kakashi spoked in his serius tone. "Sometimes I think you worry too much about other people, and not enough about yourself."

Sakura let her back rest against the door, and raised her eyes to him.

"I… I don't get it… What do you mean, I worry too much about others?"

"You think too much about other people, and less about yourself than you should."

Again she felt her face burn, now not from shame or embarrassement, but from a strange feeling of anger.

"That's not true… You know nothing about my reasons!"

"Now, don't be like that… Im not trying to upset you…"

"Im not upset!" That was a lie, and Sakura knew he could easily see it. She was upset, angry, furious, even. And hurt. The idea that he was thinking about her just as the same little girl that cared for nothing but Sasuke, that feared to show her own strengh, that always looked down on herself… It really hurted that Kakashi couldn't see the effort she was putting in change from the silly girl to the great kunoichi she wanted to be. It had only been a few weeks, but she was working so hard…!

"Camon, Sakura… I want to help you!"

She gave him her best look of despise:

"You are just making things worst!"

"I… I don't…" Kakashi scratched the back of his head, and Sakura was very much pleased to see a glimpse of confusion in his eye. He sighed and stared at her with an inquisitive expression.

A few moments passed, and Kakashi made no sign that he was going to say something, or even move. Sakura felt like she could scream, but thought that probably wouldn't be the best way to conduct or end the conversation. "I should go. Its late, you know… Anyway…"

She turned her back to him, searching for the key she kept in her back pocket, the one that could open the door and save her from that unconfortabe situation.

"Sakura…", she heard him call.

"Good night, Kakashi." She had no intention of turning, and didn't even feel like calling him sensei. "Thank you for walking me…"

She felt his grasp on her wrist.

"What…"

"Listen." He took a step closer to her, almost pressing her against the door. "I'm sorry."

"He's sorry?" She couldn't remember the last time she saw Kakashi apologising to anyone. Probably because she never saw it happening.

However, she was not going to let it go so fast:

"It doesn't matter. I don't mind."

"You don't?" he sounded incredulous.

"No. I don't care what you think. As you said before, you are not my teacher, so…"

"Sakura…" He tighetened his grasp around her wrist, and she could fell perfectly his bare fingers touching her skin, the contact giving her a strange sensation, a burning feeling that spread from there to the rest of her body. "I really care about you. That's the only reason why I said that… And I admit I might be wrong."

"You do?"

"Yes." His hand left her arm, finding shelter inside his pocket. "The way you reacted… Im sorry. I offended you."

"Oh, well, I…"

"Forgive me." And now he was the one looking down. "Its still hard for me not to see you as that girl who was my student… the Sakura I knew before all this."

"I changed."

"No. You have grown." He smiled. "I guess I just have to accept that the cute girl I use to know is gone…"

"Is that so bad…? The new me?"

Kakashi laughed.

"Bad? No, not at all… Its just different. You are turning into a woman. Its natural…"

He waved, his usual goodbye.

"Between you and me, Im the one that needs to adjust…"

Words that stayed with her as he just disappeared from her sight, leaving nothing but smoke.

Adjust. Change. Grown.

These words and others were spinning in his mind. So was her name.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura…", he repeated to himself in various tones, the name bringging a mixture of feelings and her beatiful face to be seen in his mind.

"What is going on?", he asked himself.

The night was hard on him, that much he could tell. Kakashi felt tired and irritated. With himself, of course. Why had he been so direct with Sakura? He never meant to hurt her feelings. Right? Telling her that she was still worring too much about others… Sounded inocent, but he knew better. He knew she was trying to improve, trying to think about her training, doing her best to never again be the girl that needs to be saved. He knew that, so why say something like that?

"Am I testing her?" He was no longer her teacher, he knew it. Tsunade was. He shouldn't be testing other people students… He shouldn't be testing her.

Kakashi reached his apartment, going inside using the window, as he usually did. On his way in, he couldn't avoid looking the picture that still laid in its place, like things had never changed with his team seven.

"But things always change…"

She had. A lot. Maybe too much for him to just accept. A girl like her, turning into a woman… Where was he, he didn't even realized, he never saw it happening… He had to admit that since the end of the chuunin exam he hadnt payed much attention to her… Oh, didn't he regret it now?

He did. Yes, he very much did.

So, next chapter, a few special guests, I hope. And maybe some humor. This one was too serius.

And I hope to be able to take less than a week to post next chapter…

Thank you for your patience.