So this is chapter nine.

I still don't own Naruto.

Enjoy!

Thank you to the reviewers.


Chapter 9: the Question.

Sai took Sakura's hand in his own as they walked around the corner of a street in Suna.

"Sakura…" he began weekly.

"Yes?" she answered him politely.

"I have something to tell you." He continued.

"…" Sakura waited.

"Well I seem to have fallen in love with you. You make me get this strange yet pleasant

feeling every time I am around you." He spoke up.

"I don't know what to say, Sai. But I'll think about it? Do you want the answer now?" she questioned.

"No. You take the time you need. But tell me as soon as you can, ne?" Sai gave her a light peck on the cheek.

"I promise." Sakura answered and they began their walk back to the others.

"So Gaara-sama. What were you and Sakura doing alone here?" Sauske growled.

"Either of us had fun at our different places and I ound her on Temari's porch. Then we decided to take a walk to get away for a bit." Gaara politely answered.

"You see, we all love Sakura in our own way, that's why we are so protective of her." Yamato explained. Gaara nodded in understanding.

"Ah, Sakura, shall we get back to the house?" Gaara asked.

"Sure why not?" Sakura answered.

"Maa, Sakura, why are you out here without mine or Iruka's protection?" Kakashi asked as he and Iruka was walking down the street towards the young woman. Kakashi looked like a mess and the only thing that kept him from falling was the tight grip the Konoha school teacher had around his waist and Iruka had Kakashi's left arm over his shoulder as he almost dragged the other man home.

"Kakashi, I think you had one to many. So let's get you home and into bed." Sakura said as she put her left arm around Kakshi's waist and flung his right arm over her shoulder.

"Thank you Sakura" Iruka said as he was helped to drag the silver haired jounin to the house.

"I think Sakura-chan wants to take advantage of me in this state." Kakashi giggled and Sakura turned to a dark shade of red.

"Kakashi!" she groaned and continued:

"Don't you ever think about something else, anything else?"

"Why should I, this is way more fun…" he squealed (A/N: who knows what he might do in this state.) They got closer and closer to the house and Kakashi got heavier and heavier as he got sleepier by each step. Sauske, Sai, Yamato and Gaara walked behind the trio and closely watched them interact. Obviously Sakura had some kind of emotional connection to the two older men.

"Iruka-san, can you get him to bed so I can prepare." She said to the brown haired man.

"Of course. Same as usual?" he asked.

" Yes, and tomorrow I think I might kill him." Sakura joked.

"Please do that." Iruka answered as he played along.


Iruka got the tired Kakashi to bed safely, but not without Kakashi giving him a hard time and suggested some things that made the oh so charming and innocent academy teacher turn crimson red.

'Why did they have to interrupt us?' Gaara thought as he sat down in the living room area with the others. Naruto and the gang had stopped playing truth or dare and moved on to just talking like adults. Tsunade and Shizune had been their chaperones and watched the loud youngsters with Kurenai.

"Sauske-teme." Naruto squeaked.

"Dobe." Sauske answered and Sai giggled to their nicknames for each other.

"Why are you here?" Naruto confronted the raven haired young man.

"We had a mission, and our report had to go to the Hokage immediately." Sauske answered with his trade mark I'm-better-than-you-tone of voice.

"And?" Naruto was clueless as usual.

"She's sitting right over there." Sauske pointed at Tsunade and smirked.

"Ah, oh." Naruto nodded.

"I'm going to Kakashi and giving him a piece of my mind." Sakura declaired.

"Yosh!" Naruto nodded again.

"I'll join you." Sauske said and walked up to her. His former team mates was stunned.

"What? I don't want to leave Sakura alone with him in this state. He could probably do anything. I don't feel comfortable with it." He continued.

"Then come on let's go." She said and took his hand and dragged him away.


"How are you feeling Kakashi?" Sakura mocked her ex sensei.

"Uh." Kakashi groaned and pulled up the comforter over his head in a very childish manor.

"Iruka-san you did a great job as usual." Sakura praised the blushing chuunin.

"Thank you Sakura. It's always a pleasure to help a friend." Iruka answered.

"You're such a good friend 'Ruka" Kakashi was emotional.

"I'm talking about Sakura here." Iruka sighed.

Sauske grunted, they were the same way that they had always been. Although Sakura had grow in to a beautiful woman with good qualities and she had become Konoha's top medic, even on her way to surpassing Tsunade. The perfect woman to rebuild his clan with.

Kakasi growled as his head pound much and hard.

"So Kakashi-kun how much did you drink tonight?" Sakura began her treatment.

"Dunno" Kakashi growled.

"4 bottles of sake" Iruka said and continued:

"While I was around."

"Ah, and what did our charming teacher do?" Sakura teased Iruka.

"Well, um. This girl asked me to… and I sort a followed…" Iruka stuttered.

"Did our teacher get laid?" Sakura continued to torment the crimson red chuunin.

"No" Kakashi said and started to laugh and continued while gaspng for air:

"He...played…pool"

Sakura joined in the laughter and smiled at Iruka thinking:

'He might be the most eligible bachelor in all of Konoha… No! Bad Sakura he's 12 years older than you. Besides Sai…'

Sauske watched the three of them joking and yet being so kind to each other. He had never seen Kakashi this way, so calm with his life in someone else's hands. It seemed that Kakashi trusted these two people with his life, well at least Iruka. It couldn't be…no…Not the last of the Hatake-clan? Sauske suddenly stopped and just stared.

"Alrighty 'Kashi, get some sleep now and I will check on you later." Sakura stated, looking drained, she had used quite a bit of chakra while healing Kakashi. She stumbled and prepared to hit the hard floor. But it never came, she looked up and saw two sharingan eyes staring at her questing.

"Thank you Sauske-kun. She said as he helped her to get back on her feet.

"You should be more careful Sakura-chan." He smiled, a genuine smile at the girl still in his arms.

"Ehrm. I'll stay here with 'Kashi, you two get back to the others." Iruka smiled.

"Thanks Iruka" Sauske said and led Sakura towards the door. They went out of the room, and Sakura found herself in the room across from Kakashi's. Sauske was still holding her hand and his other hand cupped her cheek .She blushed.

"Sakura." He began looking deep into her green eyes.

Sauske gently caressed Sakura's cheek with small circular movements of his thumb.

"Sauske?" Sakura said in a slightly huskier voice than usual, blushing madly.

"Yes Sakura." He answered still looking deeply in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" She had gotten a hold of herself and her voice back.

"Something that I've wanted to do for a long time." He answered and lowered his head, Sakura's heart was beating hard and fast. This was something that she wanted to do since she was nine years old or something like that.

Unconsciously she moist her lower lip, she was leaning against the door for support since her knees were giving up on her. Hi soft lips inching closer to hers.

Then it happened his lips against her lips, it was a gentle kiss. Or more like he started the kiss gently his hand still on her cheek and the other one snaked it's way around her waist. Sakura's right hand was in the nape of his neck and the left on his shoulder. The heat in the space between them escalated as Sauske deepened the kiss.

They broke apart from each other gasping for air.

"Why did you do that Sauske?" Sakura wondered as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

She turned around opened the door and ran down the stairs, the only one noticing her crying was Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata slowly rose from her sitting position on the floor next to Naruto., she excused herself:

"Gomen, I have to get some air."

Naruto nodded in understanding and she walked the same way she saw Sakura running a short time ago, she heard a light sniffing sound.

"Sakura?" she said quietly.

"Hinata?" Sakura looked up to the beautiful woman next to her.

"Why are you crying?" Hinata bent down to Sakura that was sitting on the ground with tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Why did he do it?" she cried.

"What did he do?" Hinata made her move and sat down next to the crying woman, hugging her.

"He kissed me. Why now?" Sakura sniffled.

"Who kissed you?" Hinata asked and wiped away the tears on her friend's cheek.

"Sauske…" Sakura whispered.

"Sauske? Uchiha Sauske kissed you?" Hinata looked at the woman in front of her who was nodding.

"wow" Hinata started poking her index fingers together.

"and Sai told me he'd fallen in love with me." Sakura looked at her friend.

"Sakura…" Hinata shyly began and continued:

"Is it a bad thing that Sauske kissed you?"

Sakura sighed, the tears had stopped.

"Who do you love?" Hinata asked.

"Don't know. It has always been Sauske 'til I saw him with Orochimaru. But then we have Sai. And I think Gaara is up to something." Sakura told her friend.


Sakura dried her eyes and told Hinata to go inside and that she just needed some time to collect herself.

The darkness had settled over Suna , there was only one star shining up in the sky. Sakura

looked up at it and felt an aura approaching.

"You don't need hide anymore Gaara-sama." Sakura said a little embarrassed.

Gaara stepped out in the light from the window.

"How much did you hear." She asked as he came closer.

"Everything." Gaara felt for her, she was indeed in a difficult position.

"ah." Sakura said and stared at the ground.

Gaara started gathering his courage and with a deep breath he got even closer to Sakura, standing behind her he gently gave her a hug and whispered:

"I will always be here for you what ever you decide."


A/N:

So what will her decision be?

Gaara? Sai? Sauske?

Next chapter will be the last one.

Misson complete or failed?

You guess.

Reviews much appreciated.