Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

I know my weak points. This specific chapter is my weak point of writing but I did my best! I think it ended up really well! :D Hope you enjoy guys! Im really having fun writing this! Hehehe.


Chapter 12:

"I told her I couldn't take the embarrassment of being carried into the village. So she set me down and I walked into the village." Kenshi was recounting the story from the mission to his friends. They giggled.

"He almost died of embarrassment of falling down a mountainside."

Kakashi walked into the hospital room where Kenshi had been staying for a couple days. Sakura had insisted, saying she was worried about the fact that he hit his head.

"Kakashi-sensei! Have you come to take me out of the hospital?"

"Nope. That's the nurse's job. I'm just wondering if you saw Sakura."

Kenshi shook his head. "She stayed for a couple hours after we got here but she left after that. I haven't seen her since.

Kakashi nodded. "See you." He gave a short wave and an eye crinkle before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
It had been a couple days since they were back. Tsunade said she already turned in the information gathered and was nowhere to be seen. Kakashi tried her house first this time but no one was home. Naruto and Sasuke had caught up to him and coerced him into eating ramen with them. It was either that or he owed them a training day. Kakashi avoided those at all costs.

He wandered his way up to the training grounds. A couple of genin were practicing in training ground one. Guy was in training ground two with Lee doing some sort of dance and yelling. Training ground three was quiet but he noticed a figure, standing on one of the poles in the pond. On one foot, Sakura stood perfectly still. The other thing that moved was her hair. Kakashi made his way into the training ground.

"Yo." Force of habit he gave a small waved.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up at the sky. "Beautiful day to train."

Sakura moved for the first time and set down her foot that had been against the inside of her thigh and turned around to look at Kakashi. "Bored old man?"

"I thought I would spar with my favorite former student. It might give me some nostalgia."

Sakura jumped down off the pole and walked over to him. "Nostalgia? I thought that was what the drinking was for."

Kakashi winced. "Ouch Sakura. There was once a time you used to respect me."

"Once but that was a long time ago." He looked at Sakura as her word trailed off. She was thinking about something else. Kakashi must have interrupted her internal thoughts, not meditation.

"How about it? A spar for old times sake?"

Sakura smirked. "Fine old man."

Kakashi pulled out a kunai and threw it at her, testing the waters. She leaned slightly, letting the weapon fly by her. Sakura brought her leg up and aimed at Kakashi's head but it was slow and he blocked it easily. Every move they made was slow and deliberate. Testing each other. Kakashi caught her foot but didn't let go this time.

"Care to make this more interesting?"

Sakura pulled back her leg. "How so?"

"A wager."

"Okay?" Sakura seemed unsure. "What do I get when I win?"

"What do you want?"

She paused. "I want you to stop looking for me." Kakashi's mouth almost fell open but she continued. "I'm not the Sakura you knew but I don't like being stalked around the village like some criminal. If I leave, you'll know it. If I want to be found, I'll be the one to come forward. Stop trying to seek me out." She paused. "I know Tsunade asked you to look after me, but please don't."

Kakashi was stunned. He figured that she knew he was trying to look for her but to go as far as to make it part of the wager? He sighed.

"Fine. But if I win…" he took a slight step back. "…you have to tell me what the Elders spoke to you about."

Her face darkened. Her mouth formed a frown and she balled up her fist. He partly wanted to make her angry, it was the easiest to make her seem like the old Sakura. She was far too emotionless for his liking. But he also wanted to know. There was no way to ask the Elders and if Tsunade didn't know, only Sakura would be the one to tell.

She walked towards him and he stepped back a half a step. Her hand wrapped around his arm and he felt the slight tingle of chakra. The next thing he knew, Kakashi was flying through the air. Kakashi turned in the air and cracked off a clone. Sakura disappeared and reappeared in mid-air behind his clone and kicked him hard in the stomach, making the clone shoot towards the ground like a bullet. The ground exploded and Kakashi jumped away from the debris.

"Sakura, you could have killed me."

She landed fairly close to Kakashi, tightened her hairband and gave him a wry smile.

"That wasn't you Kakashi. But I suggest you not take this lightly."

Kakashi put a kunai in his mouth and started to let his hand fly through seals. The ground in front of Sakura exploded and Kakashi threw the kunai into the smoke. He didn't stick around to see if it hit. He jumped into the trees. Cracking off a couple more clones, he masked his chakra, making his way around behind his prey. She had nonchalantly walked into the trees.

She was glowing. The sun hit her face that, for the first time, had a smile on it. A flick of her wrist Kakashi watched as she hit almost every single clone. The last clone left ran at her and Kakashi let another string of hand signs off, disappearing underground. Moments later he rose out of the ground, trying to grab her ankle but she had already jumped away and the clone was gone. For the first time, Sakura cracked off some of her own clones.

It took longer than he liked to dispatch the last of her clones. He had lifted his hitai and let a little chakra trickle into his eyes, helping watch the clones movements. He looked around, trying to locate Sakura. There was a breeze and he felt soft hands touch his head.

"You should know better than to use this."

Kakashi spun around, kunai in hand but she was already gone. He blinked once, then twice. What happened? What did she do? His sharingan was nonexistent. There was no chakra going to eye. Kakashi's eyes narrowed. She had to be close by. He opened his mouth and let out a fireball jutsu. It worked as he watched Sakura jump from one of the trees out of the way. But she jumped from tree to tree with ease. They continued to battle, throwing jutsu's, needles, kunai, and clones at each other. But they were equal. It made Kakashi annoyed that she had cut off one of his greatest assets but he knew she wasn't fighting at her full potential either.

"Damn it Sakura." Kakashi growled. He had thrown away his vest and hitai a while ago. She had also forgone her hitai and her keiko-gi. All that was left was the wrap holding her breasts tightly in place and her hakama.

Sweat made his clothes cling to him and he rolled his shoulders, still in an attack position. Three of his clones were in between him and Sakura. Sweat glistened along her shoulders and chest. Sakura burst forward, her foot making its own crater in the ground. The clones burst from the speed and Kakashi blocked. Her fist hit his arms but it wasn't enough to keep him in place. The force launched him into the air. Kakashi had two clones left and they were now in place, holding Sakura at her ankles. Readjusting he trajectory, Kakashi took hold of his wrist and the symphony of chirping began. At first quiet but as he flew closer to the ground and towards Sakura, the chirping became deafening. He was going to finish this little spar. Chidori seemed a little excessive but he wasn't about to lose this fight.

She started to make a rush of hand signs as well. They looked familiar but she was blurring through them so fast that Kakashi couldn't make it out without sharingan. As he fell on her Kakashi watched, for what seemed like an eternity, as Sakura also summoned Chidori as well. She joined his with her own and threw the energy into the forest, exploding into the ground and setting the trees on fire. Kakashi had landed directly on her and the force pushed them both to the ground. He could tell the wind was knocked out of her and she was trying to catch her breath. She was pinned under Kakashi and he had his hands on her wrists to make sure she didn't try anything.

"You almost killed me Kakashi! What the hell were you thinking?" She coughed out the words.

"I wasn't about to lose."

"Why do you care Kakashi? Can't you just leave me alone? Leave me in peace?"

Kakashi looked at her but all that looked back were her bandage and he sighed. "Do you really think you will find peace alone?" He asked but added; "I read your report. The whole report."

She stopped straining against him. "Tsunade?"

"She let me read it. She said that maybe I would understand where you are coming from. But I don't because you wont allow me. Sakura, you can't think everything you have done will just go away if you are left in peace."

Her head turned to the side and something came over Kakashi. He let go of one of her wrists and grabbed a kunai out of his bag. Slicing her bandages, he put his hand on the side of her head made her look at him. She looked up at him. However, her normal green eyes were gone. They were milky silver with small flecks of green. As though leaves were floating amongst a stormy sky. She didn't blink or move them; they just looked into him. There were scars on both sides, a result of a sloppy removal. She was no longer the young girl with the smile firmly planted on her face. There was a strong jaw line, a slight tan line where the bandage was and scars proving her strength.

"What do you see?" Sakura asked quietly.

He took a deep breath. "A rough past."

A small trickle of sweat caught his eye as he watched is slip down her neck and between collarbones before it turned, disappearing into the fabric of her wrap. Kakashi felt a slight heat rise to his face. He let go of her wrist and sat back on the grass, resting his arms his knees. Sakura leaned up and put her hands behind her, putting her weight against her arms. She had her face to the sky and her eyelids closed very slowly.

"I can't believe you were going to use Chidori on me."

"I can't believe you used Chidori to counteract my Chidori. Of all the things you would come up with." Kakashi watched as a smirk played at the edge of Sakura's lips.

Then suddenly the wind picked up and Sakura burst into cherry blossoms. Kakashi sighed. Technically he had won but he knew Sakura would tell him. Just not at the moment. He looked up at the sky, the sun was already doing down. They must have been fighting for hours. He couldn't remember the last time he had such an even sparing match.