Heh two posts in one day funny eh, so it took me a while to get this out because it just didn't feel right to me...yeah crazy that's me, totally insane. So I rewrote some parts and I can only hope it turned out good, this is the turning point from now on everything will start to become more revealed, secrets will be revealed and all that stuff.

So good times ahead enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...Thank Ra

She cautiously shifted on the branch, slipping her standard-issued shinobi sandals over the tree limb. Breathing a quite sigh of relief and glancing around that none of the other's had noticed her…breakdown, she leaned against the trunk with the harsh bark digging various points of discomfort into her back.

"Weak weak weak, can't you be anything else Sakura" she thought disgustingly at herself and roughly rubbed both palms of her hands on her face.

"…Annoying" trickled into her mind a whisper that sounded hauntingly familiar

"You really are…annoying" followed closely behind it and Sakura matched the voice echoing in her mind with a certain black-haired deceased Uchiha.

The thoughts left, floating away with others, their impact was all that was left from them.

"Stop haunting me Sasuke" she thought half-heartedly, left with her lightly sweat-soaked body leaning against a tree that brought bad memories to the forefront of her thoughts.

Pushing herself straight with her arm muscles, they contracted and stretched with the slow movement, stretching her fingers out they still slightly ached from gripping the branch so hard, and were turning an angry red that would fade in a few minutes. Flexing them open and closed they gave a few throbs and then were silent, murmuring back in her throat she crouched once again on the balls of her feet upon the tree limb.

Glancing around, her Sharingan picked through the night's darkness to ensure that her lapse over her emotions did not get noticed. Twisting her feet, to improve her position, Sakura made herself be the epitome of a vigilant guard, her mind was blank now, her ears were filled with the sound of flickering wind in the trees, both her eyes watched over her camp.

It was nothing, the attack was nothing just a freak accident, it wouldn't happen to her again on the mission, she couldn't afford to have it happen again. She'd be relieved to get back to Konoha she had to sort this out it was hampering her ability to function as a nin, she could deal with her small amount of sleep, but these attacks…

Something needed to be done and she had no clue on what could be done. Asking people for help was simply out of the question, any hope that she'd be trusted on a high-ranking mission would be null after she gave hint to the state of her mind.

She'd work it out, her mind was dangerously fraying, the attacks could come anytime any moment, every time something to do with that night was picked up by her senses, her mind would start to unravel and she'd find herself spiraling down into a bottomless pit of rage and grief, her sanity was becoming a joke to her.

Glancing to where she knew her fellow nin were to make sure that they hadn't noticed anything odd happening, Sakura wouldn't put it past Shishou to slip in someone to watch her, or the council for that matter; She'd be surprised if Tsunde hadn't put someone in the squad to keep an eye on her. The focused Sharingan on them told her that they weren't moving to her position, so her attack was unnoticed, relieved for small favors, she passed the rest of her post in tense silence and position, noting only small disturbances and sounds of wildlife.

The day broke with Sakura traveling onwards with her group, no problems cropped up that day or that night or the day after that, they were almost to their destination and she was beginning to hope that the rest of the mission would go off without a hitch. There was little resistance was met traveling, a small problem with bandits had cropped up they'd been child's play to get rid of.

Today would be the day they'd arrive at their destination, early in the morning about 6:30, 7 somewhere around that time.

Enjoying herself, Sakura treaded down the dirt street there seemed to be an endless supply of little stores and people young, old and in between managing them or hawking. Looking interestedly at some scrolls set out on a table outside a street, she drifted through the crowd shifting through people with gentle touches from her fingers, why be rude to the general populace, Sakura preferred being able to return to a town without having to watch her back from both nin and citizens. The store was just a little farther. A shoulder knocked against her jolting her, turning to apologize or perhaps yell at the person to watch were they're going, she froze at the whispered words.

"I know you Sharingan-weilder"

She froze absolutely,

'What did he just say' she didn't need him to repeat though, was she the only one that heard it, him…her? How could the crowd not hear what he just said? Fear turned to burning anger, faster than she thought possible, answers…that's what she needed and they had them who ever whispered those words to her.

Turning swiftly with chakra already in her hand ready to crush bones and organs,… there was no one there, nothing that looked out of ordinary, only regular civilians with haori's, shirts, and pants. No one looked suspicious or out of place,

"Shit" she quietly cursed turning from the crowd and stepping into a narrow, darkened street filled with various things in different states of decay. The smell was abominable, grimacing as she moved her feet around some brownish-black lumps. She had other things to worry about, shaking her head quickly as she bounced off store walls to the roofs and beyond.

"She was able to read my moves, not all of them but she could keep up, there's a problem, she has a…hesitance to use it, I had to force her into revealing it." Tsunde looked pensive at his words. Folding her hands together, she propped her chin on them,

"She'll use it in battle though?" Tsunde was afraid for Sakura, what Neji had described could lead to serious problems, but then this… situation it was odd, all she was going on was her instincts and advice.

"In self-preservation she will" the ANBU Captain affirmed.

"How well did she handle it, did it seem natural to her" Neji seemed to just gaze at her for a long moment of silence, she was aware though that he was carefully thinking over his response, the wheels turning in his head to make his reply the most satisfying and complete.

"It seemed too natural, she used it like she'd had it for awhile…" he was having difficulty explaining it. Intrigued, Tsunde leaned forward with interest whatever was difficult forthe Hyuuga prodigy was always an interesting thing.

"She had a natural balance with it" he finished finally, trying to express his thoughts in those words.

"Alright, thank you Neji" Tsunde dismissed him sighing he bowed to her walking out.

The sound of rustling pages and a sigh of "I need a drink" bounced on the air, Shizune shook her head, and shifted her current paper to the done pile.

The knock startled her, she had just gotten out of the shower drying her hair with a light green towel she let it rest on one shoulder. Who was at the door barely anyone knew she was home after the stop at the town they had immediately started back and since there was no civilian to slow them down made it back to Konoha in good time, walking to the frontentry on sun-warmed wood, the door opening with a slight click of the knob turning.

Familiar silver hair, gravity-defining, was too much of a give-away.

"Kakashi" she said half-question and half-shock, she stood for a minute gaping at him. Pulling herself together

"Um" she didn't know what to say

"Would you like to come in?" she settled on moving back to let him, the polite escape, his eyes searched her face as he stepped in and she shut the door behind him.

"Thank-you" he said.

Keeping her eyes on the wall next to him, he was tall so it was hard to look like she wasn't avoiding his gaze. Taking a quick glance up through her eye lashes, she could only see through one but it didn't stop the subconscious movement to look up with both eyes.

The dark pupil flickered with knowledge, and Sakura quickly averted her gaze, he knew she was avoiding his. She didn't have enough courage to look again

"Would you like some tea?" she settled on running.

"That would be nice" she turned swiftly eager for something to do, padding to the kitchen less then 20 steps from the door,

"Green?" she asked from behind an opened cabinet knowing what the answer would be he always liked green tea over any other.

"Mhm" he made a noncommittal noise of agreement.

Looking around as he waited for Sakura to return with the tea, his eyes perused her living room, her apartment was what every nins seemed to be like, a simple bachelor pad. A small black coffee table sat in front of a tan coach, the walls were painted a simple white and a TV sat in the corner. Pictures of her parents and friends dotted the room on the furniture and hanging on the walls the picture taken of team 7 stood placidly alone in the center of the coffee table. Scanning his eyes over a small bookshelf, filled with various scrolls and books most were medical but there were a few simple pleasure reads.

A piece of paper sticking out of the top of one piece of medical literature caught his eye it didn't look like a bookmark, taking a step forward he ran his finger along the top edge of the book, sliding it smoothly out. Holding the book in one hand and teasing the piece of expensive rice paper out with the other, he stared blankly at the bold calligraphy written on it.

"Ne" was written on it with black ink in flowing symbols and he whispered the word subconsciously in shock, their saying was styled on the rest of the paper in careful script.

He could hear Sakura tinkering with some cups in the kitchen what was she doing with…this? Narrowing his eyes the book had been dusty obviously she'd stuck it in there and hadn't picked it up again.

When had she gotten this, footsteps sounded Sakura's approach, she placed the tray of tea down and watched him carefully, eyes flicking from the paper to his face. He looked squarely at her, frowning she stood in front of him, he merely raised an eyebrow in silent question of

'What are you doing with this?'

"Danzo-san gave it to me" she said carefully, turning she picked up a cup of green tea and held it out to him, he didn't move his gaze from her face but accepted the cup, it warmed his hand through the black cloth.

"You were asked to join Ne?" Kakashi inquired not sure what to think, why hadn't she told anyone this was…serious, he knew of Danzo and Ne they were…not the sort to get mixed up in, especially someone like Sakura.

"He just wanted me for this" she spoke with a hint of bitterness, pointing to her hitae-ate covered right eye.

"Ahhh" he understood, they'd want to use her

"Why? Surprised they'd approach me?" Sakura tried to look offended, but it didn't work since her mouth kept moving into a smile. He found it strangely hard to not stare at her pale pink lips, mentally shaking his head and chalking it up to his smutty reading, he'd been engrossed in Icha Icha Paradise for too long, if he was starting to look at Sakura more than a comrade.

"No, No" he hastily said giving her a smile

"They wouldn't be able to handle your temper anyway" he couldn't help but joke.

Laughing she made to punch him, he smiled as he easily moved out of the way but she wasn't really aiming to hit him, she plucked the paper out of his grasp as he moved away rolling it into a small paper ball and threw it, Kakashi watched it's arched flight through the air across the room bouncing off the wall to ricochet into the small trashcan placed there.

"It's not like I would have joined" Sakura shrugged and picked up her own green tea taking a long drink from it.

"Of course" Kakashi believed her completely, he'd known her for too long not to believe what she said on matters like this, letting a smile stretch across his face sure that she couldn't see it.

"If you don't wipe that smile off your face, next time I'll poison the tea" Kakashi merely chuckled and took another sip, she said it much too happily and easily

"If you do poison me, I'll be sure to will all my Icha Icha Paradise to you"

"I'd burn them!" she declared still in that carefree tone with a tight smile.

It felt good to smile with Kakashi, she hadn't really thought of the offer from Ne since she had gotten it, she'd more important things to do. She wasn't happy with Kakashi finding it, but better him than Naruto, he'd go nuts and it'd take forever for her eardrums to recover. What of that cloaked and hidden person though, she'd gotten an uneasy feeling about him, his knowledge of her Sharingan unnerved her, pausing to gaze into the murky depths of her cup,

"Thinking of burning my books" Kakashi joked

"No" she sighed with a small smile that faded as fast as it came.

Kakashi paused to look at her, something had happened and it was clearly on her mind, he stayed silent waiting to see if she said anything he wouldn't push her.

Should she tell him, what would he say, she felt guilty already for some odd... reason, orginally she knew he came to ask about the mission, how it went and all that, now though...

It had evolved into something more she could almost call it personal and pressuring, a heavy weight pressed on her mind and a hard knot twisted in her stomach to tell him, taking a slight breath

"On my mission, when we got to the town, the team was given some leave to pick up our supplies for the journey back. There….was this man, I think it was a man, he was cloaked and the odd thing was he knew of my Sharingan, he whispered to me

"I know you Sharigan-weilder" when I tried to find him he was gone completely and absolutely, but Kakashi he, he….knew, and knowing Shishou she's kept this under wraps."

Lifting her eyes from the interior of her cup to Kakashi's dark eye, she paused, not knowing what else to say,

"I…I'm not worried" she stated "just how did he know that's what I'm curious about" she tried to explain herself. Searching Kakashi's face for a hint of what he was thinking he sighed rubbing the back of his untamable silver hair.

"Sakura…" he began than shaking his head with the frustration of not knowing what to say to comfort and calm her. Kami he didn't know he could feel so worried for a teammate he was having trouble separating what to say and what to do. What he wanted to do was go straight to the Hokage's and report what she had told him and develop measures with Tsunde that would keep Sakura safe. What he wanted to say was completely different and though it was totally irrational he wanted to say something to comfort her, anything would do.

Nothing seemed right though, he needed to go or he'd say something he'd regret, he settled with a neutral statement

"Stay alert and I'll inform the Hokage" he turned to go but couldn't resist one more look at her face she looked troubled and…lost.

Shit

What was with him and his inability to not provide her with the comfort she needed, sometimes he really wished he had Naruto's charisma. Walking away would be too cruel even for him, and seeing his back would hurt her more than he wanted to think about.

"Ahhh Sakura, always worrying, trying to compete with my grey hair" he tried to joke, she looked up at him, green eye wide…and laughed, a bright heart-lifting sound but with a slight edge of… sadness? Bitterness?

Cracking his own smile, he put down his tea on her coffee table and placing a hand on her shoulder bent down to her eye level, she might have grown taller, but he was still a good few inches above her.

"I never let my comrades die" brushing a kiss on her forehead, he meant it to be comradeship, but he got a bit more out of it than he realized. The feel of her smooth skin, and the scent that instantly tickled his senses when he pressed his lips to her head stayed with him as he left her there with a slight smile, fingertips pressed to the spot his lips had just tickled.

Next Chapter:
"Who are you doing it for...yourself or a dead best friend" The utter seriousness that he said it was frightening hadn't they just been talking and joking, a bit of relaxing after a hard bit of training. The question she had to answer the question who was she joining ANBU for, shit whatcould she say. This was important, even though she didn't know why for some reason she knew this was important and her shinobi career teetered in the balance here.

"I'm doing it for..."

Well whatdja think interesting or... not really so read and review and I've already started chapter 8 yippee, next chapter will have more Sakura Kakashi bonding and ANBU can't forget ANBU!

Ciao everyone