Chapter: Thirty Three

Author: Juniper11

Pairing: KakaSaku, SakuIta

"So," Sakura began, clapping her hands together, in a cherry voice that promised death. "You're eliminating Root."

It was one hell of a conversation starter and judging from the look on Kakashi's face she was certain she had his attention.

"Not the best way to start a conversation Sakura." He rubbed the back of his head and gave her a familiar eye crease that was supposed to eliminate some of her ire but failed miserably.

"Not the best actions to take Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugged and pulled out his novel. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

Sakura stalked forward to where Kakashi was seated and attempted to intimidate him."Oh, really?"

"Where's your lover boy?" Kakashi asked very obviously changing the subject and letting her know that her tactics hadn't worked in the least. After all, who was she to intimidate the famed Copy Ninja? It was worth the shot though.

Sakura almost decided to let him change the subject, after all there would be plenty of opportunity to pin him down on the subject before she left...and he had brought up a topic she really needed to talk about. Her mind recalled how tightly she had held on to Sasuke as she delivered the news of Mikoto's health and she remembered clearly how Itachi had disappeared. She didn't know whether or not she had hurt him. She—couldn't think about that right now. Her mind would explode if she did.

So on second thought she knew Kakashi well enough to know that he'd try to weasel out of the telling her what was really going on so it was just best to get it over with. With a sigh, her fingers flew into a jutsu that would give them a measure of privacy before speaking.

"Kakashi, why are you and Sasuke doing this?"

He was silent for a moment and Sakura thought he wouldn't speak on the subject at all but finally he said, "You know why Sakura."

"We're Konoha nin. This isn't the way we behave. I had everything set up so that when the time comes when Naruto is elected Hokage we would be able to effectively handle the Danzo situation. I put a lot of work into this and the two of you are going to throw it all away without even consulting me first?" She couldn't keep the shrill note out of her voice since she was utterly frustrated. She could understand Sasuke taking radically drastic actions like this, but Kakashi...she had more faith in him than that and for him to disappoint her like this was making her heart hurt. She couldn't even consider the fact that he thought she should know the reason why he would do something so reckless. The only thing she knew was that he had gone insane and so help her she was going to beat the sanity back into him if she had to.

"Sakura, I understand how you feel, but I need you to understand how I feel as well." Sakura remained stonily silent. She was angry at him but that didn't mean she wasn't willing to listen to him if he had a logical reason to let everything go to hell in a hand basket. "Are we supposed to just sit by quietly and let them try to kill you? What if they succeed? What will we do then?"

"Kakashi-" He wouldn't let her speak and it frustrated her, but she knew he had given her a chance to rant so it was only fair that she do the same. However she was close to damning fairness.

"No, I truly don't think you understand just how important you are to me, to Naruto, and to Sasuke. The only thing we all truly have in common is..." Kakashi looked like he was about to choke on his words but he somehow managed to get them out anyway. "How much we love you."

Sakura stared at the Copy Ninja more than a little stunned. She knew he cared for her, they were best friends after all, and she also knew how much she loved him but to hear him reciprocate her feelings...well, it was unheard of.

"There's no other way to put this but to say that if we have a weakness you are it. Taking away your life is a blow that we wouldn't recover from."

Blood rushed to Sakura's cheeks. She wanted to yell at him for his foolish sentimentality but she thought it would be a bit hypocritical. If the shoe were on the other foot she truly couldn't say she wouldn't do the same.

"I understand what you're saying Kakashi however, I'm going back to the other world. Danzo won't be able to hurt me there."

"You obviously don't know what Danzo is capable of. I have no doubt in my mind that already knows about the world you will return to and has plans to infiltrate that dimension."

"Then he'll destroy both worlds."

"But does he know that?" Sakura doubted that he did. "Men like Danzo pursue a goal and they don't let anything stand in their way. He wants you dead and he won't let anything stop him until that goal has been achieved. Do you really think the earthquakes that have been occurring are just because one person slipped through that veil?"

"Yes, I do. The earthquakes on this side haven't been as severe as the ones on the other side so you don't-"

"Exactly Sakura. You've proven my point. If it were a situation of balance then both worlds should have suffered massive earthquakes at the same time but such is not the case. Yes, we have had them but our village has not been crippled. Can you say the same about the other?"

For some reason she refused to believe him. There had to be a logical reason as to why the destruction in the other world was so widespread compared to her home world. She just didn't want to believe that Danzo would go that far just to kill her. Who was she, really, for him to resort to all that? The question but have been evident on her face because Kakashi answered.

"You're the heart of Team Seven."

"Naruto-" Sakura began only to be interrupted.

"Is the soul and is also not easily killed." His words stung probably because they all still felt like she was weaker than them and technically physically she was. In their spars the ones that she won were due to her out thinking them. But being smarter than your opponent was strength.

"You all would go on without me."

"But why should we if we don't have to?"

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose realizing that no matter what argument she threw at Kakashi he was going to have an answer to it because...he was so damned intelligent. Sometime she felt like his intelligence was her curse. The answer to Kakashi's question though, didn't come from her. It came from someone who wasn't even supposed to be there. Sakura was suddenly very glad she chose not to talk about him to Kakashi.

"Because you will be starting a war within the village which if any outsiders found out about would make you a prime target for attack not to mention the villagers who may end up caught in the crossfire."

"Itachi!" Sakura gasped. She turned around and felt his dark eyes bore into hers as if trying to tell her something. She didn't know what it was but whatever it was made her heart pound fiercely.

He nodded slightly at Sakura and then turned his attention to Kakashi who rose slowly to his feet. Sakura looked back and forth between the two of them and suddenly felt like something big was about to go down. Surely, they weren't about to fight like Itachi did with the other Kakashi. They didn't even know each other! There was no reason for any sort of animosity between the two of them.

"Sakura if you would be so kind as to direct Sasuke and Naruto here for me." Kakashi said turning to look at Sakura. His eye was in that happy amused squint in an effort to make himself look more innocent than he was. However there was nothing at all innocent to Sakura about Kakashi.

"Um...no." Because she wasn't stupid and she was well aware when an ass kicking was eminent.

:::

However, the minute she turned her back...those knuckleheads...she'd never understand men.

:::

Uchiha Itachi had faced many adversaries in his years of being a shinobi. He had also spared with a fair number of the shinobi however this Sasuke and Kakashi were quite different from his own. They had moves that he was familiar with but they also had a few that they pulled out of thin air.

And Naruto...well..he was as straightforward as usual. He supposed some things didn't change.

He knew why they were having the fight and why it was necessary. He was taking away (or at least trying to) something that was very precious to these men. They wanted to know (well in Hatake and Uzumaki's case) that he was worthy. Sasuke on the other hand was fighting for what he thought was his.

And he was fighting because he knew somehow, someway if he didn't that these men would take Sakura away from him and keep her and she would probably go willingly. He kept seeing in his mind her arms wrapped around her Sasuke holding him as if he were her most precious person in the world. His mind told him that he shouldn't be jealous. There was a world of history between the two of them. He really needed to talk to Sakura but she flitted about in her world from here to there with a swiftness that was amazing—and it wasn't exactly like he could stroll down the streets of Konoha to track her down.

Maybe he was insecure, but who in their right mind wouldn't be?

:::

"And I'm supposed to heal you?" Sakura stared at the cluster of men in her apartment who looked like 'who did it and what for'. She was pissed beyond belief at their actions—nearly killing each other for no damned reason. That was such a typical guy thing to do. She should have expected it given her teammates history, but that was what she got for wanting to think the best of them.

Sakura scowled.

"Aw, please Sakura-chan?" Naruto made the creepiest puppy dog eyes at her causing her to deliver another blow to his face sending him careening across the room.

"You know I hate that crap! Don't do it again!" Naruto, looking like he was seconds away from passing out, slowly nodded his head. Sakura took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm the rage that beset her.

"Sakura, please." Itachi interjected. It was his 'please' that slightly calmed her turbulent emotions and she set about healing them one by one.

After she was done, she was tired but not tired enough to let them off the hook.

A/N: I don't know why I'm even trying anymore. So I'm not. I can't really produce long chapters on this anymore. So rather than just not updating and trying to get 'at least a certain amount of words' per chapter. I'll give you what I can. I'm not promising more updates because of it. I can't do that. But I can honestly say that as of today I haven't given up on this story yet. 7.18.13

Second, you may have noticed that the rating of this story has changed. This is not because I will be including smex in the story because I'm not. Reflection will stay as pure as a virgin with a chastity belt. -insert smirk here-