The evening sun poured inside her cluttered office, its rays caressing the back of her neck. She shivered slightly at the late summer breeze wafting around her, her palm hitting down on one of the papers almost being blown away. Sighing, she stood up from her seat and walked over to the wide open window. As she was about to close it, her gaze drifted onto the imposing building on the far away hill in front of her.

On the outside, the palace looked the same, not even a bit different since the moment she set her eyes on it the very first day she arrived in Konoha, many months earlier. But the inside had drastically changed since then, or to be more precise, it turned back into its original state. It was the same, unwelcoming and somewhat hostile place as before. She was no longer looking forward to go back and spend her free time with a certain individual. Instead, Sakura was doing everything in her power not to meet up with him, not even by chance. That's why she left for the hospital way before the first sunrays appeared on the horizon, and went back into her quarters after the moon was up the highest on the sky. She had her breakfast, lunch and dinner in her office, even on weekends.

And while partially it really was because she wanted to avoid Kakashi as much as possible, she really did have a lot of work to do. The first few months of a hospital were always the most critical. The staff was still inexperienced all things considered, while patients had to get used to the new methods that were implemented.

Sakura closed the window and sat back in front of her desk. Her eyes trailed over the lines written on the paper she was previously reading. It was yet another list of supplies they desperately needed in order to function. In the past few days the only thing she was doing was setting up orders for new medicine and other necessary items. Turns out, the Land of Fire had fairly few places from where it could obtain things needed for a hospital. Since Fire had a hostile relationship with practically every great nation, they couldn't buy what was needed from them. This was quite a setback after all, she got used to the fact that back in Whirlpool they could always get what they needed from Water. The only countries wilful enough to trade were the smaller nations, but they too could provide only a limited amount of resources. It'll take some time for her to figure out a system that would work.

Sakura decided to call it a day at around ten, when the moon was already shining brightly in the sky. Her eyes were hurting from all the reading she had to do, and the vertebrae in her spine cracked loudly the moment she stood up from her seat.

The palace was eerily quiet upon her arrival. Most of the staff already left, the only people inside were the guards, her and…Kakashi. It might've been ridiculous, or probably it was, but she took special care not to use the hallways he usually did, while walking to her room. She didn't want even the slightest chance of meeting up with him.

She stopped in her tracks once she walked past his room's door. A faint line of light splayed out from under it, signalling that Kakashi was inside his room. Huffing, she started walking again, entering her own quarters. Somehow the mere fact of knowing that he was right next door irritated her to no end. This was partially the reason why she left so early and came back so late from the hospital. In the wee hours of the morning he was still sleeping, meaning that no light filtered out from his room, and he was already sleeping when she came back from work. In those times no light came out from his room, which in a way made her believe that he wasn't there at all. But that strip of light managed to remind her that he was very present in her life, that his existence couldn't be wiped away. And she hated that. She hated the fact that he was a part of her life.

But as she looked around her room, she quickly realized that she couldn't really escape him even here. Her gaze settled on the cream coloured desk set against the wall opposite the windows.

She never though that a piece of furniture could be so aggravating. The mere presence of the desk in her room annoyed her to no end. It wasn't that it was unsightly, not at all. The memories connected to it were the ones that bothered her more. It was the place where she truly opened up to him on that stormy night, where he seemingly did the same the day after. But now in retrospective, she should've never shown him her vulnerabilities, because he was never worthy of seeing them. Sure, he did the same, but now that she saw his true character, it seemed like the whole thing was a calculated move on his part, to make her lower her guard.

Sakura wanted to grab the desk and throw it out the window, to smash it into little pieces, so that it wouldn't remind her of that night. But then, as she looked at the window, memories flooded her mind once again. Of him standing on the other side of it, bearing the brunt of the storm, and then rushing inside, holding her tight and calming her down.

Cursing, she sat down on the bed. She let herself fall backwards, the springs of the mattress making her body bounce. Everything was just too much. Sakura was in desperate need of changing scenery, and she even had an idea about her point of destination.

It's been two weeks since he last saw her, and four weeks since their argument. Not that he was counting. It was just that time seemed to be slowing down in these past couple of weeks. It was almost like… almost like the years before having the war with Whirlpool, before she became his wife.

When she came into his life, and when their relationship sort of normalized, he had something to look forward to in his days, a lunch spent together, or just a small conversation on the threshold of their shared door. After all these years, Kakashi was starting to have an actual, human connection with somebody. He didn't have to hide behind his mask, to pretend that what happened to him in the past wasn't affecting him.

But everything came to a screeching halt with their argument. It was a sobering reminder for him that no matter how much he wanted things to work out, they'll never will, because to Sakura he was only just a cruel man.

Sudden anger flared up inside his body, and before he was fully conscious of what he was doing, he pushed the delicate tip of his fountain pen against the paper under it so hard, that it broke. Dark blue splotches appeared on the white parchment, making him curse under his breath. He had to fill out the paper once again, since this one was practically unusable now.

Kakashi sat back in his chair, knowing that he was far too distracted to do his actual work right. His gaze fell on the two leather chairs situated in front of his desk, where a couple of hours prior two people sat. Koharu and Homura made him a visit, inquiring him about his future heir. The heir which he should have together with his wife. He wanted to laugh at the two elders right then and there, since that will be practically impossible. But of course the details of his relationship with Sakura was none of their business, so he omitted voicing these thoughts.

The retorts of the two Council members were practically identical to the ones Koharu uttered a few months ago to him. How important it was for the kingdom to have an heir and so forth. Their nagging was so annoying, that he stormed out of his office at one point.

He was so angry. Kakashi had enough of always listening to what the Council members were saying, to always do their bidding. To marry the person they told him to, and to have a child, many children in fact, by some allotted time. For a split second he even thought about forcing Sakura to do what supposedly everyone at the Council wanted them to. But as soon as his thoughts strayed on this path, he felt disgusted with himself. Even though she quite clearly vocalized her resentment towards him, Kakashi just couldn't bring himself to do that. He might be an awful person in Sakura's eyes, but he'll never stoop so low as to actually be one.

After managing to cool his head off, he strolled back to his office and the mountains of seemingly never ending paperwork. If there was one part of his job, it was most definitely the fact that he had to mow through an infinite number of papers. But then again, dealing with the elders was definitely not something pleasant either. And then there were all the social events he had to participate in. In all honesty, there were far too many aspects of his position that he did not like.

This wasn't the first time he regretted being king. Kakashi was reluctant to accept this position when they offered it to him during the civil war, and was still doubtful of whether he made the right choice after accepting it. This will probably never change.

Kakashi supressed a groan, when he heard a brief knock on his door. He highly doubted that he could bear another discussion with any of the elders. His patience was already running thin because of their meddling. The person knocked once more, their persistence further annoying him.

The door opened only a few seconds later, Sakura stepping inside. At first sight, she looked the same as before their argument. But one good look at her eyes, and it became fairly obvious, that she was exhausted. The dark circles around them were more pronounced than during the time before the hospital opening.

"Hello."

"Hi." Her greeting was almost inaudible. She stood in the doorway until Kakashi gestured for her to take a seat.

They sat in silence after that, giving him enough time to think about the reason why Sakura was here. Did she come to make amends? After all of what she'd said to him that night, he was fairly sure that that wasn't the case.

"I'm going to Whirlpool." Was her first real sentence to him in days.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed at her words. Was this some kind of ploy for her to abandon him?

"I'm not going there to escape from our arrangement. I'd just like to spend some time with my loved ones."

"And what about the hospital?" While Sakura and he were not on talking terms, it did not mean that he didn't have any information about the workings of the hospital. According to his informants, the only reason why the hospital hadn't sunk into chaos was Sakura's diligent work. So, he was quite surprised by her request.

"They can manage without me for a week or so."

"So, you want to leave for a week? And what about your duties as a queen?"

Huffing, Sakura grabbed the armrests of the chair and leaned in closer to his desk, her green eyes narrowing at his person.

"You promised me that I can visit Whirlpool whenever I want to, and that it would be considered as a diplomatic one." She was referring to the vow he made when he gave her his mother's ring in the palace gardens of Uzushiogakure.

The challenging look she gave him just now proved to him that Sakura was ready for him to contradict. For a split second he wanted to do that, just to spite her. He wanted to act like the man she perceived him to be, but what would that really prove? Instead, he did what she least expected him to.

"All right…not that you really needed my consent for it." He muttered the last sentence. "Kurenai will organize your travel." With that, Kakashi grabbed a paper from the pile on his left, and started reading it. His gaze didn't wander from the lines written on the parchment when he heard Sakura stand up wordlessly from her seat, or when the door shut closed behind her.

The bar in Ame was probably the sleaziest one he had ever set foot in. A grimace of disgust appeared on his face as he inhaled the air filled with smoke and mould. The once white walls were stained with nicotine, painting them into a sickly yellow, not even the dim lighting could make it less obvious. The paintings that littered sporadically the walls were already well faded, making it impossible for anyone to guess what they were depicting. Even the furniture left much for it to be desired, the table tops were marred with countless beer bottle rings, while the chairs around them looked quite unstable. The floorboards creaked and bounced under each step he took with his cane.

For some reason there were barely any patrons at this time of the day, something he was quite thankful for. The less people saw him, the better. His lone eye settled on the presumed owner of the saloon behind the bar. He was diluting a bottle of alcohol with water.

The new guest stopped in front of the counter, the owner taking a glance at him. The caned man didn't even have to ask his question before he got the response he wanted.

"He's in the back room." The owner nodded his head to the left, where a closed door stood.

The newcomer resumed his walk, the remnants of a glass crunching under his feet. It was so dark in that particular corner where the door was, that at first look one couldn't even discern it from the rest of the wall. His knobby fingers wrapped into a fist, knuckles colliding with the rough surface of the door. The shuffling of feet could be heart from the other side and soon it opened, the stern face of a man in his thirties greeting him. He looked the newcomer up and down, trying to discern his notable features.

"I'm here to see him." The guest stated simply, already preparing to step over the threshold.

"He's not accepting guests right now." The door was about to be closed, but the older man wedged his cane against it.

"I'm quite sure that he'll accept me." The calmness in his voice betrayed the hostility in his lone eye. "I have information about an old acquaintance of his, someone he might want to catch up with." He said this a little louder, so that his voice would be carried inside the room.

The man behind the door glanced backwards, seemingly questioning the other occupant of the room. "Let him in." Said the voice from inside.

Once inside, the newcomer's gaze settled on the man lounging on the sofa. His muscled arms were resting outstretched on the back of his seat, the lazy posture he sported was in deep contrast with the skillset that made him feared by anyone who became his enemy. But what discerned him completely from any other person was the vicious lines of scars littering the left side of his face. The tissue was missing next to his lips, baring his teeth in a permanent smirk.

"Who would've thought that someone like you would visit me." His deep voice boomed.

"You know who I am?"

"Of course." The smirk grew wider. "I have some associates who already worked with you."

The older man didn't comment on that, he instead pulled out an envelope from under his robe, and tossed it towards his sitting companion. He caught it with ease, opening it.

"I know for a fact that several years ago you already had an encounter with her."

"What do you want me to do?" His crimson eyes narrowed and his hold tightened around the woman's picture.

"Kill her."

Thank you so much for the warm welcome back! Hope you are all safe despite the circumstances!