MY APOPOLGIES! I feel like this chapter is rushed af, but maybe (hopefully) I'm wrong. Also, it is poorly edited because I didn't feel like reading the whole thing again. The reason for this potential rushiness is that I am leaving for vacation today! I'll be on a cruise which means either no wifi at all, or very bad wifi, so I may not be able to post while I'm gone (about 10 days). That being said, I'm going to write the next chapter while I'm gone so I should be able to post right when I get back! How does that sound?

Anyway, I just had to get you guys another chapter before I left, so here you go! I hope you like it…I feel like it has a lot from Kakashi's point of view, which was sort of an accident, but I just went with it, so oh well.

This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but it's by no means "short", so I hope that's okay :)

There are some cute KakaSaku moments below, so get reading! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (duh)

Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving,
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together.

- Jack Johnson

Chapter Two: Secrets

Sakura felt strong hands gripping her arms, though she couldn't see who was holding her. She reached up to find that she was blindfolded by something that felt suspiciously like a leaf shinobi headband. Calculating her options, Sakura prepared herself for a fight…if this bozo really thought he could beat her so easily, he was a fool.

Just as she was preparing to strike, Sakura froze. She felt warm breath grazing just across the edge of her jawline, and a quiet, masculine sound made her toes curl. This unknown man was quickly starting to feel less like an enemy and more like a lover. Sakura shook her head desperately, trying to distract herself from her body's involuntary reactions. This wasn't like her at all…this couldn't be real. She was usually so much more in control.

A hand slid up her waist and Sakura began to whimper. Why couldn't she break away? Was she being controlled by some jutsu? Come to think of it…how had she even gotten here? The last thing she remembered was talking to Kakashi in her hospital room, and then succumbing to the most blinding pain she had ever experienced.

Panic began to take over, and Sakura struggled futilely to move, but she couldn't stop herself from making a slightly pleasured noise when she felt a pair of lips crash into her own, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Against her better judgement, Sakura returned the kiss wholeheartedly, unable to stop herself from matching the unknown man in excitement and urgency.

"Sakura!"

A voice pulled her out of her reverie. The kissing had stopped, but she still couldn't see. Upon trial, she found that she could move her arms now, and slowly she reached up to rid herself of that pesky blindfold.

At first, the light was too bright and Sakura couldn't make out the man standing before her. He was tall, and appeared to be wearing the uniform of a Jōnin. Just as her vision started to fade, Sakura noticed the man's spiky silver hair…

"Kakashi?"

"No you doofus! It's Naruto! How're you feeling, Sakura-chan? You've been out for days!"

Sakura awoke to find her hyperactive blond friend leaning over her in her hospital bed, a look of concern obvious on his face. To Sakura, he hadn't changed at all in the nine or so years that she'd known him, but that was okay. Naruto was her constant, her solid ground, her unchanging friend. His bright yellow hair and electric blue eyes brought her a sense of calm, and she knew with him, she would always be safe, she would always be loved…and so her slight disappointment that it wasn't Kakashi that stood above her riddled her with guilt.

She forced a smile. "Naruto. What happened to me? I remember waking up and feeling fine, but then something happened and I…well all I remember is being in severe pain. And...hang on a second...are we back in the leaf village?"

"To be honest, Sakura, no one is really sure what the hell is going on," Naruto began, shifting uncomfortably beside the bed. "They seem to have decided that the bomb was a special jutsu that was directed at you, and that's why Kakashi got away with minimal damage. They also think that whatever that jutsu was could be causing these long term effects. And yeah, you were out for awhile. They used a medical transport team to get you back home."

Sakura winced. She did not like the sound of that. She'd been out for that long? "And they don't have any leads on what it was?"

Naruto shook his head sadly.

Sakura braced herself. She hated to see Naruto like that, usually he was so happy and carefree. She didn't want to be the cause of his misery. "Well, we'll just have to figure it out, Naruto. Together…we can do this. I promise."

"That's right, Sakura-chan!" Naruto immediately brightened at Sakura's words. "I'll do everything I can, and you'll be right as rain in a few days! You can believe it!"

Sakura smiled cheekily at Naruto. "Hey, how's Hinata doing?"

Naruto's face paled dramatically. "Oh shit. Hinata! Er, sorry, Sakura-chan, I completely forgot that I was supposed to meet her like half an hour ago…I am so dead."

Sakura chuckled. Still the same old Naruto… "Go on, get out of here."

Naruto swept in to kiss Sakura on the cheek, swiftly dodging her attempt to whack him on the head. "Bye, Sakura-chan! I'll be back later!"

Shaking her head at the blonde's antics, Sakura laid her head back into her pillow. She didn't want to admit it to Naruto, but she was not feeling very well. Her head was throbbing and every joint in her body ached like she was a hundred years old. She truly felt like she had been through the ringer.

"Not feeling well?" A deep voice read her mind.

Sakura blushed immediately, her dream rushing back to the front of her mind. "Kakashi! Damn, you startled me." Sakura tried to cover her blush by pulling her sheet up higher.

Kakashi smiled, as evidenced by the telltale squint of his eye. "Sorry, Sakura. But really, I take it you are still feeling poorly?"

Sakura sighed, not wishing to worry Kakashi but not wanting to lie to him either. "I feel…tired. My head is killing me and I feel like someone tried to rip my limbs off. Other than that, I'm fine," Sakura added sarcastically.

Kakashi's eye widened for a moment, but it resumed its natural shape so quickly Sakura thought she may have imagined the expression. "Well, I guess we'll just have to figure out what's wrong with you quickly then, hm?" He paused. "Of course, you managed to wake up when I was gone. I stayed here for like three days waiting on you to wake up, you jerk."

"I couldn't help it!" Sakura yelled, but she knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her. "Kakashi, could you please keep this from Naruto? At least for now. He's so happy, I'd hate to be the cause of more struggle for him. I'd honestly rather that he didn't know how I'm feeling…at least not yet. Maybe I'll even be able to figure out what's wrong on my own and he'll never even have to know."

Kakashi seemed to consider this. "You know, Naruto would be devastated if he knew you were keeping this from him. All he wants to do is help you. I'll keep your secret Sakura, but I suggest you don't hold Naruto off for too long…he might be able to help. We may need him, in fact."

"I know, just…give it some time. Maybe I won't even need to do anything. Maybe I'll just get better on my own," Sakura smiled bravely, locking eyes with Kakashi unexpectedly.

Surprisingly, he didn't break eye contact with her, and Sakura almost gasped when his fingers reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her left ear. It had been awhile since he had touched her like that, and she couldn't help but shudder lightly at the feeling. She had almost forgotten about the whole incident with the woman at the pub…

"Sakura…I…" Kakashi began slowly. He frowned, "I have some bad news. I have to leave on a mission in two days. It won't be a long one, I should only be gone a day. I just wanted to tell you that it isn't by choice. I'd much rather stay here and help you through whatever this is…but I can't. The Hokage assigned me to this mission herself."

The pink-haired kunoichi felt an uncomfortable dip in her stomach. He was leaving? "Oh…" she began, trying not to sound pathetic. She hadn't contemplated not having Kakashi around to help her through this. "That's fine. It's not like your life has to stop just because I got a little hurt, don't worry about it. I'll still be here when you get back." Sakura forced a second smile. "We haven't been spending as much time together lately, anyway, so it won't be all that weird."

Sakura hadn't meant that last comment to sound like an insult, but for a moment, it looked like Kakashi may have taken it as one. His eyebrow lowered over his eye and his shoulders seemed to slump a bit…even more than they were usually slumped, that is. "That's not by my choice, Sakura. I still sit at the tree most nights, but you never show up."

Sakura shifted slightly to look at him more fully. "I know."

Silence encompassed them for a few moments, and their eyes remained locked.

"If you tell me what I did to upset you, I'll try to fix it," Kakashi said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Or if I need to apologize for something…"

Sakura sighed. "No apology is necessary, Kakashi, I feel I may be…overreacting. Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have stopped coming to the tree. Believe me, being stuck in here really makes me regret not going there when I still could. I miss it."

She could feel Kakashi looking at her, still, his eyes unwavering. She stared at the ceiling, trying to keep the blush from creeping up her cheeks; she'd shown enough weakness in front of Kakashi today, that was for sure. "Will your mission be dangerous?"

Kakashi made an irritated sound in the back of his throat. Obviously still hung up on their previous conversation, he replied easily, "No, it should be pretty open and shut. You don't need to worry."

"Who said I was going to worry?" Sakura shot a lopsided grin at Kakashi, and she watched the stern creases in his face melt away slowly into a smile. "Will you come and see me before you leave, at least?"

"What a silly question." Kakashi was immediately on his feet and by the side of Sakura's bed. "While you may not worry about me, I will always worry about you."

Just as Sakura was about to lose the battle against her cheek-staining blush, Kakashi vanished, leaving only a thin puff of smoke behind.

Sakura shook her head slowly at the wild beating of her heart.

Kakashi jumped from branch to branch, taking the "scenic" route from the medical building to his apartment. He had planned on staying with Sakura longer, but something had forced him away…and he just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

Walking up the steps to his apartment door, Kakashi began to regret having left the medical building…maybe he could've gotten the truth out of Sakura. It had been eating him up lately, although he'd never admit it, and he was seriously beginning to miss her company. His nights against the tree just weren't the same without her anymore. Without her scolding him about his dirty books, leaning against his back, touching his hand with those fingers…

"Kakashi," Genma greeted him.

Kicking his shoes off at the door, Kakashi glanced over lazily at the shinobi perched on his couch. It wasn't rare for Genma to show up in his apartment randomly, and Kakashi was never surprised by his presence.

"How's your girlfriend?" Genma questioned blandly, although there was a sparkle in his eyes. "She still mad at you?"

Kakashi mumbled something that included the words, "not", "girlfriend", and "bastard", but chose not to make himself clear. He knew there was nothing he could do to dissuade Genma from this line of conversation. Kakashi's relationship with Sakura was a topic of interest for Genma, and Kakashi knew it.

"If you just tell me about it, I might be able to help you figure out what happened," Genma prodded, trying to sound bored but failing miserably.

Kakashi glared, but rolled his eyes in resignation. Genma had been trying to get information out of him for weeks now and it was starting to get annoying. "I'm not sure what day it started, but she all of a sudden stopped showing up at our, well, our meeting place I guess you could call it. She usually stops by a few times a week, but she hasn't for the past two or three weeks. She hasn't come over here either. She was civil enough to me during our recent mission, but I could tell she was trying to hold me off." Kakashi shrugged, feeling suddenly like he had said far too much.

"Yeah, sounds like you pissed her off," Genma nodded decidedly. "Did you blow her off at any time, or maybe hit on someone in front of her? Women really hate that, you know. And also, did you say she 'hasn't come over here'? As in like she comes over to your apartment on a regular basis?"

"Uh," Kakashi did not like this line of questioning. "One question at a time."

Genma rolled his eyes dramatically. "Okay, fine. Think back to when you first noticed that she was avoiding you. What had happened before that?"

"Well," Kakashi began slowly, trying to remember. "The first time she ever blew me off was probably two or three weeks ago. We were racing to the pub, and I beat her, per usual. But she never showed up. The weird part was, we had agreed that the loser would pay, and when I went up to settle my tab, the bartender said that my bill had already been paid."

"Sounds like maybe we should talk to the bartender then, hm?" Genma raised his eyebrows at Kakashi.

"Good point, although it was a while ago. He may not remember anything," Kakashi agreed.

Genma shrugged, "It's worth a shot. C'mon, let's go. I'd like a drink either way."

When Kakashi and Genma entered the pub, the bartender waved at them good-naturedly. The two shinobi were regulars, and so they knew the pub staff and frequent customers pretty well. Kakashi walked up to the bar and ordered a drink, trying to be polite, but Genma had other ideas. He shoved past Kakashi to get to the counter and immediately leaned across, the beaten wooden surface, motioning for the bartender to come closer.

"You know the girl that comes in with my pal Kakashi, here?" Genma asked, motioning to Kakashi, getting straight to the point.

The bartender scratched his head, squinting his eyes slightly. "You mean the pink-haired girl? I haven't seen her around here in a while, but yeah, I know who you're talking about. Seems sweet."

"Do you happen to remember a night when she paid for his drinks but didn't stick around?" Genma pried.

"Oh, yeah! I thought it was pretty weird that she didn't stay. She just ran in, spotted your friend here, gave me some money and left, pretty quickly at that," the bartender shrugged. "I figured she had some place to be."

"Why'd she leave?" Kakashi asked, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer.

"That I'm not too sure about," the older man behind the bar folded his arms, looking deep in thought. "I think you were at the back of the room with someone…a blond girl maybe?"

Kakashi's normal eye nearly bugged out of his head. "Oh shit."

"What, Kakashi? Who was she?" Genma asked, suspiciously.

Kakashi didn't know if he should feel relieved or incredibly annoyed. Sakura had been avoiding him because she thought he was hitting on some woman at the bar when they were supposed to be meeting. It all made so much sense.

The copy-nin sighed. "That woman was a very drunken Uzumaki Naruto, showing me the latest edition of his 'sexy jutsu'. I was laughing so hard I didn't think I could move, so I just stood there while he hung all over me. That must've looked pretty bad to anyone watching…I didn't even consider the fact that Sakura may have seen."

Kakashi suddenly became very aware of the fact that Genma and the bartender were listening to him intently and it was very obvious that he was interested in Sakura. "Er, well, not that it matters. She obviously was just mad because she thought I was blowing her off or ignoring her."

"Yeah," Genma snorted saracastically, "obviously."

"Come to think of it," the bartender spoke slowly, "she did seem pretty bummed out when she left. I was surprised that she didn't stay, she always does."

Kakashi decided the conversation had gone far enough, he'd gotten the information that he needed and he was practically itching to go explain himself to Sakura. He had no idea why the need to "clear his name" and tell her what had really happen was so great, but he knew he wouldn't be able to truly relax again until he'd had a chance to speak to her.

As he took his leave from the pub, absentmindedly telling Genma that he'd see him later, Kakashi considered the best way to explain the situation to Sakura. Should he just come out and tell her? Or would that be awkward? Maybe he could coax her to tell him herself and then he could explain…

Kakashi had never been one for going overboard in the feelings department, and the conversation that he was planning was threatening to seep into uncharted waters. What if Naruto's jutsu wasn't what had upset Sakura? What if she was mad at him for some other reason that had nothing to do with jealousy? The copy-nin pondered his options. He considered Sakura's temperament. While her personality could be a little…explosive at times, Kakashi reasoned that Sakura would most likely want the truth from him, and that there could be no harm in telling her everything. Well, not everything…

Kakashi hadn't really thought of Sakura as a woman until she was probably around seventeen years remembered the first time he'd thought of her as beautiful…

He hadn't seen Naruto or Sakura for months, as they had been away on an important and complicated mission, in a squad of shinobi hand-picked by the Hokage. Kakashi was intended to go with them, but he hadn't returned from a mission of his own before the squad was due to depart. The copy-nin usually wasn't inclined to worry, but the sheer length of their mission began to take its toll on him. After all, they'd been his students and then comrades for so long.

When he heard the news that the squad was back in the Leaf Village, but that they'd lost a few members, Kakashi had uncharacteristically raced to the gates, just a hint of worry tainting his mood. He trusted that Naruto and Sakura were more than capable of handling themselves…but still. He'd never forgive himself if one of them had been hurt or killed when he should have been there to protect them.

As he pushed through the small crowd welcoming the squad home, Kakashi saw a head of bright pink hair. He'd never been so relieved by a color in all his life. Her back was to him, but Kakashi had no doubt as to who he was looking at…especially since a taller, blonde boy was standing right by her side, with his hand casually placed on her back. Kakashi raised his eyebrows at this, usually Sakura wasn't a fan of physical contact from Naruto.

"That's enough of that," Sakura swatted Naruto's hand away, as if reading Kakashi's mind.

"I see you two haven't changed," Kakashi observed lazily behind them. He had no idea how incorrect his statement had been.

Sakura turned around to look at him, excitement evident in her eyes as she saw her former teacher. "Kakashi-sensei!" The girl sprang forward to give him a hug. When she stepped back, Kakashi fought to suppress a gasp.

Indeed, Sakura had changed quite a bit since the last time he'd seen her. She was taller, that was for sure, and her face had lost its childishness. Her skin was lightly tanned from her prolonged exposure to the sun, and a path of freckles had erupted across the bridge of her nose. The effect was charming…

Kakashi cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't make him sound like an oaf. "You don't have to call me sensei anymore, Sakura. We're equals now, remember?"

Sakura chuckled. "It's kind of a hard habit to break, you know."

Kakashi swallowed thickly as she looked up at him through her long, dark lashes. How had he never noticed how green her eyes were before? It was at that point he felt that it was imperative for him to remove himself from that situation. He was obviously…unwell. Or something.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto interrupted Kakashi's inner thoughts. "How are you? It's been so long! I have so much to tell you, where to even start? Hey, is Sasuke around too? C'mon, let's go get a drink."

Kakashi barely had time to process what Naruto had said before he felt himself being dragged by the arm by the blonde-haired ninja. With a final glance backwards, Kakashi saw Sakura laughing, no doubt at Naruto and his hyper-active ways. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling.

Kakashi swallowed hard and looked away, quickly remembering that it was Sakura that he was so intently staring at. Looking ahead at Naruto, he allowed himself to be dragged away.

…

Kakashi smiled at the had received a lot of male attention since she returned from that trip, although through most of it she was dating Sasuke. The Uchiha had beat up more than one man interested in his girlfriend, and it was never pretty.

Kakashi remembered a time when he had seen such a beating…

"Sasuke, stop! He said he was sorry, just leave him alone!"

Kakashi was walking with his head down, reading his favorite book, when he heard Sakura yelling. He turned the corner and walked towards the noise, not sure if it was wise for him to get involved or not. It was very dark outside, it was past midnight, and Kakashi could just make out the silhouettes of three figures. The shortest and smallest was definitely Sakura, and then there were two presumably male shapes. One was lying on the ground, arms head protectively over his head, the other was towering above him, his stance obviously menacing.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted again, this time stepping up to the standing man. It was dark and Kakashi couldn't tell for sure, but he thought he saw the standing man give her a little shove.

"Everybody alright?" Kakashi asked in his bored voice. He didn't mean to, just everything he said sounded…bland.

"This loser won't be," Sasuke growled.

"Kakashi, make him stop!" Sakura pleaded, looking up at him as he approached.

The copy-nin stared into her now visible green eyes and saw desperation. "Come on, Sasuke. Is this guy really worth your time?"

Sasuke was visibly shaking with anger. "This guy just spent an entire evening staring at my girlfriend, then proceeded to verbally harass her, and then thought it might be a good idea to threaten her, as if he could even touch her." There was a little bit of pride in Sasuke's eyes as he glanced over at Sakura, but that pride was quickly wiped out by hatred for the man at his feet. "This little pervert was even trying to look up her skirt."

Kakashi considered his options. He now felt no sympathy for the man at Sasuke's feet and was quite on board with the whole "beat him senseless" plan. "Come on, Sakura," Kakashi decided. "Let's give these two some alone time."

"But Kakashi!" Sakura's eyes widened and Kakashi wondered if it was a good idea to go somewhere alone with her.

"Trust me, Sakura, everyone will be fine."

Sakura turned to the brooding Uchiha. "Do not, kill this one."

The copy-nin suppressed a giggle as the man on the ground started whining uncontrollably. Once they were out of earshot, he asked: "Has Sasuke ever really killed a man who hit on you?"

Sakura snorted. "Of course not. I just like to put the fear of god into them, that's all. I don't need Sasuke to protect me like that, that guy wasn't a problem. I could've snapped him like a twig if I had to."

Kakashi glanced sideways, deciding whether or not to comment on Sakura's freaky strength. He decided not saying anything was probably the best decision for his health.

The pair walked in silence for several minutes, finally winding up on Sakura's doorstep. "Do you want to come in for a drink or something?" Sakura asked Kakashi, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Uh," the copy-nin battled his inner conflict. Immediately, he thought to agree and go inside with her, but then visions of Sasuke's anger filled his mind. "Don't you think that might annoy Sasuke?"

"Hm, you're probably right," Sakura looked a little deflated.

"I've got my book to go read anyway," Kakashi said, holding his well-loved copy of Makeout Paradise up for her to see.

Sakura gagged, "You're such a perv, Kakashi." She rolled her eyes at him, but he caught the faintest hint of a smile as she shut the door.

Kakashi took his time getting to the medical building. He turned over many different ways to tell Sakura what had happened in his mind, finding himself dissatisfied with all of them. He'd finally decided just to wing it, hoping that maybe she'd bring the conversation up on her own. He just knew he had to tell her; for some reason, it was killing him that she thought he was with some random woman that night. He'd only wanted one woman for a long time now…

Just as Kakashi was about to appear inside her room to surprise her, he stopped. He was a few feet from the door. He felt another presence in the room with her, and after waiting a few moments, he heard voices.

"I don't like seeing you in here," Kakashi heard Sasuke's voice say slowly. "It's…worrying."

Sakura scoffed. "Oh boy, look at you using your big boy emotions. Give me a break, Sasuke. You've ignored me for months now."

There was silence for a few moments and Kakashi backed up to avoid being sensed by the two shinobi in the room, but not so far away that he couldn't hear what was being said.

"Why do you have to be like that all the time? I told you that I miss you."

Kakashi unconsciously grit his teeth. So Sasuke wanted her back?

"And I told you, I'm not putting myself through that again, Sasuke. You do this all the time. You say horrible things and break up with me, and then later you come back with sweet apologies and empty promises. Not to mention, proposals," Sakura mumbled that last part.

"That proposal still stands," Sasuke said coolly. "I think we were meant to be together. I truly think that you are the one meant to help me carry on the Uchiha name."

"How romantic," Sakura said sarcastically.

"I'll give you time, Sakura," Sasuke replied, "In the end, you always come home."

Kakashi heard Sasuke exit, presumably through the window, and contemplated whether or not he should go into Sakura's room. He really wanted to, but now he was confused. He turned to walk back down the hallway, not very excited about his decision to just go home.

Sakura looked around her room, she could've sworn she had just noticed Kakashi. It was this weird thing that she only had with him and Naruto, but whenever they were close by, she just knew. It came in handy on missions, that was for sure.

Sasuke had just left, thankfully, she had been dying for him to get out of her room so she could let Kakashi in. She'd sensed him about three minutes ago, and she wondered how much of their conversation he had heard. It didn't really matter…she had been planning on telling him about Sasuke's proposal anyway.

"Kakashi?" she called out experimentally, feeling like a complete idiot as she talked to her empty room.

When the silver-haired man didn't appear, she began to wonder if she'd imagined the whole thing.

"You called?"

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin. "What the hell?" She turned to find Kakashi smiling behind her. "How is it that I can sense you when you're twenty feet away, but when you pop up behind me like that, you still manage to scare me?"

Kakashi simply smiled some more. "I'm quick."

"I'm not sure that's something to brag about," Sakura mumbled, half joking and half annoyed that she had been so startled.

"Hey," Kakashi put a hand over his heart, faking offence. "That hurts."

Sakura just rolled her eyes. "I take it you heard the end of that conversation?"

Kakashi shifted his eye to the floor. "Yeah. I'm sorry Sakura, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop I just-"

Sakura held up a hand to stop him. "Don't worry. I'm actually glad you heard because I've been wanting to tell you, I just didn't know how."

"Really? You could've told me any time, Sakura, you know that," Kakashi told her, sitting down on top of the chair in the corner of the room, resting his feet where was supposed to be sitting.

"I know," Sakura sighed. "I haven't told anyone, not even Naruto. Sasuke told him though, which really surprised me. Those two are closer than they let on, you know."

Kakashi only nodded, obviously waiting for Sakura to tell him the details.

Sitting back down on her bed and crossing her legs, Sakura looked out her window at the slowly appearing stars. "A little more than two weeks ago, actually, right before the night I stopped coming to the tree, he just randomly asked if I wanted to get married. I was so shocked I didn't even know what to say. He and I hadn't spoken in weeks.

After I realized that he was being serious, I told him no, obviously. He was pretty pissed, and we got into a huge fight. Apparently, he thought we had enough history that he could come back months after a break up and just ask me to marry him. He's an idiot. I don't even want to get married anymore."

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Kakashi began, "I'm sure that was unexpected…thank you for telling me. I'm glad that you did."

Sakura could tell that he wanted to ask her something, but he was obviously holding himself back. "What? Just ask, Kakashi. I'm not in the mood to hide anything tonight."

"Why have you been ignoring me?"

And there was the question. The question that she knew was coming but was dreading all the same. She sighed. "You're going to think I'm an idiot."

Kakashi shook his head firmly. "Never."

Sakura picked at her fingernails, refusing to look him in the eye. "That night when we were racing each other to the pub, I saw you in there with a girl. I guess I got mad because I thought you were blowing me off. All that stuff with Sasuke had just happened and then I felt rejected by my best friend. I'm sorry, there was no reason for me to leave and certainly no reason for me to ignore you after that. I was just…mad."

There. That was almost the truth…just minus the whole blinding jealousy part.

"Ah," was all Kakashi said.

Sakura immediately regretted the whole thing. Why would she tell him that? He obviously thought she was crazy and possessive now. She shouldn't have called him her best friend, that probably freaked him out too.

Just as she was about to say something angry and kick Kakashi out of her room, the silver-haired ninja began chuckling.

Now he was just being mean. Was he really laughing at her?

"What?" she snapped at him.

Kakashi waved his hand at her. "I'm not laughing at you…it's just…that night, your other good friend, Naruto, decided it might be funny to test out his newly improved sexy jutsu."

Sakura felt her eyes go wide, a mixture of relief and extreme annoyance filling her chest. "Are you telling me that was Naruto?"

Kakashi had resumed his usual bored facial expression. "Yeah, that's what I'm telling you."

Sakura couldn't believe herself. She felt even dumber now than she had before. "Er, I'm sorry, Kakashi. You don't hate me, right?"

The copy-nin's face stayed stone-like. "Oh, I hate you."

Sakura couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but knowing Kakashi…

"Bullshit," she said confidently.

Kakashi nodded, "Oh, absolutely."

Sakura laughed at him and motioned for him to sit next to her on the bed. Not looking at him but feeling his weight shift the bed to her right, she laid her head on his shoulder and together they counted the stars through her window.

AW! I love them so much it hurts, haha *heart eyes*

Well, I'm off for my trip! Consider leaving me a review to read on the drive down to the port? :D Thanks so much for reading, you guys are the best!

p.s. I know I am awful at replying to reviews, I'll try to do better this time. Just know that I read every single one and that all your kind words mean so much to me! It keeps me going.

Love, loony