Hello guys, I'm done with this chapter, yes!

Please member I do not and probably will never own Naruto =(

"Kakashi! What are you doing here?" She asked unexpected by his appearance.

"I wanted to drop by and see you. May I come in?" He asked. He noted that when she had fully opened the door she had also planted herself right in front of it with her arms out.

"Yeah, sure come in." She let him pass and he walked toward her couch. He had forgotten how comfy it was.

"Are you going somewhere?" He asked.

Her stance in the entrance was not the only thing that got his attention. The dress she wore was completely out of character. Sakura was one to barley use them, unless there was an occasion for it. Although his curiosity as to why she was wearing it was a big question in his head, he could not forget the thought of how lovely she looked in it.

The dress showed her curves and he could see how much she had developed over the years. The ninja outfit she usually wore and the doctor's uniform showed none of her womanly body. Right now he could forget that she had ever been his student, just a gorgeous woman who he had just met.

Thinking this way of his former student made him feel like a true pervert. A person who he had seen grow up was now filling his mind with dirty thoughts. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about things like this, especially with her condition. If she could read his thoughts he was sure she would be disgusted by him.

"I'm having a dinner here." She replied.

This was a surprise to the white nin, but one he wasn't glad with.

"You didn't invite me." His voice held no emotion, but his one visible eye showed something else.

She turned her eyes somewhere else. His stare felt uncomfortable for a reason she could not explain. "It was just me and someone else. And we haven't talked in a while, so I didn't think I could give you an invitation."

"I thought that it would be forgotten, but since you never came over..."

He was interrupted by Sakura, "I was supposed to come over? For what?"

By the sound of her voice he knew he had screwed up. If he didn't settle things right now they would end up fighting again.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just thought that you would have come over and..."

"Apologized? Is that what you were going to say? Why should I? You were the one who wanted to be left alone." She retorted.

"I didn't say that, I was just trying to explain myself."

"What do you want to explain?"

"It was never my intention to say those things to you and I apologize for that, but you shouldn't have reacted the way you did."

Sakura was boiling in the inside. The way he spoke so coolly added to her frustration toward him.

How could he come and say she was overreacting? Hadn't it been him who was acting stranger than usual?

She wouldn't argue with him, it was pointless. Here she thought everything would be fine, but his mouth just kept on blabbing. She walked to the kitchen to escape whatever else he had planned to say.

Kakashi followed her but stopped at the kitchen entrance. He watched as she stood near the sink and vigorously washed the dirty utensils.

He had to say something, something smart. "I'm sorry."

She stopped washing, but kept her body facing the sink. "I don't understand, what happened that made you so mad?" She had asked herself so many times the same questions and now was the only time she voiced them.

He continued to watch her. She wouldn't turn around and he didn't know how to answer. He couldn't tell her he was angry at Yamato; he wasn't going to tell her he knew everything. He wanted her to tell him when she was ready. "It was just a tiresome day at work. I overworked myself to come here and I ended up with a crappy mood. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

She wasn't sure if he was being honest or not, but even if he wasn't she wouldn't be able to get the truth from him. Could she continue holding this against him? Of course she couldn't, that was the problem. During the days of his absence she felt a vacancy inside of her. She had missed him.

Her will to fight was lost just like that.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" He had wanted her to apologize, but her apology was nothing related to what he expected.

"Because of me you had to overwork yourself. I shouldn't have asked you to go with me." A pathetic apology, but what could she say. Maybe he was lying or maybe it was his promise to her that had got him this way. She, most of all, must have known that missions were a lot to deal with when returning home.

He stared blankly at how pure she was. Apologizing for things that were not related to anything. At this he felt guilt, but he wouldn't correct anything.

Kakashi walked closer to her and putting his hand on her shoulder she turned to face him and relaxed. That gesture was all that was needed for her to know that it was fine. She smiled at him and he did the same through his covered face.

Their moment was quickly over as Sakura yelled "Yamato" and ran to the man that took Kakashi's place at the kitchen entrance. He watched as she tried to help him with the large load of bags he held.

Yamato moved the bags away from her the minute he saw her run up to him. "Don't worry, I'm the one cooking, I'll take them." He moved toward the medium sized table near the stove and laid the bags there. After having his hands free he properly greeted Sakura by giving her hug, at which Kakashi fringed. Then he turned to say his greeting to the other nin.

Kakashi, reluctant to say anything to him, just gave him a slight nod.

"How much did you buy!? This looks like your making food for a whole country!"

"Not a whole country, just you." Sakura gave him a fake annoyed look at him as he laughed.

Turning to Kakashi, Sakura invited him to stay and eat with them. Kakashi agreed and was lead to the living room where he was told to stay until the food was ready.

Yamato's face dropped at her proposal, but didn't argue with it. He wouldn't ruin this moment by getting her mad. It had been a long time since he had seen the two together and was beginning to think that something had occurred between them. Now, he saw that he was wrong.

Kakashi sat in the next room, his thoughts running wild at Sakura's new guest. He was getting tired

of playing games.

They all sat on the table with large plates of food. Thanks to Sakura and Kakashi the table was decorated nicely with a small vase of roses and a red table cloth with a white border. They had organized the table for three, setting down the plates, knives, forks, spoons, and cups.

Sakura sat on one end of the table while Yamato sat to the right of her and Kakashi to the left. The food was splendid, even Kakashi couldn't argue with that. Whatever Yamato had made had a great savory taste.

Once all three were done they stayed sitting, complementing the dinner. Kakashi's compliments, however, were just presented by a nod to Sakura's words of her taste of the food.

"I'm glad both of you liked the food." Yamato said more to the rosette than Kakashi.

"It was great! I didn't know you could cook so well."

"Over the years I've learned." Yamato said abashed at her words toward his cooking.

"Maybe we should have another meal sometime, just like today. It was nice having the both of you around."

Both men looked at each other wondering if an event like this could happen again. Kakashi surely didn't want to spend any more time with Yamato and Yamato felt uncomfortable with the presence of the white nin. A meal with all three would most likely not happen any time soon.

With both having this knowledge, however, they gladly agreed to her proposal.

As Sakura began to clear the tables she thanked Yamato for the food and Kakashi for his help. The two men offered to aid the blossom, but she refused, making them both sit on the couch as she finished washing the dishes.

Kakashi took his usual side of the sofa and Yamato, having no other place to sit, could only get a few inches of separation from Kakashi. Yamato was beginning to think that it might have been time to get her a new and bigger couch for her birthday.

With Sakura being in the kitchen and the running water stopping the silence Kakashi decide it was the perfect time to have a little chat. With a voice that could disguise itself from Sakura's ear he spoke, "You seem unable to do anything right nowadays."

Yamato didn't reply. He wouldn't be the one to continue anything the white nin started.

"Why so quiet? You weren't like that in front of Sakura?"

The browned haired nin didn't speak. He kept his silence knowing well that it was the best thing to do.

Kakashi eyed the man, annoyed by his silence. He didn't let it show though. With a sly grin he asked, "Are you looking for another round with Sakura?"

Yamato opened his eyed wide at the Copy-nin's words. He knew his mouth was half open, but his bewilderment wouldn't let him close it. Finally recovering, he looked away from Kakashi and stared toward the kitchen where Sakura was. He couldn't see her from where he sat, but he felt as if Sakura had seen and heard everything. He was able to calm himself ones he realized that the idea was ridiculous.

Kakashi's words left something in him. He had figured, long ago, that what he had told the white haired nin would cause him to react differently towards him and the cherry blossom. Yamato was pictured many scenarios in his head, but Kakashi saying such things was not one of them.

"You should stop saying stupidities." He replied.

Kakashi smiled at hearing Yamato's voice and laughed at the words he said. "I don't have an inch of stupidity inside me. You, on the other hand, are a different story. If I remember correctly I had warned you to stay away from Sakura. So, then why are you here? Could you just not get enough the first time?"

"Kakashi stop!" Yamato said in the verge of yelling.

"Why should I? You don't seem to want to stop?" His voice was so dark that it held an edge to it. Then it changed to a malicious playful voice, "Do you fantasize about her? Do you have wet dreams about her?"

"Shut up!" Yamato screamed which lead Sakura to check up on them.

"What's wrong?" She said looking at the both of them. Kakashi looked normal, relaxed on the sofa. Yamato, however, was on the edge of his seat with a grave face. "Are you ok?" Sakura asked Yamato.

"He's fine, right Yamato?" Kakashi answered for him.

Yamato didn't answer to either,

right away. His voice seemed to have left him. His eyes focused on the floor as he tried to recover from the absurd words.

"Yamato," Sakura called, "are you ok?"

"Y-yeah." He finally managed to say but with an unsteady voice.

Kakashi, with a conquering smile, stood up from the couch and announced his departure, but not before telling Yamato that he should be heading home, as well.

Yamato did as the ninja said and reassured the concerned rosette that everything was fine.

Kakashi walked through the streets of Konoha, not knowing where he was going. Home, for the moment, didn't feel right.

His feet took him to the training fields, team 7's training field. He looked around finding for a spot to sit on and decided to rest on one of the tree branches that overlooked the scenery. His view brought back memories that he had tried hard to forget. Even with his efforts he could still easily envision all of his three young students training. He saw Sasuke keeping to himself as always, Naruto and his cheeky smile, and Sakura chasing after her young crush. Everything was fine, everything looked normal.

Now, as he returned to reality, he saw the horizon with a fire that had destroyed everything.

He gave a loud sigh, not exactly knowing what it was for. Kakashi felt exhausted, but it had nothing to do with any physical exhaustion.

He didn't understand what was making him this hollow. When Sasuke left he was distraught. He had thought that with aiding him he would be repairing or preventing a dark disaster, but he was wrong. When the stoic ninja left, he knew that things had changed and felt a vast pain in his chest, but now...with what occurred to Sakura there was more.

After Rin and Obito's death he cried for being useless. It took him various days before he could move on with his life. A useless person, a useless ninja, was all he could remember calling himself before and now the cycle was repeating. He had promised that he would protect those closest to him that the same mistake would be prevented at any cost, but he failed again. First with Saskue and now with Sakura.

He was getting tired of all the failures, but he knew there was more to this than just another regretful memory.

He didn't understand what was occurring inside of him and he didn't like it. He recalled how he felt when his team was disoriented and somehow he knew he would be able to handle it, no matter the outcome. It might have been Saskue's past that let him foretell that he would, one day or another, leave. What he hadn't expected was Sakura's outcome.

His Sakura, the one that he assumed that through everything she wouldn't change. The one who had lived a normal childhood, who had no scars, and was becoming a strong konichi was caught up in a nightmare that he could have prevented.

But there was much more than just blaming himself. Something was eating him up from the inside.

He had told himself, multiple times, that as a ninja this was to be expected. It was what she had chosen and what had to be done for the best of country, but none of those things were feasible. He realized that blaming Yamato was not the answer, but he was infatuated with the thought of him being the person to spoil the bright blossom.

One of the people he trusted had caused Sakura such pain.

He couldn't and wouldn't turn to reason. He needed justification for what happened and the perfect target was Yamato, for all he did and couldn't do.

"Kakashi my greatest rival!" Gai yelled from below the tree.

Kakashi turned to acknowledge his green suit friend. He should have been able to spot Gai before he got this close to him, but his inner turmoil was too great to notice anything around him.

With the curt greeting Gai continued, "What has my number one rival been doing all this time? Are you training for our next battle?"

Kakashi replied with a no as he went back to watching the training ground.

"That's a shame." Gai replied frowning. Although Gai usually had a mind of competition regarding his rival he could see something different occurring to him.

A rival with other thoughts, that excluded battles, would change the turns of events, Gai thought with displeasure. With that being said he decided to find what perturbed the white nin.

"Kakashi is there something bothering you?"

The white nin turned to Gai, scrutinizing him. He needed to let his thoughts go and converse with someone to make him understand. He wondered if Gai could be the one. He knew Gai wouldn't say a word of their conversation if he asked and that, as oddly a person he was, he could give great advice. Anyway, he was someone he trusted, so it was fine.

Staring at the clouds he said to Gai, "What I'm about to tell you is serious and honestly I shouldn't be meddling in, but I can't just let it be."

These words coming from his rival sounded grave. Understanding that this would be a complex conversation he took a seat on one of the branches of the same tree.

"Remember how before I left for my last mission I asked you a favor?"

"Yes. You told me to keep an eye on Sakura, but I still don't know why."

Kakashi didn't turn to Gai to say his explanation. While looking at the sunset that was coming to a close he explained everything. Unlike most people who would twist stories when retelling something, he didn't. He put down every playing card.

Gai listened to everything in silence, not showing any astonishment or shock. He listened carefully collecting everything the ninja before him said. Gai noticed how Kakashi, at parts, stood silently, as if he himself was taking things in. When his silence took longer than the others he took that as the end of the retelling.

Through all this Gai had watched his rival and could see several emotions inside of him. "What's bothering you?"

Kakashi gave him a quizzical look. "Didn't you listen to what I just told you?"

Gai took a loud breath expressing his disapproval of Kakashi's naivety. "I, like you, would be upset if any of my students would go through such a thing. I know that their youth is important, but as a ninja yourself, you should understand her responsibility as well as his."

The Copy-nin looked away. Gai took this a sign that he understood, but didn't want to comprehend. "What's really bothering you, Kakashi? From what I heard your student seems to be opening herself more and trying to forget about the past."

"How can she forget when he's always there?" Kakashi yelled angrily.

"I don't think her avoiding him would be any better." Gai said, raising his own voice a little.

"Why not? After everything how can they still be the same!"

"They are trying to repair themselves." Gai answered.

"Then they should go their own way."

Gai took another sigh, this was getting him nowhere. "What's wrong? I have always seen you as a strong and smart rival, but now...you look pathetic. There is something more in your head, your confused about something."

He was confused? Kakashi didn't understand where this was coming from. He wasn't confused at all, he just needed help to fix...what? Sakura's situation? Yamato's growing relationship towards her? None of that sounded right.

Gai saw that Kakashi was at a state of confusion and at first so was he, but now, as he saw the nin rummage through his mind, he saw what was bothering him. "What are you feeling?"

Kakashi stared at the branch he had been looking at all this time. He heard Gai ask the question, but didn't bother to turn to him.

What was he feeling?

He didn't know.

"You have always hidden yourself well, Kakashi. Even when you were young and after everything you passed through you held strong. Now, however, you revel too much without noticing. This change is something that has been slowly growing inside of you."

The white haired nin listened to Gai, not knowing where he was going. Something growing inside of him? The nin could only answer with a "What?"

"You haven't figured it out because it's the first time you have experienced it."

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi was frustrated with his ranting; he wanted to know what he kept referring to.

Gai's eyes bore on him, looking past him, seeing what he didn't or hadn't realized was there. "Tell me, have you fallen for someone?"

This is how this chapter end, dun dun duuuunnnn =o! I'll stop fooling around and begin with the next chapter =(.

Reviews (any type) are highly appreciated and maybe, just maybe, make me work faster. (Does this feel like a bargain? Maybe =))

Thanks for sticking with me you guys!

-Zero =D