Sakura spirits heightened, seeing the familiar Fire Country. They'd traveled all day and through the night. She was starving and tired. But she had a feeling she wasn't going anywhere near her apartment until after Gaara had visited Naruto. Closing in on the village, she saw a familiar puff of white hair.
"Kakashi-kun!" she called out, and Gaara raised his brow.
'-Kun?' he thought.
"Sakura, it's good to see you again. Gaara-san, how are-" Kakashi tried to begin.
"Where is he?" the Kazekage interrupted him.
Instead of being angry, the jounin looked at the young man kindly. "In his apartment. That's where he usually is. I bugged it a few days ago-"
"Kakashi-kun!" Sakura scolded the man.
"Desperate times, Sakura," he replied. "Anyway, it seems like this is far more than an ordinary depression. He seems to be thinking he's actually communicating with Sasuke when he had conversations with himself."
"Oh... my," the pink haired girl stated.
"What does he say to him?" the redhead asked, eyes forward on Naruto's window, where the boy was currently staring at the ceiling.
"Sasuke is apparently asking Naruto to 'come play' with him. Naruto realizes this is something Sasuke never said to him even when he was alive, and I think that's the only thing holding him back from joining him. That, and the fear of Sakura's wrath."
"Why would he fear Sakura if he were already dead?"
"I can resurrect the bastard just long enough to kill him again!" she stated proudly.
"I... see."
"But Naruto's resolve is weakening," Kakashi continued. "His logic is being overcome with Sasuke returning to him many times, repeating the same thing, even in his dreams."
"Naruto-kun," the girl whispered.
"Sakura-san," Gaara finally spoke.
"Yes?"
"I believe I will be able to keep my word."
The medic opened her eyes wide, suddenly completely filled with hope. The jounin smiled at her, clinging to the very same hope.
"Don't you EVER listen? I said I was NEVER going back, and I MEANT it!" Sasuke yelled.
"Oh, no, I'm dragging your sorry ass right back to Konoha," Naruto told him, summoning his ratsengan. "Even if I have to break every bone in your body to do it."
Naruto stared at the ceiling, emotionless, even recalling the memory. That was the last time he'd seen Sasuke as Sasuke. The next time…
Knock, knock.
"Is Sakura back?" the blonde wondered aloud. She'd had some business in the Wind Country… But he opened the door to a very unimpressed-looking redhead.
"Gaara?" He shook his head, and then looked again. "Gaara! How are you?"
The only reply given was a fist to the face. Naruto's face, more specifically. Which landed him on the floor. "What the…?"
Gaara gazed down at Naruto eerily. "Who are you?" he asked him, voice flat.
"What…? Gaara, you know me-"
"Who. Are. You?"
The blonde gulped. "Uzimaki Naruto."
"I say you're a liar." The redhead crossed his arms and continued to glare.
"Why… do you say that?"
"I know Uzimaki Naruto. He's an obnoxious fool, always going on missions no normal person would take-"
"Hey, now-"
"He goes to the very limits of his sanity for those he holds dear and one of very few I call 'friend.' From what I hear, you are not he. You are the shell of Uzimaki Naruto, merely posing as him."
Naruto's eyes opened wide as he listened to the Kazekage's words.
"Now I ask you: Where is my friend that will one day become hokage?"
The blonde looked down. "Sasuke killed him. What use is Uzimaki Naruto as hokage if he can't even save a friend?"
Gaara squatted down to Naruto's eye line. "Naruto?"
"What?"
"Sasuke was an idiot."
The blonde looked up at him, eyes shrouded in anger. "What?"
"Sasuke was an idiot."The redhead's voice remained stagnant, in fact, he seemed irritated that he needed to repeat himself.
The blue-eyed teen raised his fist to the other, but the redhead caught it mid strike. His eyes never left the blonde's.
"Idiots don't listen to reason. You can't save idiots."
The blonde could feel tears burning his eyes. "No- he- Sasuke-no…"
"Sasuke was an idiot. Hell-bent on revenge. He saw only his goal of killing his brother."
"No… That's… not true…"
"Yes, it is, Naruto."
"NO IT ISN'T!" Naruto screamed. "He saw other things… He saw… HE SAW ME!"
"Did he?"
"YES! He saw me… He did… He saw me… Until he left… He saw me… He… he… said he… loved me… Said he wasn't trying to hurt me… Asked me to forgive him… Then he left…"
"And have you?"
The blonde looked up, sky-blue eyes glossy with tears. "I… don't know…"
"It is your guilt that calls Sasuke to you. Let him go, and he will do so."
"I /guess/ that makes sense…Wait… how…?"
"Kakashi-san's had this apartment wired for days."
"WHAT?" Naruto spun in place, glaring out the window to the neighboring rooftop. No wonder he hadn't noticed, he could barely see him, even this far down.
"KAKASHI!" the boy yelled, sprinting out the window towards the man. Gaara followed, but at a slower pace, and stood by Sakura.
"You two heard everything?" he asked.
"Yea," she replied. "I can't believe I didn't even notice… the two of them were /that/ close." Then they were quiet for a bit, watching the kitsune chase the jounin. "I haven't seen him this energetic in… I can't even remember."
"Well, Kakashi-san /did/ defile his privacy, even if his intentions were good."
"Then why did you tell him?" Sakura asked, suddenly annoyed.
"I was hoping it would lead to this."
All the girl's anger faded.
"Naruto's out of shape. He needs exercise."
"And Kakashi-kun?"
"I believe the phrase is, 'innocent bystander?'"
Sakura chuckled. "Gaara-san, I never knew you had a sense of humor."
"I've been working on it."
Suddenly, the girl had an idea that would help her and stop Naruto from chasing her new boyfriend. "Oi! Naruto-kun!" she called. "Kakashi-kun's treating us to ramen!"
"I'm what?" Kakashi called back.
"Sounds good to me!" the blonde yelled, and rejoined the two on the roof. The jounin sighed and consented to the mauling of his wallet.
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NOTES: There's more Kakashi/Sakura goodness, coming, I promise. Just as soon as Sakura gets a nap. And the Naruto's line in the flashback isn't my own. I got it from a halarious post in a sasuxnaru community in livejournal. Send me an email or something and I'll send you the link. For some reason, the program's not letting me include the actual link. I left a comment, asking the creator's permission, waited four days, got crap. I felt I shouldn't make those of you who are waiting for this to continue to wait, therefore I am announcing that the line is not mine. I believe I have henceforth covered my ass.