Sakura was lying in her improvised bed on the operating table. The love letter that Daichi had given her was under her pillow. After reading it her heart was beating so fast it was going to explode. Now her thoughts were messy and confused. What should she say to him? At first she thought of kindly saying no and explain that she was in love with Sasuke. But her feelings had started to fade ever since he tried to kill her. In the beginning she was thinking that he was just trying to scare her but after carefully analyzing the whole battle she finally realized that if Naruto hadn't swooped in to get her she would have been dead by now. These discoveries made her change her decision about saying no.

The next day she was swamped with work healing the wounded and being on the loom out for the white Zetsu's. The other night they had found out that the enemy could copy the appearance and chakra signature of anyone. So everyone was on edge and everyone had to check if they weren't the enemy. The same night she had just finished and sat down to take a break and he came in.

Daichi looked on edge and uneasy. His cheeks were flushed and he couldn't look her in the eyes. In Sakura's opinion he was bracing himself to be turned down:"My answer is yes." She said after a minute of silence. He looked up at her surprise clouding his mind and face. In the beginning they were awkwardly staring at each other saying nothing but after a while he came up to her and threw his undamaged arm around her and drew her close into a hug.

Sakura took a deep breath. At first she felt nothing but after a while she felt secure and safe. She realized that stronger feelings will come after some time. That night he stayed in her tent. She was lying on top of his chest and was listening the sounds of his sound sleep. In her mind all of this is right she was feeling emotions she had never felt before and she was content.

The next days passed by like a blur during the day she was healing fallen shinobi and during the night they had fun in her tent. She found that that he was funny, romantic and intelligent. Slowly she was beginning to fall in love with him. The third evening he really had surprised her by bringing her flowers from the nearby forest. This simple romantic present made her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. The same they went to bed they had shared more than just kisses. Sakura had given him her virginity and didn't regret her decision. He was so tender with her that the only thing that she felt was slight pain in the beginning and a wave of pleasure after that.

Daichi and Sakura realized that they couldn't be happier the next days. After his wounds got better he had to report back and go fight on the battlefield. Sakura couldn't be any sadder. She cried on his shoulder the whole night before he had to leave. After he left the camp everyday she hoping and praying that he would come back safe and sound to her.

After a whole week without news of him she was feeling uneasy and after two days her fears had become a reality. He arrived in a body bag and his name was on the list with the deceased.

Kakashi noticed that her hand was shaking while picking up the cup of coffee. After welcoming him n her house she had changed her clothes to the same attire she was wearing on their dinner night. She made coffee for both of them and told him this story. He had no idea that something like that had even occurred. Now he was feeling bad that he made her tell him something that she was cherishing in her heart. She drew his attention again:"In the beginning I was feeling bad. In a way I was blaming myself for his demise. I was so scared of death, scared of the fact that I was going to miss the most important stuff in life because I would lose my life in the war that I engaged without thinking of the consequences."

Sakura had a serious look on her face. A look that made her look lonely or distant. She had told him that she didn't need someone in her life. He finally understood the meaning behind her words. The pain she had felt losing that man after such short notice must have felt horrible thus the decision to stay alone was made by her. But Kakashi made a mental note to make everything possible to change her mind. He reached across the table and caught her hand and caressed her palm with his thumb while saying:"It wasn't your fault. But still you shouldn't condemn yourself to loneliness just because of that. You were able to feel something new and different because of him and you should be thankful. And I am a hundred percent sure that he wouldn't like watching you like this if he were alive."

Sakura realized that Kakashi was right but still the sadness that was overwhelming her heart was bigger that she could handle. She slowly nodded and drew her hand away from his. While touching her like that she felt her heartbeat go faster and faster and she felt a bit awkward. She stretched her arms behind her head:"I am tired and I have the day to sleep in tomorrow. If you want you can come by later tomorrow."

With those words she indicated that the conversation was over and that he had prolonged his stay. He thanked her for the coffee and went home. While walking to his apartment he found himself amused of the fact how little he knew about her. In his opinion what she had done was impulsive and her decision was driven by fear of losing herself. When he got home and comfortable in his bed he cracked open the book from Sakura and continued on reading. He couldn't concentrate that much since whenever there was an erotic scene he imagined Sakura as the main character.

The next morning Sakura got up at eight and started packing her things. She had told Ino where she was going and she had left instructions for the nurses at the hospital. The village and the festival had depressed her too much and she needed a change of scenery. After Kakashi had left she decided to go visit the owners of a hot spring she had saved from bandits a year and a half ago in the Land Of Tea. The owners were so grateful that they had invited her to go for a free visit any time she wanted to. These two weeks were going to drive her crazy if she had to spend them in Konoha.

She checked if she had packed everything she needed and left a note on the kitchen table for any unexpected visitors. After locking the door she turned to see the village waking up in front of her eyes. She took a deep breath and left.

The sun was high in the sky and was making the air hot and stuffy. The heat was back with full power and it was making everyone annoyed and uncomfortable. The cleanup after the festival had started but no one was in the working mode because of the heat. At Ichiraku's Naruto and Kakashi were taking two seats and Kakashi was giving Naruto only half of his attention. Sometimes it was healthier to do that:"Man it's hot again. With the heat back more stupid missions will show up. Sakura-chan is lucky that she has vacation. I should have kept mine so I could use them now."

Kakashi closed his book and told Naruto with amusement in his voice:"I don't think Sakura is particularly happy that she was made to have a break. She is probably dying of boredom by now." Naruto finally received his ramen and started blowing on it to make it cooler but then he turned to Kakashi and gave him the news:"I don't know about how she is feeling since she is not in the village. ". The Copy-nin felt totally surprised by that news. He was with her last night but she didn't say anything about leaving she had even invited him back. He asked Naruto where he got that information Naruto started explaining with his mouth full:"I went to her house this morning around ten to ask her for something. The door was locked so I assumed she was sleeping. I went in through the bathroom window. I wanted to give her a wakeup call but she wasn't there and I found a note on the table saying that she is out of the village on vacation and she will be back next week Tuesday . I thought you knew you seem closer to her now."

Kakashi flinched at those words. Last night he had accepted the fact that he was attracted to Sakura and there was no going back but he never thought that people would start to notice that he was trying to get closer to her and she was letting him. It's not that he cared about what people thought but still it made him realize that some might figure what was going on in his mind. Still now in front of Naruto he made no attempt to discharge his observations:"I didn't know she was gone. Maybe she decided to leave last night after the festival or this morning."

Naruto only nodded at his words. When their lunch was over Kakashi headed to the Hokage tower to see if there were any missions outside the village. If Sakura was choosing to hide from everyone by going away he would do the same with some hopes that he could forget about his attraction while they couldn't see each other.

Sakura reached the hot springs that day at five. It was a long journey and she was hoping to relax and wash of the heat and dust from her body. Once she got there she was greeted by Fumio-san and his wife Kaori. The old couple was so happy to see her and she was so thankful when they quickly prepared for hr a room a nice meal. After finishing with the meal she undressed her dirty clothes and got into a clean white robe. The hot water in the springs made her tense muscles and relax and in that moment she realized that Konoha wasn't popping into her mind at all.