After three weeks Sakura had already gotten used to their routine. They would meet up at her place or his and then leave early in the morning. Honestly she felt really tired every day. She couldn't get much sleep so when Kakashi left on two week mission in Suna she was a bit glad that she finally had some time to herself. The day he left she took the day off from the hospital and slept for eight hours straight. When she woke up it was already getting dark outside. She decided that she had the energy to go visit Ino and the others in the tea house.

When she got there she found her friends Ino, Hinata, Ten Ten and Shizune at one table laughing and having light conversations. Once she greeted all of them Ino turned to her:"Hey Sakura how long has it been?" Sakura laughed while waving to the waitress:"I know but I have been busy. There is a lot of work in the hospital." Ten Ten leaned in on the table and looked at Sakura with a devilish smile on her lips:"Is it the hospital or someone else who is keeping you busy?"A light blush crept on Sakura's face and all of her friends burst in laugh. But then Sakura turned to Shizune:"And what about you how was your date?"

Shizune looked at the cup in her hand and smiled then all of the girls started joking with her until Shizune finally said:"It was okay. He was really nice and everything." Ino pushed Shizune on the shoulder:"Oh come on is that all you are going to say? I bet there was a kiss." Shizune blushed which indicated that Ino wasn't wrong. Sakura couldn't be happier. She knew that her senpai had a crush on Genma for a really long time and this date that they had was like a dream come true for her. She gave Shizune a reassuring smile and turned to Hinata:"And how are you and your man?"

Hinata blushed and assured Sakura that everything was fine:"But he is on a mission now. And I feel that sometimes I feel it's refreshing when he is away. I get some time to myself.". Ino burst in a loud laugh:"I feel the same when Kiba goes away or I go on a mission. Boys need to understand that we need some time away from then don't you think." Sakura found herself thinking on Ino's words and found out that she was right. These weeks with Kakashi were great in the beginning she felt happy and free but then a few days before he left she felt she couldn't breathe. He was at her place; he came to the hospital to see her. They saw each other a few times in one day. And now when he was gone she felt a bit better and free.

Kakashi was sitting on the window frame of his room in Suna. He was looking at the moon and the starry sky and his thoughts were going back and forth to Sakura all the time. He left three days ago and he found that he missed her. He craved their conversations and the intimate atmosphere she created for him and of course he craved her body. The silk touch of her skin, the softness of her lips and the shine of her eyes, a few days before he left he finally realized that he had feelings for her. He thought of telling her but then brushed the idea away because her words that she didn't need a man in her life came to him and he wasn't ready to lose what he had yet. He needed to think what he would do before he went back home.

The next few days he had meetings with Suna shinobi and with Gaara but even this change couldn't distract him long enough. He wanted to go home as soon as possible but his mission was two weeks long and he had to wait:"What's on your mind Kakashi you seem far away from here?" asked Kankuro with a laugh:"I am thinking about some stuff I have to take care of when I get home." Kankuro nodded:"I hope it's nothing serious." Kakashi looked up at the ceiling of the room they were sitting in:"Not that much but I will hope the outcome will be the one I expect."

After a week Sakura found she was bored. She was going to the hospital and then back to her house. Her old basic routine seemed distant and different now. She hated to admit it but she had gotten used to having Kakashi around her. She decided to invite Sasuke, Naruto and Sai to dinner so she can have some escape from her loneliness. When the boys showed up at her house they were already hungry and they barely could wait for her to put the food on the table:"Oh Sakura you are saving my life right now." Naruto said as he started to pile food on his plate. Sakura smiled at him while sitting down in her seat "So what have you guys been up to?"

"I have a mission tomorrow." Sai said while focusing his eyes on her:"Its mission season so work can start again." Naruto looked up with his mouth full of food:"Oh yeah we can finally escape the boredom of the village." Sakura chuckled: "So should I expect any of you in my ER." All three of them looked at her with fear in their eyes and then Sasuke said:"Hope not. Don't take it the wrong way Sakura but the hospital in annoying." Sakura got a bit offended. She hated when the shinobi didn't realize that in a lot of situations the hospital saved their lives. She was always passionate about what she does and also her staff and the hospital in general:"Sasuke I know you hate coming there but you must know that we save your lives."

Naruto felt the tension rise in the air. He was enjoying the evening so far and he didn't want a nice dinner to end with a fight between Sasuke and Sakura so he asked casually:"So Sakura how are you and Kakashi. We know that you two are playing friends with benefits." Sakura blushed at those words. She never referred to her relationship with Kakashi like that. She was always thinking that both of them need release from the stress and the loneliness at night. Now that Naruto said it she realized that it was like he had said it:"I can say that I feel good with him but that's it. Like I have said many times before I don't need a man in my life right now." Sai turned to her and his next words would keep her awake throughout the whole night:"But Sakura you already have a man in your life you just can't accept it."

Kakashi was happy to leave Suna and head home the heat in the desert made him even worse. He was taking cold showers every day during his mission and he still never felt a bit cool. He made a mental note never to complain about the heat in Konoha again. But when he thought he was going to see Sakura again all of his worries disappeared:"Man I've got it bad." He thought. While he was in Suna he realized that his attraction towards Sakura wasn't only physical anymore. He wasn't sure if he was in love but he was pretty sure that it had something to do with it.

When he finally passed the gates of Konoha and signed the papers to enter the village he made his towards her house. He was thinking of taking a shower there and spend the evening with her and catch up on what has been going on with her while he was gone. But when he knocked on the door there was no answer. He looked through the window of the kitchen and saw the mess on the table. There was folders sprawled over the table, unwashed dishes and cups were filling the sink. Her whole house was a mess. He got surprised by that because Sakura was always a neat and tidy person. Since she wasn't home he made his way towards his own apartment wondering what had happened.

Sakura was going crazy the ER was swarmed by wounded shinobi. Since the mission season had started more and more ninja's returned home with deep wounds or bleeding all over the floor. She was running around all day. She was ignoring the pain in her back and legs just because she knew that if she took that into account she had to go home. But they needed her. No matter how much they were denying it they knew that she was saving them. And that little thought made her smile even thought that she was tired and in pain. But there was also one more thought that shot a sparkle of electricity through her body. Kakashi was coming back today. She had a wish to see him and just when she was going to start thinking of a way to make that possible he walked into her ER like a package waiting to be unwrapped.