It had taken Naruto hours to realize that they were going far away from home; days to piece together that they couldn't go back. After that it was a matter of seconds for the emotions to rush in leaving Kakashi to deal with a very upset six-year old. "I want to go home!" Naruto wailed piteously fat tears rolling down his round cheeks.

Blinking at the sudden outburst from the boy who had until moments ago been walking along somewhat quietly Kakashi did the only thing he could think of doing. Squatting down to the child's level Kakashi tried to make him laugh. Funny faces, no effect. Tickling only made him cry harder. Cheesy jokes were of no help either. Throwing his hands up in frustration he didn't expect his charge to take it as an open invitation to hug him.

Patting his head somewhat awkwardly Kakashi let the child cling to him eventually even relaxing into the position. The tears stopped soon enough and Kakashi realized moments later that the boy had fallen asleep; little wonder being that the child was six and unused to trekking miles everyday. Smoothly the twenty-one year old picked him up and continued on careful not to jostle him.

-

It had been a month since Naruto had left and Sakura hated every second. Nothing was the same without him. The bedtime stories that they had shared for a few precious months before he left lacked the luster they once had. Playing and training with Sasuke was a quiet affair having only sparse bursts of laughter, nothing compared to the hilarity there used to be. The bullies got worse, they preyed on her loneliness. Her mother could be found in Naruto's room running her hands over his threadbare clothing. Sakura had begged for everything to be kept where it was for when he came back. Mrs. Haruno hadn't the heart to tell her daughter that he wouldn't be coming back, not for a very long time, so she left it just as it was gathering dust.

Two more months came and went with no Naruto. Sakura had turned seven. She blew out her birthday cake candles wishing to have her best friend returned to her. She had friends now, Sasuke and more recently Ino but they couldn't be Naruto; fill the space he had left in his wake.

-

They stopped at a village for a week replenishing supplies and enjoying the comforts of an actual bed. Whenever they stopped at an actual village, a rare occurrence, Naruto noticed Kakashi always sat down and wrote. Being the curious child that he was Naruto would peek at the words, after months of doing this he realized exactly where the letters were going to. Home. "Kakashi!" Tugging at the older mans clothing Naruto demanded his attention.

"Yes Naruto?" Kakashi responded not bothering to stop writing or to look at the child.

"I want to write to Sakura-chan." Naruto insisted. He waited for an answer but only received the grating sound of the pencil as it scratched its way across the paper. He was about to chew Kakashi out when wordlessly a piece of paper was handed to him with a pencil. Giving a loud whoop of joy Naruto set out to write to his Sakura-chan.

-

"For Miss Haruno, Sakura." With a slight bow the messenger poofed out of being leaving a cloud of smoke in his place. Closing the door Mrs. Haruno wondered why her daughter would get a letter delivered to her by an aid of the Hokage none-the-less.

"Sakura!" Calling her daughter Mrs. Haruno waited.

"Yah Mom?" Sakura made her way down the stairs curious as to the reason of her mothers summons. Wordlessly she held the letter out to her daughter. Taking the letter somewhat dubiously she gingerly opened it and was met with poor handwriting but the message was distinguishable.

Dear Sakura-chan I miss you lots. Me and Kakashi never stay still, that's why I haven't written to you before. Plus Kakashi didn't tell me he was writing to home. He's a big meanie, not normally though. Tell Mom I miss her too, and tell Sasuke that I'll be back to beat him! I miss you most though. Your best friend ever! –Naruto

She smiled as she cried hugging the letter closely to herself and was gathered into her mother's arms where she told her mom of the letters contents. They both cried as they laughed at Naruto's antics, they couldn't have been happier. Their first word of Naruto in more than six months. Half a year since they had seen the missing piece of their already broken family.

-

"But Kakashi, I don't want to train." Naruto whined stomping his foot accentuate his point.

"Just think as soon as you master this jutsu you won't have to practice it anymore." Kakashi offered while flipping the page of his novel.

"Really?" Eyes alight at the prospect Naruto formed the hand seals. He didn't notice Kakashi's careful wording, a fact that the lazy twenty-one year old was most pleased with.

-

It had been a week since Sakuke's birthday. A day they had celebrated together, at the spot they met. They spent it playing tag, laying down and staring up at the leaves with the sun pouring down, and laughing. It felt so good to laugh like she used to.

That day when she woke up, a week past the birthday, Sakura hurried into her clothes, ate her breakfast quickly, and was out the door to Sasuke's house before her mother could even tell her when to be home.

For being as early in the morning as it was the streets were unusually crowded, even more so the closer to her friend's house she got. Not letting it bother her she fought her way threw the crowd to hit a strip of yellow police tape. Cocking her head to the side in confusion she tried to see what was going on that would warrant all of this activity.

Blood decorated the house and floors in morbid adornment.

Sasuke never was the same. He was a friend still but in the loosest sense of the word, it seemed his emotions had been drawn out of him just as his parents life blood had been robbed them. Not knowing what to do to make it better Sakura trained with him. Resolved to help him in any way he needed even though he showed little in way of improvement. A small smile graced his lips only rarely; Sakura knew that she was the reason he did so at all. It was enough.

Another chapter done that I'm rather proud of. The ages of the characters are: Sakura- seven, Sasuke- eight, Kakashi- twenty-one, and Naruto- seven. Naruto's letter is purposely incorrect grammatically.

This chapter is dedicated to my late cousin whom died Saturday, January 27th 2007. Nothing is ever that bad.