A/N: Hello, Readers! This one's more from Kakashi's POV, but I hope you'll enjoy it the same! Please review and follow! Thank you!

Chapter 31: Miss Me Much?

Kakashi sighed as he nursed his wounds. The mission had not gone smoothly, but they had succeeded thanks to Shikamaru's brilliant plan. In addition, the timely arrival of Naruto and Sakura had boosted their chances of taking down Hidan and Kazuku. He looked ahead at the vast field where the others sat in similar positions tending to their own injuries. His eyes paused briefly on Asuma's team. Their eyes burned with victory, but Kakashi could detect the lingering pain. They may have avenged their sensei, but he was still gone. Another friend dead. Kakashi gripped his left arm tightly and gritted his teeth as he felt a sharp pain shoot through him.

He cursed; he had undone his stitches. A voice chided him, "Ne, Kakashi-sensei. I told you I would do them for you."

Kakashi smiled at his pink haired student, "Sakura, you've done so much already. I didn't want you to waste your chakra on me."

Sakura bent down and examined his arm, closing the wounds with her medical ninjutsu. She tsked, "You're not going to be able to move this arm for a while. You've torn the muscle in several places."

Kakashi shrugged, "I'll live."

Sakura sighed, "You should be more concerned about your health. You'll need bed rest when we return. I'm sure Kohana- nee-chan will help you. It's convenient that she's right next door, isn't it, Sensei?" She smirked slyly at him and walked back to her friends.

Kakashi watched her retreating back and groaned as he buried his head in his arms. He doubted Kohana would want anything to do with him now. He had been uncharacteristically rude, but it was necessary to keep her at a safe distance. He was aware of her growing feelings towards him and he could not return them. Kohana was too much of an innocent civilian and she deserved someone who could guarantee her happiness for a lifetime. He could never offer that.

He had lost his cool when she suggested that she come along. He blanched at the thought of her standing utterly defenseless against two powerful and ruthless Akatsuki members. His anger spiked and burst unexpectedly and the words came out before he could take them back. Despite his good intentions, he had been harsh. And he worried how she would respond when he returned. She was excellent at holding grudges.

He pushed himself up from the rough ground and squinted at the bright blue sky as he saw a shape hurtle towards him. He stepped back defensively, but relaxed when he realized the messenger hawk. The bird landed gracefully on Kakashi's shoulder and held out its paw to which a red scroll was neatly tied. Kakashi untied the letter and the hawk took off with a quiet coo.

He examined the contents of the scroll quickly. It was a note from Jiraya.

Kakashi,

Tsunade informed me about your battle against the Akatsuki. Let's meet at our regular place. We have much to discuss.

Best,

Jiraya

Kakashi waved to his team. Naruto and Sakura ambled over. He smiled, "Take care, both of you. I've received a message from Jiraya-sama. I won't return to the village for a couple days."

Sakura frowned, "But, your arm!"

Kakakshi promised, "This isn't a mission, Sakura. I'll be fine. The both of you accompany Asuma's team back home. They've gone through a lot – they would like your support."

Naruto nodded, "Be safe, Kakashi-sensei. Say hi to Ero-senin for me."

Kakashi nodded to the both of them and sped away into the shade of the forest.

Jiraya was waiting for him in the tea stall casually sipping from a porcelain cup. Kakashi settled down before him stretching his stiff back.

Jiraya appraised him apologetically, "You must be exhausted."

Kakashi agreed, "I'm tired. I'll need to stay the night before I head back."

"I'm glad you could make it."

Kakashi chuckled, "We barely survived."

Jiraya sighed, "Maybe so. But, there's no one else I would trust to operate a mission against the Akatsuki."

"What is it that you wanted to discuss, Jiraya-sama? It seemed urgent. You wouldn't have summoned me immediately after a mission."

"I've figured out the Akatsuki's head base. It's in Amegakure."

Kakashi's visible eye widened, "Nani?!"

Jiraya nodded, "Yes, it's shocking, but tactful. No one would dare imagine that the village hidden in the rain would house a society of criminals. It's an ideal hiding place as Amegakure has no relations with other nations."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I want to investigate. There's much we don't know. It would be foolish to mount an attack against them."

"Of course. Does Tsunade-sama know?"

Jiraya laughed exuberantly, "Yes. She wanted to send a whole troupe of shinobi with me and join it too."

Kakashi frowned, "I don't blame her. What will happen if you intercept the Akatsuki?"

Jiraya shook his head, "I realize how dangerous this mission is Kakashi. But, I refuse to have anyone accompany me. I'll send you the information as soon as I obtain it."

Kakashi sighed, "Very well, I'll keep an eye out. And what do you want me to tell Kohana? She's been asking about you."

"Has she?" Jiraya said thoughtfully. "I'd prefer her not to know as this is strictly classified information. And if she does bug you, I'm sure you'll think of something."

Kakashi glared at him. Jiraya chuckled, "Is she giving you a lot of grief about me?"

"Not exactly. Though she seems too worried about me. She barged into my apartment the other day and asked to join me on the mission. I've yet to find out how she knew. She's extremely intuitive but quite emotional."

Jiraya rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Did she now? What did you say?"

Kakashi folded his arms across his chest and leaned back, and took a deep breath, "I said something I shouldn't have. It slipped out unintentionally."

Jiraya pursed his lips, "It's obvious why she is so concerned about you Kakashi. I'm sure you've already considered the possibility."

Kakashi sighed, "I have."

"And?"

Kakashi didn't respond for a while and tapped his fingers on the wooden table gazing at the other customers. He finally said, "I will always look after her. I've promised you and Obito that."

Jiraya resigned, "I see. I wish I could see her before I leave, but we have little time. Give her this letter for me." He looked at the darkening sky and gathered his belongings. "I should go. There's a hotel nearby. Say my name, they'll give you a discount."

Kakashi nodded, and took the note and folded it carefully into his breast pocket. "Thank you."

Jiraya stood up, "I'll see you soon. Take care."

Two days later, Kakashi found himself back home, walking through the entrance. He greeted Izumo and Koetso with a small wave. The two entry guards were lazing through their shifts each holding a deck of cards in their hand.

Kakashi stopped by and remarked, "Izumo, Kotetsu."

Both exclaimed, "Kakashi senpai! Welcome home."

Kakashi rubbed his head and chuckled, "Hai, hai. Arigatou. How are you both doing?"

Izumo snorted, "Please, Kakashi-san. We hardly put ourselves in danger like you. I'd say we have the safest job."

Kakashi held up his finger, and shook his head, "No, it's thanks to you that all of us can sleep at night."

Kotetsu grinned and then suddenly looked surprised. "Kohana-chan!" he called out. Kakashi swiveled around to see a figure with black hair running away.

Kotetsu scratched his forehead, "Huh. She usually stops by."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow and asked, "Stops by?"

Kotetsu smiled, "Oh, yes. Almost everyday. At first, we thought it was because she was waiting for someone to return home. But, after weeks worth of visits, we don't think so anymore."

Izumo growled, "That's because you have a stupid theory."

Kotetsu countered him, and tousled his hair, "You're just sour that she doesn't talk to you as much. Stop being so serious, and you'll have a chance."

Izumo glared at him silently.

Kotetsu continued glancing at his watch, "Do you think she's on break at this time? I could pay her a quick visit"

Izumo slapped his best friend on the arm, "You're on duty, Kotetsu!"

Kakashi felt a spasm of irritation towards the carefree Jonin.

He said in a tight voice, "You wouldn't want Tsunade-sama to be angry with you. I was about to hand over my report to her."

Kotetsu stammered, confused at the light threat, "O-o-of course not, Kakashi san. It was only a thought."

Kakashi then abruptly laughed and clapped Kotetsu's shoulder, "You're a good guy, Kotetsu. I'll see you both later."

Kotetsu exchanged a bewildered glance with Izumo as Kakashi walked away.

He muttered, "Someone's touchy. He's so uptight about rules – I thought he got over them."

Izumo chuckled, "You're blind, Kotetsu. Good luck, though. It'll be hard to compete with Kakashi san."

Kotetsu scowled and threw his pack of cards at his comrade.

Kakashi ambled slowly to his apartment, sighing as he appraised the six flights of stairs he would have to walk to reach his shower. As he climbed, he kept his eyes peeled for any sight of Kohana, but he was sure the silly girl was avoiding him.

After a quick, but refreshing shower, Kakashi found himself back on the streets. He was on autopilot and he simply allowed his feet to take them to the one spot they were so accustomed to before and after every mission – the memorial grounds. When he arrived at the cemetery, he was surprised to see Kohana knelt down in front of Rin's headstone. Her shoulders moved slowly and Kakashi stepped to the side to get a better view.

The headstone was hardly recognizable – it was adorned in flowers of every color and it shone as if it had been polished recently. He felt shame shoot down his spine as he realized he had neglected taking care of Rin's final resting spot. He rubbed his hair and stood silently behind Kohana as she arranged the bouquets.

"You're back", Kohana finally said after looking behind her shoulder.

"Hai" Kakashi replied simply.

Kohana asked casually, "The others got back before you."

Kakashi answered carefully, "I met with Jiraya-sama. He's doing well." Kakashi reached into his pocket and took out the letter. "Here, he wanted me to give this to you."

Kohana took the note and she whispered quietly, "That's good. Thank you."

Kakashi crouched down next to her and offered his prayers quietly. Kohana sighed, "It's been years. But, sometimes, it feels like it's just yesterday that we all met."

Kakashi smiled, and picked up a red rose, "Hai. Do you remember when Obito gave Rin a boquet of red roses? He stole your money to buy them. You were quite upset with him."

Kohana laughed, "It was my money. He could have used his own."

Kakashi grinned back at her and pulled her up. They now stood facing each other and Kohana suddenly felt self conscious as she remembered how they parted before his mission.

They walked back towards the village each absorbed in their own thoughts. Kakashi finally broke the silence, "I'm sorry, Kohana. I shouldn't have spoken to you so rudely. I was stressed, and I took that out on you."

Kohana muttered, "It's fine. It was my mistake. I can't stop you from doing your job and I should have realized that this particular mission was more personal than the others. I was scared that you wouldn't come back. After Asuma.." Kohana trailed off. She didn't want to think about Asuma now.

"How is Kurenai?" Kakakshi inquired.

"Fine, I guess. She's only four months along."

"Hmm", Kakashi said, "We'll be one Jonin short."

Kohana asked, "Is that a problem?"

"No, I think we'll manage. I'll just have to stick close to Naruto from now on."

Kohana nodded firmly, "Of course. We'll take care of him." She stopped in front of the bookstore, and said, "I have work. Will I see you later tonight?"

Kakashi smirked, "That depends if you still want to continue training with me?"

"Yes!", Kohana said a little too enthusiastically. She then composed herself and added, "If you have time. I don't want to disturb you."

Kakashi laughed, "I'll see you later then." Kohana grinned and walked into the bookstore, grabbing her vest of the wall.

She paused when she heard Kakashi call her name. "Kohana?"

"Yes?"

"It's funny when you run. If you miss me that much, maybe you should accompany me on my missions. Just not the homicidal ones."

Kohana flushed and closed the door on him unable to stop the burst of giggles that escaped from her lips.