Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

Chapter 5

The window of the cottage overlooked a garden created a peaceful scene to look out at. Kakashi smiled wryly at the thought of the person who had planned the building purposely constructing the garden. The sole purpose of the garden was to calm the inhabitants of the cottage down so they wouldn't be easily riled. He sank deeper into the chair by the window contemplating his current situation. After his little run in with the medic, Sakura thought it would be prudent to move him to more serene and secluded area to help get a handle of his nightmares. Even though she tried to assure him that she and the Hokage were only concerned about his safety and wellbeing, in his head he suspected it was more for the safety of others, not that he could blame either one of them. He was a highly trained assassin. His body would react even if he was unconscious. Running his hand through his tousled hair, he hoped that he would never hurt Sakura in any way, especially when he wasn't conscious. It was one of his greatest fears, suddenly waking and the woman he loved in his arms severely hurt or worse, all done by his own hands. Sakura assured him that she knew that he would never hurt her, but he had his doubts especially with the dreams that he was still having. Every night, he would avoid sleeping as long as he could so he could not relive his painful past.

With Sakura by his side, there was a glimmer of hope that he would recover eventually. He had no doubt in his mind that he would have ended it all if she was not with him. Living through the pain the first time had taken all he had to survive. Masao and the monks had barely pulled him back from the brink. Reliving the pains of the past over and over again was pure agony. Who ever made this poison was a master of torture, because it was living through the torment every night. From what the Hokage had told him, he was only experiencing minor effects from the toxin. Kakashi shuddered as he thought of someone dealing with this full force. No wonder the victims that survived the first two phases went crazy when they reached the third. Shaking his mind from his morose thoughts, he tried to focus on his daily meditations while he waited for Sakura to come back from her meeting with the Hokage.

Sakura was satisfied with the results of the inoculation she had developed to prevent anyone else from suffering the effects of this new poison. It had taken a couple of weeks to develop it, but was well worth the time and lack of sleep she went without to produce it. No one else in Konoha would have to suffer from the ill effects, like Kakashi was. Now, all she needed to do is cure Kakashi from its horrific effects.

The wait-and-see approach wasn't working as well as she and the Hokage had hoped. Even though his nightmares had lessened to a degree, Kakashi was still suffering every night. One conciliation was that the terror he suffered from at night hadn't progressed into his waking hours. That gave her hope that he would not progress into full psychosis. If she didn't figure out how to treat him soon, his mental status may not fare as well. She could see the strain in his eyes every time she looked at him, even though he tried to hide it from her. It had to be devastating to see his loved ones die over and over again. The only bright spot in all of this was Kakashi opening up to her. She had learned more about him in the last few weeks than for the whole time she had known him. They had grown closer through this adversity. He had shared his fear of unconsciously harming her and how he thought he was cursed because everyone he had ever loved had died. Now it made sense to her why he kept people at arm's length, not letting people in close to him. She hoped that after this ordeal was over, that he would let in more people into his life so he wouldn't feel like he was so alone.

Walking towards the cottage, Sakura acknowledged the three ANBU guards on the perimeter of the small house. Kakashi had been initially disturbed by their presence even though she had tried to convince him that they weren't there to make sure he didn't lose it. Tsunade was concerned about his safety since he was incapacitated right now. She feared that one of his enemies may take advantage of the situation and try to harm him. Being in the Bingo Book for so long made him an easy target. The Hokage was also concerned that someone from the Sound Village may want to see the fruits of their labors. There was no way that she would give Kabuto the satisfaction of knowing how his poison was working or the opportunity to improve upon it. The safety of the village was at stake. Konoha had the advantage right now due to Sakura's inoculation. It was better that Kabuto thought that his toxin had failed due to their superior medical techniques. Once Kabuto found out who countered his poison, there was no doubt in her mind that Sakura would also become a target. The rose-haired medic sighed, it was a hazard of the profession she had chosen, but she wouldn't change anything in her life for the world.

"Kakashi, I'm back," she said in a cheery voice as she closed the door. She placed the lunch she had picked up for them on the counter in the small kitchen.

Sakura's voice had roused him from his morose thoughts. He quickly moved from the back room to the kitchen where Sakura was waiting for him. She smiled as he walked toward her. Sakura told him that after lunch they would go out to the open area and do a little training. Kakashi was going stir crazy being stuck inside for so long. She hoped that some light training would bolster his spirits and take his mind off of his current condition.

After they finished their lunch, they walked out to the small training grounds out behind the cottage. Kakashi grumbled under his breath about being baby sat and being treated like a prisoner, as he sensed the presence of the three ANBU guards on the perimeter of the grounds. Sakura chuckled to herself noting that his senses had not been adversely affected by his current condition. Once they were in the middle of the field, both did some mild calisthenics and stretched out.

Kakashi's blood warmed to the task at hand as he started to feel better. All the irritation of the day melted away as he ran with Sakura at his side. After their 5th lap, she suggested that they lightly spar, not using their chakra. A grin plastered to his face as he agreed to her request. It was good to get back to the thing he loved the best, even if it was only training. He hoped that he be able to resume being a shinobi soon. Kakashi loved what he did for a living, even with all of the unpleasant parts. He couldn't think of anything he would want to do more. Losing that part of himself temporarily only made him realize how important being a shinobi really was to him. Being able to share that part of himself with Sakura only made it more special.

After a while, their battle became more heated. Sakura was on guard just in case he had a flashback due to the toxin. Tsunade and she had decided, after lengthy discussion, to push him a little to see what would happen. Sparring simulated battle and both women were interested to know what would happen with his guard down. With Sakura besides him and the ANBU nearby, the Hokage felt that it was in a controlled enough environment to test him, in case the inevitable happened. To Sakura's pleasant surprise, she was seeing the old Kakashi in front of her. His movements were always graceful and mesmerized her. As their mock battle progressed, his speed gradually picked up. Sakura was happy that she had kept up on her training because if she hadn't, she would be sorely pressed right now.

Genma watched from the distance as Kakashi and Sakura sparred. He was the captain of the current team guarding his friend as he recovered. When Sakura had told him of her plan for the day, he was concerned that it might set his comrade back if he had a mental break. Watching the couple, he couldn't help but smile as he watched his old friend come back to life. He knew that Kakashi could sense him nearby and chuckled every time the silver-hair shinobi grumbled about being babysat. Genma knew Kakashi was teasing him partly because the man always made sure that he could hear what he said. The longer the couple sparred, the speed that Kakashi moved increased. Though Kakashi was all business when it came to training, Genma couldn't help but notice the smile on his pal's face. The many weeks of being confined had taken a toll on the man that was used to healing quickly and getting back to work. If anyone but Sakura was out there, Genma was sure that Kakashi would have won by now. Their play took a new course and Genma smirked as he watched Kakashi tease Sakura by his movements. Knowing their feelings towards each other, Genma had no doubt how this evening was going to progress. Happy to see his friend's actions becoming more normal, he decided to move his team back to the far perimeter to give the couple some privacy so nature could take its course. His two underlings appeared before him and he gave them his instructions of patrolling the far reaches of the property. Leaving his summons behind, just in case something happened, the senbon user took off after his team.

Both Sakura and Kakashi felt the ANBU team retreat to the distance as they continued to fight. The smirk on Kakashi's face widened knowing what Genma was doing. Since they started, Kakashi could feel the sexual tension between them heighten, but didn't pursue due the audience they had. It was a kind of foreplay for him, watching the woman before him gracefully attack him. Long dormant urges washed over him as he taunted the pink-haired woman. Silently he thanked his longtime friend for giving them some space so they could be more intimate. Always the gentleman, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to ignore the urges of his body with Sakura always close at hand. Feeling better physically and mentally, Kakashi decided to test the waters of their relationship to see where they would land.

Sakura could feel the sparks between them rise as they sparred. Delighted with the results of the day, she let her guard down to enjoy her time with the man before her. As the ANBU team left the area, she inwardly smiled that she could tease Kakashi now with her movements. Genma always was the master of the way men and women reacted to each other sexually. Normally it irritated her to no end, but today she was grateful that he was the man in charge of the ANBU team. She hoped that their luck would hold with Kakashi not having an attack and that she could have some of her growing personal needs met tonight.

Watching for an opening, she noticed that Kakashi was distracted for a moment. Taking advantage of her chance, she swept his feet and pinned the shocked man to the ground. Straddling his waist, she smiled seductively as she loomed overhead. The look of shock soon turned to the smoldering look that excited her to no end.

"I win!" she said seductively staring into his dark eye.

"So you have," he said as he watched her overhead. "I guess I need to reward you then."

Her grip loosened on his arms as she began to melt under his gaze. Quickly he flipped her onto her back, spanning her small waist. His hand caressed the side of her face and he held her eyes in his. Slowly, he closed the gap between them and kissed her passionately. Fire raged through Sakura's veins as he kissed her. Her arms wound around his neck drawing him in closer to her. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his soft spiky hair as he kissed her thoroughly. As they pulled away from each other, they both felt the heat that was building.

"Hmmmm…" he said in a low voice, "I think we should move this to a more private area just in case our security guards come back. I don't want to have to fight with anyone for not sharing you and your luscious body."

Sakura slowly nodded as she saw the smirk on his handsome face that always liquefied her heart. In all of her life, no one affected her the way that Kakashi did. With both of their hearts racing, he embraced her and teleported them back to the cottage bedroom where they could continue on their lusty bent.

Kakashi gazed into her jade eyes trying to judge if they were moving too fast. His question was answered when she pulled his head towards hers so she could capture his lips. Sakura crushed her lips onto his to let him know her need. Kakashi deepened their kiss as his hands moved south to unzip her top. With a quick flick of his hand, her shirt opened exposing her bindings. He caressed her ample breasts eliciting a muffled moan from her. Coming up for air, Kakashi offered her his hand so they could stand so she could be released from her bindings.

As soon as she stood, he deftly undid the wraps never letting his lips leave hers. Once she was free, his lips moved down her neck with searing kisses leaving her gasping for air. Sakura had never felt like this before. With a mere kiss, he excited her to no end. She had heard rumors of his prowess in the bedroom, but being able to experience it first hand was indescribable. Her blood felt like molten lava running through her veins. She was glad that he held her up because she knew that if he didn't her legs would have collapsed below her. Soon she felt his lips leave her skin, and she looked up into his mismatched eyes panting with desire. As she looked down, she noticed that both of them were undressed. Sakura was in awe of his abilities and wondered why she didn't feel her clothes being stripped from her. Truly he was adept at what he did.

The intense look on his face said it all. The raw hunger consumed her. Never had she felt this type of yearning. Without taking his eyes off of her, he swept her into his arms and gently lay her down upon the bed.

"Are you okay with this, Sakura," he asked, "If we are moving too fast, we can stop. I will respect whatever your wishes are."

Sakura looked at him as if he lost his mind. For her, there was no turning back. She was on fire and that fire needed to be quenched. With a smile, her hand went to his cheek, "Please don't stop Kakashi. I want this more than anything."

Hearing her consent, his lips continued their fiery descent until they reached the peak of her breast. Sakura gasped as he caressed her hardened nub with his tongue. His mouth released her breast with a pop and he found her lips again. His hand brushed away some strands of hair that had fallen on to her face. With a fervent look, his eyes swept her body.

"So beautiful, Sakura, so beautiful," he said huskily as the back of his hand stroked her cheek.

Kakashi kissed her once again, then turned his attention to her neglected breast. She felt his hand move to her inner thigh where he stroked her until it came to rest on her mound. As his fingers entered her, it was like fireworks going off in her body. Kakashi masterfully brought her to orgasm quickly, leaving her panting for more.

Rising above her, he deftly positioned himself to enter her welcoming body. With one quick movement he slid into her warm sheath. Both gasped at the pleasure that they felt as their bodies melded together. Soon they moved at a frenzied pace trying to satisfy their building need. Sakura's moans of pleasure urged him on to his goal of mutual pleasure. The couple reached their goal as one gasping each other's name. The two collapsed into each other's arms reveling in the afterglow of their love.

Kissing the top of her head, he mused on the happiness he felt holding this woman in his arms after their heated play. Never had he felt this way about a woman, let alone another human being. It felt right with her in his arms. He held her closer not wanting the feeling to never end.

Sakura was more than content lying in his arms. The feelings that this man elicited from her were so intense, more intense than anyone she had ever known. Even Sasuke couldn't make her feel this way. It had been a bitter disappointment when she finally had been intimate with the Uchiha heir after all of her waiting and longing. Soon after he returned back to the village, the two of them fell into each other's arms, much to her delight. Though the encounter wasn't abysmal, there was something lacking. The two team mates both agreed that they should just be good friends, nothing more due to the lack of chemistry. She could see the look of disappointment in his eyes, but she knew that he did not want to lose her as a friend. Sakura reasoned that both of them had built this image of each other while they were separated and that neither one of them could live up to each other's dream.

Sighing contentedly, Sakura snuggled in close into Kakashi's embrace. Slowly, the stress of the day faded away. Even though it wasn't late, Sakura could feel herself drifting off to sleep. Knowing that if Kakashi moved or left her side she would wake in an instant, the pink haired medic succumbed to slumber.

Kakashi watched her drift off as he held her, stroking her silky hair. He hoped that he would not be plagued by his demons tonight. The nightmares would mar the ending of a very satisfying day. Although he fought off dozing, soon his body relaxed and he fell under Morpheus' spell. It wasn't long before the visions played before him in his mind. At least they were pleasant, at least for now.