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Chapter 8

The morning was brisk as the team moved quickly through the forest. The Hokage insisted that Kakashi be joined by Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and their teams escorting him to the monastery. She wanted to ensure that Kakashi made it there in one piece with minimal problems. Privately, Tsunade had told Sakura that she wanted her to join the group to ensure that Kakashi's mental health was stable, as well as updating the Abbot about his current mental state. The Hokage wanted to do anything to speed up Kakashi's recovery so he could resume his post.

Sakura was more than happy to go with to see her lover off and to visit with Masao again. Even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was concerned about Kakashi's wellbeing. She hoped that his visit to the monastery would make him whole again so they could move forward with their relationship. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state was disconcerting to her. Kakashi was always the strong one, the one she could always lean on no matter what. While Sakura was glad to see the softer side of the man, she knew that he was not comfortable in what his life had become in the past few months. All she wished for is for him to be whole and happy with life again.

As they neared the monastery, the group was greeted by some of the monks that were anticipating their arrival. Tsunade had sent a note via hawk to let the abbot know of their impending visit. The group was escorted to the Abbot's waiting room where Masao greeted them with open arms.

"Kakashi, my friend," he smiled, "You look much improved from the last time we were together."

The two friends laughed as they greeted each other.

"Sakura, so good to see you again. I see that you have taken good care of my friend here," Masao said as he embraced her.

Turning to the other two members of the old Team 7, "You must be Naruto and Sasuke," the about said as he greeted the two men. "Kakashi has told me a lot about you both."

Both men turned and gave their ex-sensei a heated look both wondering what Kakashi had shared with Masao.

"No need to worry," Kakashi chuckled, "I didn't share all your dark secrets with him."

Naruto and Sakura snickered as the Uchiha gave Kakashi a glare.

"I have some refreshments for your teams in the main hall, if you like," Masao told Naruto and Sasuke.

"Thank you," Sasuke politely responded, "If you could excuse Naruto and me, we will see to their welfare."

Sasuke pulled Naruto out of the room to give them some privacy to speak. The group chuckled as the two men departed the room.

"Sorry, they aren't too subtle sometimes," Sakura laughed.

"No need to apologize," Masao assured her. "It's obvious that they are concerned about their teams and want to give us some time to speak. They have matured nicely, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded, as one of the monks brought in some tea and small sandwiches for them. The three of them caught up on things while they enjoyed their repast. A monk appeared in the doorway, and Masao nodded to him.

"Kakashi, your room has been readied for you, if you would like to put your gear there. I'll make sure that Sakura is kept comfortable while you get settled," the abbot smiled.

Kakashi nodded and headed out with the awaiting monk. He figured that Sakura had a message to relay from Tsunade, so he would give them some time to talk. As soon as Kakashi was out of earshot, Masao turned his full attention to Sakura.

"As you can probably see, he isn't completely himself yet," Sakura began, "How much did the Hokage divulge to you?"

"From what she sent over, I know that he is having premonitions now and isn't doing well with dealing with them. I also see that you two have become closer," he smiled at her.

Sakura blushed. "It's that obvious?"

Masao laughed, "It was obvious when you were here the first time, well at least to me it was. I take it the fool finally realized what a prize you were and how he really felt about you?"

"Yes, we have become quite close throughout this ordeal. I've come to know the man, instead of the legend that I knew before," she said quietly. "All I want now is for him to become whole again. I can't stand to see the pain in his eyes." After a long pause, "Masao, I love him." A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at the floor.

Masao moved closer to Sakura and took her hands in his to comfort her. "Sakura, everything will be okay, I promise. He's been through worse and has healed. I know that he will be able to find peace here at the monastery."

Sakura looked up into the face of the Abbot knowing that if anyone could help Kakashi, it would be him. With a sad smile, she nodded her agreement. Masao smiled and patted her hand. "And if he doesn't, I'll make sure that I beat some sense into that thick skull of his," he chuckled.

"Hey!" Kakashi said as he walked back into the room. "I'm not some snot-nosed kid that you can push around anymore. I'd like to see you try."

Masao laughed as Kakashi showed his irritation, obviously knowing that he sensed Kakashi's presence before he entered the room. It was Masao's way of telling him that he was wise to what Kakashi was doing. It was his gentle and subtle way to let Kakashi know that he was caught.

"If you would both excuse me, I need to check on some things and make sure Naruto and Sasuke's teams have been adequately taken care of," Masao said as he rose. "Kakashi, why don't you show Sakura the gardens. She didn't get a chance to see it when she was here last." The Abbot left chuckling as he left the couple with some much needed time to say their goodbyes.

'He's about as subtle as a kunai to the forehead,' Kakashi mumbled.

"Did you say something, Kakashi?" Sakura asked looking up into his mismatched eyes.

"Nothing important," he smiled as he reached for her hand as his annoyance lifted. She graciously accepted as he escorted her to the gardens within the back courtyard of the monastery. They walked silently through the flower filled garden hand in hand, just enjoying each other's presence. It seemed like a heavy weight bore down upon them, knowing that they would be soon separated for an extended time.

Kakashi led her to a bench near a small pond on the far end of the garden, where they both sat to enjoy their surroundings. He pulled her close into his embrace as they sat quietly on the bench. Sakura buried her head into his jounin shirt as she moved closer to him. He looked down at her as he heard her sniff softly. She resisted his efforts to observe her face as he tried gently to lift her chin. The wetness seeping through his shirt confirmed that she was crying. Kakashi lifted her into his lap and cradled her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, "I should be stronger." The weight of being the strong one and the emotion of his impending absence had finally caught up with her. She hated being the weak one emotionally.

"Shhhh," he reassured her, "It's okay. I promise it won't be too long." He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder. This was the Kakashi that she had missed these past months, the one that comforted her and made her feel safe. He kissed her eyelids, then her nose, eliciting a soft giggle from her. His mouth found hers as he tenderly kissed her.

"It will go by fast, I promise," he reassured her.

The couple enjoyed the closeness for a while in silence, taking in each other's presence. Soon it was time for them to get back to the others. Kakashi knew that the group needed to leave in order to make it back to the village before it became too late in the night.

They both stood reluctantly, and made their way back to Masao's office. As they neared, Masao, Naruto, Sasuke, and their teams were waiting in the courtyard.

"Sorry, Sakura," Naruto muttered, "we need to get going. The Hokage has another mission for us and was adamant about when we should get back."

Sakura nodded, as her two friends roused their teams to grab their gear and to head for the gates.

"Sakura, it was a pleasure as always," Masao smiled, "Don't worry, we will take good care of him, even if he doesn't like it."

Kakashi glared at his longtime friend, knowing Masao was teasing, as always. It was the Abbot's way to make sure that Sakura knew that her lover was in good hands. Sakura giggled as she watched the two men tease each other.

Masao said his goodbye, and walked towards the gate to give the couple a little privacy.

Turning towards each other, the couple kissed and embraced.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'm in good hands here."

"I know, just get better fast and come back to me soon," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

He tightened his embrace around her. "I left some of the ninken at home to keep you company. Pakkun will be there with a couple of the others, so if you need anything, just let them know."

She nodded knowing that he wanted to make sure she had company and that she had a way to contact him, if she needed.

They made their way to the gate where both teams waited. The group said their goodbyes to the monks and Masao, thanking them for their hospitality. Sasuke and Naruto just nodded to Kakashi and started to make their way out the gate after their team with Sakura in tow. She turned to wave, then disappeared into the forest.

"Let's get to work," Masao told his friend as he led the way to the inner sanctuary.

Sakura kept herself busy while Kakashi was gone so she wouldn't miss him as much. Naruto and Sasuke had dinner with her when they weren't out on missions. They made sure to spend time with her to help her through the loneliness. It was strange not to have Kakashi around since they had spent most of their time together in the last few months. The hardest time was at night. The bed felt so empty and large without his presence.

She had started going out after dinner with the ninken to accompany them on their evening walk. Never having any pets growing up, it was a new experience for her to watch them in their twilight rituals. Almost every night, they would end up doing some light training by running or the testing their skills on tracking her in a game of ninken hide and go seek. The physical training helped her sleep better at night so she wouldn't feel the absence of Kakashi's presence as much. As time went on, the bond she shared with the Kakashi's ninken had strengthened. She hoped when Kakashi returned that he would help her to hone her skills so she could properly summon.

At first, the progress that Kakashi made was slow. It reminded him of the last time he spent an extended time with the monks, except he wasn't the angry teen any more. Lately, he was making steady progress and learning how to control and use his new abilities to his advantage. Masao was always a good teacher. Kakashi was thankful for his friendship with the Abbot, especially now that he needed it the most. He missed Sakura's presence and her bright smile. His longing to be with her served as a driving force to urge him to move forward when things were rough for him during Masao's rigorous training. Kakashi still had his reoccurring nightmare about Sakura even though he attempted to uncover the meaning behind it. Knowing that his ninken were with her to keep her safe offered some comfort when he awoke from the dream. One thing that he noticed in the past couple days was that the intensity of his emotions were rising when he finally roused. He rationalized that he was on the edge of breakthrough and the intensity he felt was due to that. Even though he had discussed it with Masao when he first arrived, Kakashi did not feel that he had to keep burdening his friend with the rising strength of the dream. He hoped once he made his breakthrough, the dream would finally disappear.

Sakura had a long day at work, followed by dinner with all of her friends. She looked forward to her nightly walk with the dogs. Pakkun had errands to run, so Shiba said that he would go out for a run with her. It was a little later in the night than they usually went, but it was a nice warm night that was perfect for training. Sakura and Shiba ran for a bit, and then found a tree to sit under to relax. She rubbed the dog's ears as she watched the stars above. Knowing that it was close to midnight, she mentally told herself that they would need to be going home soon, but she just wanted to stay a few minutes longer.

Kakashi fell asleep early due to the rigorous day he had with Masao. Even though they only trained for a short period of time, the mental strain had drained him. Soon as he drifted asleep, the vision started. This time it was more vivid than any time before. It felt like he was physically there experiencing it firsthand. He watched in horror as the Sound nins hid their chakra and made a perimeter around Sakura. She was sitting under a tree with Shiba next to her, watching the stars, oblivious of the danger that was surrounding her.

A soft breeze rose and blew against Sakura's face. She noticed that Shiba's ears perked up and was sniffing the wind trying to catch a scent that lingered in the breeze.

"Sakura, we have company," the dog whispered moving in closer to her, "High level shinobi, all masking their chakra. If the wind hadn't blown, I would have never noticed their scent."

Calmly, Sakura prepared herself for battle. Reaching behind her casually, she opened her pack so she would have an easy access to her weapons. Outwardly, it looked like she was enjoying the evening.

Slowly they closed in on her. Kakashi screamed for her to retreat, but he was just an observer in the nightmare. He counted 8 Sound nin, not counting the leader. As they reached their positions, the leader gave the signal to attack.

Sakura could feel their presence racing toward them. Quickly, she drew her arm back and hit the ground by opening a deep crevice which engulfed 4 of the enemy shinobi. The ground sealed taking their lives from them. Shiba disappeared from view with his speed and had pinned down one of the enemy.

Kakashi saw Sakura take out one of the shinobi and had trapped the other two in a genjitsu which made them fight each other. Soon both shinobi had seriously wounded each other and were collapsed, bleeding, on the ground. He saw Sakura relax as Shiba sauntered back to her side. Neither one had sensed the team leader that was in the tree above their heads.

Sakura praised Shiba on his quick reflexes and taking the enemy down. She was thankful that the battle was over. Not sensing any other chakra signatures, she let her guard down.

"Let's get going before any other of these guys' friends decide to join us," she told the ninken.

As soon as she stepped away from the tree line, she saw a flash in front of her.

Kakashi saw the team leader quickly make his way in front of Sakura and Shiba. The dog growled at the intruder. With lightning fast hand signs, the intruder knocked both the dog and Sakura out. His heart sank as they both fell to the ground.

Sakura felt like she was being carried through the forest as she slowly regained consciousness. It felt like a trance that she couldn't wake from. Gradually she woke and found that she was being carried by an unknown person. As she tried her chakra, she noticed it was suppressed. In a panic, she searched for Shiba's chakra pattern, only to find that the ninken was nowhere to be found.

"So you finally are awake," the enemy chuckled, "No need to struggle, your chakra has been suppressed. You're just wasting time trying to struggle."

The enemy leader quickly made his way through the forest to a small clearing. Sakura could sense that there were more shinobi waiting for them.

The forest parted and Kakashi could see a group of shinobi waiting for them, all wearing the Sound Village's insignia.

As the enemy stopped, he chuckled. He would be handsomely rewarded for completing his task. Gently, he put down the pink haired medic so she could greet the man who plotted this mission.

"Oh ho, what do we have here," a familiar voice said, "The Hokage's apprentice."

Kakashi watched in horror as the man made his way to the front of the group.

Sakura strained her eyes to see who had masterminded her abduction.

"Kabuto!"

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