Author's Notes: Here's installment number two for the contest! Sakura's emotions are all over the place and Kakashi provides a much needed, very pleasant distraction from her thoughts. Enjoy!

xxxxx

Chapter 2: All Over the Place

Losing control, yeah,

I'm all over the place,

Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,

And I'm wondering what it is I should do,

It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,

Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,

Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealers Wheel

xxxxx

A shrill scream nearly shoved Sakura from the comforting confines of her bed, jerking her mercilessly out of the soothing arms of sleep. Her chest heaved as she sponged off her clammy forehead with the back of her hand before she focused her mind on calming her racing heart and controlling her respiration.

Tossing her legs over the edge of the double bed, she stared blearily at the neon numbers on the alarm clock. Three thirty-seven, it blinked at her in smug amusement. With a grumble she turned it to face the wall and got up to stagger into the kitchen, placing her kettle of water to boil on the stove for her morning tea.

She slumped down into a chair nearby and cradled her head in her hands.

Nightmares from missions ranging from malfunction to obligatory mass-murder had made their homes in her head long ago, but the night terrors she experienced from the war thrived in her sleep and ravaged the dreamscape occupying her unconscious mind nigh on every night. Despite knowing for a fact that Naruto was alive and well, she continued seeing his pale, expressionless face beneath her and recalling the intense struggle she felt in attempting to revive him, cutting his side open and reaching her hand in to restart his heart. She continued to unwillingly revisit memories of the fight and how hard she worked to keep her team alive. Powering through the burning acid on her arm and the stabbing ache of getting dangerously low on chakra. Through it all, she'd revived Naruto, saved Sasuke from the other dimension, and kept Kakashi as healed as she could. Still, the memories haunted her, sapping her of valuable rest.

As the kettle shrieked and she grabbed her favorite chartreuse mug, her lips curled into a snarl. She had done so much for Sasuke, not only in the war, but before, and that was how he was going to repay her loyal camaraderie? Tell her that from the beginning it was never going to be her?

She ripped a tea bag out of the box and stuffed it into the bottom of the mug.

Sasuke was a selfish brat – that was for sure. She tried to rescue him when he was "kidnapped," she had trusted him when he was plotting to kill her (thankfully Kakashi was there to save her lovesick ass), and she gave her all to work and train in order to get up to his and Naruto's level, and succeeded much past any expectations.

Her firm grip closed around the handle of the kettle and began pouring the steaming liquid into the mug.

She should have left him to die in that other dimension. She should have left him to fend for himself instead of putting herself in critical condition just to rescue his arrogant ass.

The places on her arm where the strange acid had burned her tingled in the refreshed memory and she scowled. And for what? Only to be rejected. You stupid, stupid girl.

The boiled water overflowed in the mug and it scalded her right hand. She tore it back with a hiss as rage swelled up inside her. She flung her hand back at the mug and sent it soaring toward the wall, where it shattered with a loud crash, all the fragments littering the wood floor. She stumbled back into the chair and cradled her injured hand in her good one, a dull glow of chakra surrounding the burn as she healed it back to perfect condition.

Hot tears again formed in her eyes, but she wiped them away with the furious stroke of her hand and willed herself to stop. Sasuke did not deserve any of her, including her tears. She couldn't show that his rejection affected her so much. She needed a distraction.

The notepad and pen resting on the small kitchen table next to her caught her eye and she lunged for it, scribbling out a letter with a kind of warm boldness pumping through her heart. Freeing it from the pad with a messy rip, she folded the paper up with a satisfied grin on her face.

xxxxx

A thick cloud of dirt and dust followed in Kakashi's wake as he sprinted through the mail routes, nailing every mailbox and mail slot without fail. His perfect record had yet to be sullied by sloppy form, and he was oddly proud of this fact.

The mundane feel of his assigned job was evident to him every day he slung on the huge bag full of envelopes that ranged in size and color. He knew in the grand scheme of things it was a helpful job, something of value in order to assist the rebuilding and restructuring of Konoha following the war, but it still very much lacked a certain excitement his missed. Missions, even some of the most dangerous ones, filled him with an eagerness that slinging mail could never hope to approach.

He flew around a corner at the end of the street and immediately spotted Sakura's apartment nestled in the row of abodes. The red flag on her mailbox caused him to slow to a stop in front of it, mild curiosity peaking his interest as he pulled down the door to reveal a naked slip of folded paper with his name curling across the front of it.

Gently he plucked up the note and obediently slipped in her few pieces of mail where the note had previously been, pushing down the flag and closing the door. He stood there in front of her apartment simply staring at the paper, a tickled grin making its slow way onto his covered lips. It had been a week since she had joked about leaving notes in her mailbox for him. If he had been honest, he didn't think she really meant it.

After another moment, he slid a finger into the first fold and opened it up, wondering what lay inside.

Kakashi-

When you (almost) ran into me a few days ago, I hadn't fully realized how long it had been since we had even checked in with each other. It's been two months or so since the end of the war and I feel like a lousy student for not reaching out to see how you were, all things considered. So, this is me, saying that I'll be at the bar over by Ichiraku tonight after my shift at work and you are more than welcome to join me (which means you better come or have a good reason explaining why you can't ). First round is on me.

See you tonight!

Sakura

The decision was easy to make as he refolded the note and slipped it into his pocket. With the smile still hanging on his lips, he resumed his route with renewed vigor.

xxxxx

It took him neither time nor trouble to find the bar Sakura had referenced in her note. As he reached his arm out to pull the door open, he spotted a sticker plastered by the handle reading now open 24/7. Before the war, he hadn't been one to crawl through the Konoha bars, but when Gai or Genma got it into their heads that they needed a loud, drunk night out, they would drag him along with them. He couldn't recall if they'd always been open 24/7 or if it had been a post-war change due to the trauma many of the village's inhabitants had been through. After experiencing something like that for the first time, he had no doubt that many ninja would resort to alcohol as a method of therapy and reconciliation with themselves.

A blast of smoky air welcomed him in as the door swung shut behind him. He spotted Sakura easily (due to her vibrant hair color it was difficult to miss her) perched on a red-topped barstool with her elbows propped on the bar's edge. She was idly spinning her seat with her hips when he strode up to her and gave her a wave.

"Well if it isn't Kakashi," she greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you came, even though I didn't really give you a choice."

He shrugged and mounted a stool next to her. "I would have come without the threats."

Her smile widened as she inquired about what he'd have and ordered both their drinks. The bartender sauntered away and Kakashi angled himself toward the pinkette slightly.

"Sakura, why did you choose this bar? Isn't the other one closer to your apartment?" It was also better known and popular to the younger crowd, but he didn't feel the need to point that out. He watched her deflate a little and rub her hand in a self-conscious way, though he thought for sure these were things she figured no one would notice. Well, anyone without a sharingan, anyway.

Quickly he sifted through his head to find a reason why she would react in such a way and struck gold almost immediately. Sasuke had been assigned to work at the other bar as a bartender and that was his part in helping rebuild the village.

Kakashi sighed inwardly, resisted the urge to say anything about it, and rubbed the back of his neck. They locked eyes and mutually allowed the question to dissipate in the thick liquor-and-smoke scented air.

Their drinks arrived and soon conversation was back on solid rails. Kakashi went more in depth on his eyes, Sakura talked about her work in the hospital, and they both expressed needing to check in on Naruto and Tsunade, though they'd undoubtedly be incredibly busy at any given moment. Vague promises were made to contact them.

Sakura shared a couple comedic stories from the hospital and even managed to weasel out a chuckle or two from Kakashi. It felt incredible to laugh and warmed him deeper than his sake could go. He hadn't been given good reason to laugh in months, though he didn't dwell on that thought for long.

After a while the conversation turned serious, which was inevitable considering their shared history. They spoke of their losses during the war and paid their respects with a moment of communal, unplanned silence for the fallen comrades and innocents caught in the crossfire. It was an awful thing that occurred, but those that died did not die for nothing.

When Sakura begrudgingly admitted she should get home and get some sleep for work the next day, they paid for their numerous drinks and slid out the door into the dark, mild night air. Kakashi felt Sakura breathe in a huge lungful of the outside air. She turned, a little wobbly, to face him and he mirrored her. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink, which was amplified by her hair. Kakashi had never constructed a thought in his head admitting that she had become a beautiful, independent kunoichi, but in that moment, it was almost all he could think about. Her tinted cheeks only made her even more attractive.

The thoughts hit him as if a startlingly frigid bucket of water had been dumped over his head. Not only had he recognized her maturing beauty, he realized he was attracted to it, to her.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when she placed a warm hand on his arm, drawing him out of his mind.

"Y'know, you seem better, Kakashi. Better in some ways since the war. Did seeing Obito again and putting things to rest with him help you with your ghosts?"

For as many glasses he saw her down, he was impressed at her speech, though he could tell by her asking that question that she was emboldened somewhat by the alcohol – it wasn't called liquid courage for nothing. She didn't know much about his past, but she knew enough to determine that his life hadn't been the greatest because of those things.

Kakashi decided to humor her, to give her a glimpse into his mind, which he rarely provided for anyone.

"Yes," he began softly, slipping his hands into his pockets and tilting his head up to gaze at the winking stars. "Yes, some things are a bit better because of that. I can forgive myself a little more now."

Sakura smiled and let her hand drop.

"Let me walk you home, Sakura," Kakashi offered. Crime rates had plummeted in the village since the war was over, so it was more a matter of being a gentleman than actually worrying about protecting her in the streets under the moon. Even if it was a worry, he knew that she was more than capable of protecting herself. Still, it was the polite thing to do (and he wouldn't admit it, but he liked the feel of her presence, and desired to elongate that as much as possible).

Sakura nodded and they wandered in the general direction of her apartment.

"This was fun. We should do it again sometime," she murmured.

"Mm," Kakashi replied after a moment. "We should indeed."