Clash

by keoo19

It was supposed to be an easy escort mission. But what was easy when you had a hotheaded Kunoichi and a stoic Ninja? Especially when their names are none other than Haruno Sakura and Hatake Kakashi. KakaSaku, Slight SasuSaku. Rated M for Language & Content.

23. Cursed

Cursed

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He was seated in the living room watching the entertainment news. The television filled the large space with annoying chatter. She kept her eyes on him as she took slow steps toward the open kitchen.

"There is much speculation on Haruka Tan's current whereabouts as well as her condition." A woman's voice illuminated the room. "There were rumors of her being in Yugakure, only being confirmed by the many eyewitnesses who spotted Misses Tan at the Kansai Lounge late Friday evening before and after the altercation. Asami Nakamura was admitted to the Yugakure Hospital early Saturday morning with various critical injuries. Saturday afternoon the Kansai issued a press release declaring Misses Tan as their newest dancer at the lounge. The family of Misses Nakamura followed up with their own. And I quote," The woman looked down to a sheet of paper as the words appeared beside her face on the screen. "'What happened to Asami was cruel and unusual especially as a consequence for doing her job. Mr. Sasaki knew what he was doing, and we find it unfair that his actions of infidelity led to Asami being in the hospital. We will be pressing charges.'" The woman placed the paper down and folded her fingers together. "The Kansai has yet to release a statement in response on behalf of their two dancers."

"Haruka's getting a lot of media attention because of the fight. A lot of blogs are portraying her as irresponsible and viscous, not to mention having misguided actions." Her male co-anchor said with a laugh. The woman rolled her eyes. Sakura continued to shuffle forward cautiously, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Oh please. She was only reacting to the situation at hand. It was fight or flight, and you can only imagine just how high emotions were at that point. She was just protecting her dignity. If anything, Sai's the real culprit here—" On her next step the floorboards gave and creaked. She paused, pressing her lips together. Shit. In that same moment, Sasuke whipped around, taking another second to cut off the television.

"Hey," he said, concern etched on his face. She continued to stare at him blankly before biting her lip and reminding herself. She had to get out. Sai's the real culprit here. "Your food's on the table. I covered it because I didn't want it to get cold..." She took slow careful steps around the kitchen island to where two empty glasses sat beside her food. "You have to eat something... " He drawled cautiously. Her glance switched from the table and they locked eyes. He knew.

"I have to go." She stated firmly. He furrowed his eyebrows and his face became stern. She briefly glanced at the door from the corner of her eyes. Even in her state she knew she wouldn't get far. He would get to her before the elevator reached the bottom floor and with all of her dead chakra stagnant inside of her, she was considerably slower. She wouldn't be fast enough to get down the stairs and her brain would not be able to handle all the endorphins produced from the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She'd pass out after the first flight. Then she looked past him.

The balcony.

"Stay, please." He said, slowly and cautiously as he tried to read her next moves. Her attention shifted back to him. She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. He always knew what to do with his eyes. She squeezed her pair shut and her teeth familiarly tugged at the inside of her lip as she tried to regain control. "You said that you would stay..." He continued, as if Sakura were some feral animal he was trying to prevent from attacking. Well that's how he treated her wasn't it? She had to get out. She released her lip when she tasted a trace of blood and exhaled sharply.

What was different? Why did she change her mind? She's been spending hours meditating. A few days ago, it was hard for her to stay on one train of thought for more than a couple of seconds before her mind scrambled. She couldn't have possibly come to this conclusion as confused as she was. She retracted back into the primitive Sakura, who knew nothing but Sasuke and served no purpose other than appeasing him. The Sakura who lived for him and would do anything to remain in his presence.

Because she didn't know any better.

No, that Sakura was long gone. And the concussion threw her off. The meditation brought her back. Brought her back to the current Sakura. The one who knew better. The one who knew Sasuke wouldn't change despite how much he tried. And he did. He did try. But that was just it—that was all Sasuke had to offer after trying. Pain. She was always left with pain. That's what she would have to continuously endure? That's what she would spend the rest of her life looking forward to? Disappointment ending with more pain? Her gaze made its way to the silverware, oddly in perfect place.

No.

She lost the ability to make coherent decisions. She was back now.

"I have to go." She repeated firmly, not giving into his sentiments tactic. He was smart.

"Sakura—" It happened quickly. She was back but she wasn't all the way back. Afterward she wouldn't be able to remember the moment she decided that she was going to jump, and that meant fighting past any and everything in her way. That course of action was stupid. There was no logic behind it. But then again, all logic always went out the window when he said her name like that. Like he was pleading with her. Like he knew just what to do with his voice to appeal to her senses. He made it sound like he needed her. When the both of them knew that was far from the truth. Yes, she hated when he did that.

She grabbed the knife, removing it from its perfect display and disrupting the rest of the silverware from its spot in the process. As usual, Sasuke's reflexes were sharp. As she raised the knife he jumped to her, his hand immediately clasping her wrist and he squeezed until he forced the silver object to drop to the floor resulting in a 'clang.'

She caught him off guard because the knife was only a distraction. It was only meant to momentarily occupy him as she reached into his pocket and grabbed a senbon—it was his fault, she told him not to carry them on his person—and stabbed it into one of his pressure points just hard enough to cause him to double over and drop quickly to his knees.

She swiftly moved past him toward the balcony and swung open the glass double doors. The breeze hit her face and blew her hair back. She briefly looked down to the fountain in front of the hotel lobby. 13 floors, not that big of a jump right? That was nothing to her. Or, would be nothing to her if she still had use of her chakra to break her fall. She took a quick glance back at Sasuke, who was just now regaining his ability to move. He tried propping himself on one knee.

Now or never.

She pressed her lips together and prepared to look away from him, her hand slapping against the railing, firmly grasping it. She hardened her resolve and turned. In that same moment she felt a strong wind blow by her, forcing her eyes closed as her cerulean blue hair whipped rapidly across her face.

"Sakura?" Shit. Where did she go wrong? She hesitated. Her math was off. She took too long. This was her fault, this moment. "What the hell were you about to do?" It was Naruto, and she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was angry. Her eyes slowly opened, observing the deep wrinkles formed across his forehead. His eyes displayed a plethora of emotions, betraying his angry demeanor. What was that, concern? Fear?

Her hand dropped from the railing back down to her side and she took a step back. Her head dropped, along with her shoulders, her body overcome with the feeling of defeat. Her fingers began to fiddle with the hem of the large t-shirt she wore. She hesitated. Her math was off. She took too long.

"I..." She whispered; her eyes focused on her bare toes. I had to get out. I can't be here with him anymore. "I don't know." She settled on saying instead, her voice still small. A large, calloused hand gently cupped her chin, bringing her face up to meet his gaze. She looked away. At anything but his eyes.

"Sakura..." He whispered. Her pair slowly trailed back up at his and she froze. What was that? Sympathy? Pity? She snatched her face from his loose grasp and took two more steps back. She knew that look too well. She shook her head fervently as she backed onto the hardwood floor of the hotel she just tried to escape. She knew what he was here for.

"Sakura, what the fuck were you—"

"Sasuke." Naruto said quickly, cutting him off in a harsh, clipped tone.

Damage Control.

He brushed past Sakura and moved closer to his teammate; a pointed finger aimed close at his face.

This was Naruto's sole role, in this unending cycle of disaster. Their most twisted love story. When shit hit the fan, literally hit the fan, Naruto was always there to clean it up. Could she blame him though? The two people closest to him intertwined in this skewed, infinite loop of love that causes so much pain—no, he had no choice. He had to do damage control. The fate of his family and the team depended on it.

From the very beginning, Sasuke's and Sakura's peace defined the very direction life as they knew it would turn. Sakura's striking uneasiness after Sasuke's defection pushed Naruto to go even harder to bring him back, despite failure after failure. Despite being almost killed. What remained of their team's sole focus shifted to bringing him back. There were no other missions and no other objective other than to return him to Konoha. When he returned, Sakura's almost instant rejection had the whole Village on edge. Even after Kakashi and Naruto returned to full health, the four parts of Team 7 practically disbanded due to not only Sakura being assigned as a full-time medic for Sasuke, it was also her refusal to do so and her perpetual hiding that caused the most damage to Naruto's career and their current team's fate as a whole.

It wasn't just that, no. It was every time Sasuke and Sakura fought, argued, or had even the smallest disagreement, the aftermath was so treacherous in the fact that without Naruto intervening their family as a whole would be doomed. Relationship or not. And Naruto quickly realized he had to try his hardest, because even that wasn't enough. Because the last time Sakura ran away for two years and left him to wonder where he went so wrong. How much more could he control the sick bastard of a man without him being deemed nothing short of a glorified babysitter?

And here they were again.

No, with the two of them there was no peace. There would never be peace and even the thought of putting them together expecting that was comparable to expecting catastrophe.

She realized this too late. But better late than never. Her sole objective used to be to reach the eye of the tornado with Sasuke, the calm of the storm. But she knew, even in the back of her mind she knew that the peace would only last but so long…She craved unwavering peace, peace that couldn't be shaken by a psychotic episode or a loss of reality. She wanted real peace... Her own peace. And she realized she could only achieve that peace if she broke loose from the cycle.

So, she had to get out.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, leaning her head against the wall. She closed the balcony doors, her movements slow, sharing in her defeat. She gazed aimlessly through the clear glass and over the railing to the view she had of the Village from their Penthouse Suite. It was bright out. She watched as the wind blew the tops of the trees and they danced in what seemed to be a seamless, rhythmic motion. She began to focus on that.

Naruto was now speaking to Sasuke in the corner closer to the front door. She heard him whispering but she would barely call it that; his tone was harsh and unpleasant. She tore her gaze away from the dancing trees and caught their bodies from her peripheral view. Naruto's back was to her and she couldn't see his face but she could tell where this conversation was going by the avid movement of his hands and his body language.

She could see Sasuke, though. Sasuke's expression was blank and detached. It didn't faze her; she's seen this all before. In one swift movement, Sasuke broke away from the wall and turned sharply on his heel, headed for the door.

He paused.

She waited for him to say something, something to reassure her troubled mind. Something that he would always say. Something that reaffirmed his sickness in everyone's mind, something that reminded them all that he really couldn't control who he was. She heard him smack his lips and continue, softly shutting the door behind him. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It was better that way.

"Sakura." Naruto said firmly, walking up a couple of feet behind her. It was her turn. She unknowingly rolled her eyes and switched her attention back to the balcony. She wanted nothing to do with this. Her forehead touched the cool glass. She made up her mind already and there was no amount of his "damage control" that could change it. "Your medicine is ready. Let's get you some fresh air and pick it up." I guess this time he knew better. This time Naruto forewent trying to baby her or persuade her with false pretenses. And he would never treat her like a feral animal. He never played defense, always offense. They both know what's going on, and he never spent too much time beating around the bush.

She looked back at him from the corner of her eyes before pursing her lips and lifting her forehead from the door. She turned around and pushed past him into the bedroom.

"I'll give you a couple of minutes to get dressed." He said as he closed the doors. She exhaled.

She had to follow through. She'd made up her mind now.

She moved to the edge of the bed and sat down, grabbing the cellphone from atop the nightstand.

Time for Plan B.

'Headed to the pharmacy. Let's do it.' She hit send and exhaled, both hands tightly grasping the phone in her lap. She wanted her peace, so she would get her peace. It wasn't long before it vibrated, causing her to slightly jump. She was nervous. Why was she nervous? She opened the message.

'Got you.' Mei messaged back. That girl would do anything for her, she realized in this very short time. She understood her at least, she understood her need for peace. Since the incident occurred, Mei, not even knowing the true depths of the situation, never let Sakura feel she was alone. So during Sakura's hours of meditation, when she initially created the plan to escape the Village, who else would she have called to help her plan her getaway?

She placed the phone back on the nightstand and stood, removing the large t-shirt in one swift movement. It must have been Sasuke's. She moved to the closet and grabbed a very specific green, spaghetti-strap sundress. She slid into it methodically, and then stepped into her sandals. She grabbed a white floppy hat and secured her cerulean blue hair into a bun at her neck. She smoothed her dress and took one look back at the cellphone. She could say never mind, she could forget her crazy plan and let Naruto do the job he so desperately wanted to…She shook her head.

And how has Naruto helped her fare so far?

She exhaled and inwardly cursed herself. It wasn't his fault. She walked to the doors and pushed them open. There was only one person at fault.

"I'm ready." She said firmly. There was no going back now. He held out his arm for her.

"Let's go."

They moved through the village streets almost mechanically. There was tension between them, due to the coming conversation. She dreaded it. Her thoughts of Sasuke continued to consume her.

"Do you think…Do you think he's changed at all?" She muttered.

"Is that a real question?" He responded gruffly, phrased more as a statement. His eyes never moved from the road in front of them.

"You know what I mean..." She said as her eyes bore holes into his expression, trying to read him.

"Do I?" He stated back, seemingly irritated. She pressed her lips together.

"Uzumaki—"

"Sakura, don't." She blinked rapidly at his quick retort. Once she regained herself she exhaled softly. "You don't ask questions you don't want the answer to." She bit her lip even harder. She was making matters worse. She was always making matters worse.

"I'm sorry." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper. And they weren't about to get better. Her fingers fumbled with the hem of her dress. They continued on their path, Naruto effectively using his large body to partially shield her from sight as she stayed a step behind him, her arm interlocked with his larger one. After a while he cleared his throat.

"Look," He said softer. She closed her eyes as he paused. She knew what was coming. "You know he can't control what he does..." She mouthed the words as he slowly spoke them. This was Naruto doing damage control. Something he's always done and will always do. And that's just what she's afraid of. Her hands fisted at her sides. The words came from her mouth before she could control them.

"But why am I always the only one getting hurt?" She blurted. Naruto looked down at her, a faint resemblance of sympathy filled his eyes for a quick moment before something washed over him. They were blank again. He turned back to the road.

That was an accident.

"I can't answer that, Sakura. you know I can't." She pressed her lips together. But he did. He knew more than she did, more than Sasuke did himself. But telling her would betray Sasuke. Ignoring that there was a problem wouldn't fool anyone. So he always settled on "You know he can't control what he does." But that was a lie as well. Sasuke controlled himself enough to get a perfect score on his psyche evaluations. Because he wanted to. The fear that he would lose the one thing that kept him sane forced him to. So what does that mean for Sakura? Why was she always the one who got sacrificed? She turned away. She couldn't be around someone like that. She had to get out.

"Here." Naruto said, stopping abruptly. She softly bumped into him. "I'm going to go in, get your medicine, and be out in less than 30." He looked her in the eye, his pair blazing. "You stay on this bench." He commanded. She blinked. "We can go get some dumplings after." He followed, trying to soften his previous approach.

He felt like he was treading on thin ice. During the last incident between the pair, he lost her for two years. He felt something was off. They both knew Sakura was smart, and it was far from over. The last time something to this magnitude happened…He just knew Sakura always got the last word. But what form would that take this time?

"It's too dangerous for you to come in so just keep your head down and your hat covering your face." She gave him a slight nod. He lingered, never taking his eyes off of her pair. Then he nodded, opening the doors to the pharmacy as the sound of the bell jingled overhead. Naruto did his best. And that almost made her regret her decision. He promised her he would never let anything happen to her…

A cool breeze tousled the strands of her cerulean blue hair not tied in a bun at the base of her neck.

But there was that one promise Naruto could never keep. And that was to keep Sasuke from hurting her.

Unwanted thoughts she normally pushed away continued to surface. It had to have been the concussion...

She wasn't trying to punish Naruto. She didn't harbor any feelings of resentment, and there were no grudges on her end. This was just for her. She had to protect herself by any means possible because no one else could.

When they were kids, Naruto took on the role of an older brother and made sure in every way possible that he took care of her. He would protect her because he was Naruto. And Naruto always took care of it. Because he was supposed to. Because he promised.

He made a vow that he would bring back Sasuke so these painful feelings of hurt and resentment would stop. And he did. After 7 years he did. Because he was supposed to. But things changed. Naruto and only Naruto knew the monster he brought back to her. The broken, shattered mess, trying to fill the role of the man who was supposed to come back and love her wholeheartedly so that they could just be... Naruto knew the person he brought back was no longer able to do that... if the broken boy was even able to do that in the first place—No, he knew Sasuke could do nothing but hurt her because that's all he's ever done. But deep down, Sakura knew this too.

That's what Naruto meant when he said she already knew the answer to her own question. She was there for every single one of his psyche evaluations. The both of them came to an unspoken realization that Sasuke has endured so much... he didn't deserve anymore pain. Especially from the ones who tried their damnedest to bring him back to a place which they promised would be filled with nothing but love for him. So every time Sasuke hurt her it was like Naruto's sole purpose was now damage control instead of reparations. It was like he would do anything in his power to make sure Sasuke didn't feel like he was being shunned or pushed away by the people who were supposed to recreate this home for him in a Village he hated so much...

She saw this in the way he acted. Every aftermath of every incident she could see Naruto was internally conflicted; half of him filled with hate for the boy, the other half understanding on a way deeper level why he does the things that he does. And Sakura... somehow Sakura helps Naruto's decision. Choosing to deal with Sasuke because underneath the surface she knew what he was too. And Naruto never objected.

So what changed now?

Sasuke fought for the things he cared about the most. She loved him, she realized in one short thought. She loved him but he never fought for her. With that shocking realization, her groggy, concussion-ridden resolve hardened. She knew she had to get out.

She bit her lip as a woman sat beside her, same size and build, with cerulean blue hair and a green spaghetti strap sundress. She had on a white floppy hat and her hair tied in a bun at the base of her neck. Sakura turned and looked at her with unsure eyes. The woman gazed back, winking her blue pair. Too expensive to afford color contacts. Mei's words filled her thoughts. This will just have to do.

She exhaled in one short breath and swiftly got up, blending into the dense crowd of Yugakure Villagers mulling about. She wanted to go before she changed her mind; before Naruto popped up in her head again.

She kept her head down and her arms tucked underneath her chest as she expertly weaved through the throng of people interacting with each other as well as the various merchants posted on either side of her with their stands selling goods and merchandise.

'This will only be for a little bit,' she thought to herself. Time enough to recover and get her head back on straight. Time enough to forget about Sasuke. Again.

Feelings of regret panged in her chest as Naruto's words rang in her ears. He practically begged her to stay. Because he had the chance to do damage control this time. Last time...

She left without a word, without a second thought. For two whole years she left him in the dust. How could she do that to him? How could she do that to him when she knew he was trying... Maybe that wasn't enough this time. Maybe she didn't need his damage control this go around. Maybe...

She shook her head as the pulsing at the base of her neck increased. Thinking was making her move slower. She didn't need to think, she just needed to move. Her paid clone would only fool Yuuki's guards who were following her and Naruto a good 400 meters back, and then she would only fool Naruto for half a second. He couldn't sense her now because her chakra was sealed, and she was too far away from him now to find her using the strength of his smell. He'd have to go into Sage mode to increase any of those senses, and he couldn't do that in public. Yugakure was nothing like Konoha, the Village hidden in the leaves having a dense forest surrounding them. He'd have to retreat to his Inn to find her and he wouldn't be able to run or he'd blow their cover. But he sure could move fast...

With this in mind, she knew she had 9 minutes to get to the edge of Village where her escort was waiting to take her by carriage to the ferry. 9 minutes and her 5 days of planning, planning that would normally only take her less than a couple of hours to create, would be all for nothing. She just needed this time to—

Her eyes darted to the left, peering over her shoulder out of her peripherals. She didn't lose all of her senses. Someone has been following her for two minutes now, stopping every 12 seconds trying to blend in like the normal tourist taking in the sights or observing the goods from the stands. But when they continued, they continued right on her trail. She wasn't stupid. And whoever was following her, wasn't either. Her heartbeat picked up slightly and she quickened her steps. She inhaled deeply trying to calm her nerves before instinct kicked in. Instinct was adrenaline, and the rush would make her pass out. She pressed her lips together. She still had 4 minutes and she was so close to the Village's edge. So close to freedom—

"Haruka!" She almost stopped. She almost hesitated. She bit down on her lip so hard she felt the imprint of her bottom tooth through the skin. Her breaths were quicker. She tightened her grip on her upper arms, trying to become smaller and less noticeable. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe—

A large hand clamped down on her much smaller bare shoulder and swiftly pulled her left, causing her to half turn in the opposite direction.

"Haruka Tan, I'll be damned." She released her lip and let out a small breath in surprise. Her heartbeat quickened. She could feel the rapid pulses through each rise and fall of her chest. She let go of her arms and let them swing behind her, clasping her fingers together at the small of her back. She managed a small shaky smile. She quickly took in his features. The man in front of her had bushy brown curls that sat on top of his head with the sides shaved off. He was big, way bigger than her, and built. She felt callouses on his hands when he caught her by her shoulder, callouses that were more than just a worker's hands.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met..." She let out as politely as possible, her fingernails digging into the skin of her palms trying to stop the shaking. He smiled brightly at her, his cat-like eyes almost closing as he grinned practically from ear to ear.

"I know you though," He countered. A fan she didn't have time for. She tried analyzing his features more carefully. Did she know him? He looked way too familiar. The concussion was affecting her thought processes again. She couldn't stop him by her own brute force; her build was way too small for that to be believable for her character.

Her eyes traveled down from his face. He wore dark clothing and boots with straps that looked worn. They trailed back upward. He had a knife at his waist that was hoisted by a dark brown leather belt. His shirt was long-sleeved and spandex. She saw mesh lining hiding underneath. He had a thin scar marking the width of his neck. A scar that deep wasn't one a civilian would be able to survive. A scar that deep couldn't be healed by a civilian doctor.

"I know you're a fraud and an attention seeking bitch." Her eyebrows furrowed as her breath hitched. "I know you almost killed my sister, and now I'm going to kill you." A Mercenary.

The puzzle pieced together too late. Her mind told her to run and her body was about to act, but she felt a fist connect with her lip and the tips of her nostril, the force pushing upward and the impact crushed the left side of her nose. The impact pushed her and she tripped backward, falling onto the paved road. She held the side of her face that was hit. The base of her neck and her heartbeat pulsed erratically as she struggled to think of an escape plan. She quickly glanced around. No one was paying attention. She could—

She was yanked upward by the hands around her throat, her air supply cut off immediately. Her fingers weakly clawed at his hands as his grip got tighter and tighter. She managed one deep gasp before she started choking.

"How does it feel to be helpless again? At the mercy of another man?" Her eyes watered and a stray tear fell across her cheek as she saw colorful circles appear behind her fading vision. Her legs dangled helplessly; her frantic clawing got slower and weaker. The pulsing in her head became deeper and more painful. "You should've stayed in Snow you little—"

A figure came and side-kicked her captor to the ribs from behind and she was released. In that second she gasped for air; her own hands clasping her neck as she stumbled back and tripped, landing on her behind. The dirt she kicked up from her fall rose and surrounded her, filling her nose and throat. Her gasps quickly turned into coughs. In the next seconds that followed, she found that the one figure transformed into two and the mercenary had started to recover, his hands holding tight to his side.

"You must have a death wish. I'll—" A voice she recognized as Naruto's growled. Before he could finish, a cloud of smoke appeared. The breeze picked up and it dissipated, taking the mercenary with it. Her coughs slowed to short pants and her hands fell from her neck. Her vision focused and she noticed the second figure was indeed, Sasuke. "Like that rookie disappearing trick could fool anyone." Naruto said, baring his teeth. "I can still smell him! I'll kill him!" His eye color started to change and he shifted his body preparing to sprint before Sasuke's hand sharply clasped his neck and pulled him back.

"Hey," He whispered harshly. "Remember where we're at." Naruto snatched himself from Sasuke's grasp and kicked the dirt in anger. Sasuke shoved his hands in the pockets of his blue slacks and turned in her direction. His gaze turned down to her. "And what the hell were you thinking?" He exclaimed coldly. Her chest tightened and her eyes filled with apprehension. She looked to Naruto. His pair softened.

"Naruto—" She started.

"Sasuke." Naruto said back crisply as he turned toward the brown-haired man. Sasuke's cold gaze never wavered. She bit down on her lip. Could she still make it? Her judgement was obviously highly affected considering the fact that she thought she'd actually be able to get out of the town. She planned it as if she still had use of her chakra. She couldn't pop smoke and she couldn't form chakra so there'd be no way she could teleport even the smallest distance. She hasn't tried using her reserves has she? Maybe she could try accessing her reserves and pop smoke. That distraction could—

She shifted slightly and inwardly cursed. Both pairs of eyes fell back down at her as their arguing ceased.

"What the hell were you thinking, Sakura?" Naruto asked. She heard the concern in his voice but she didn't feel guilty. Especially since he was there. He crouched next to her. She bit her lip. He was close, but not close enough that he could get to her hands in time. She met his gaze. His eyes pierced hers, fear written all over them. Her chest tightened again. She quickly glanced at Sasuke. His pair were still cold, still unreadable. She reaffirmed her decision.

"Sakura—" Her hands flew from her lap and her fingers quickly molded to form a seal as she tried to access her reserves. Instantly she regretted her decision. Her insides felt like they were on fire and her whole head pulsed sharply and quickly. "Sakura!" Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Shit.

---

"I don't know why I wasted my time over and over again with you. I did my piece as your brother and tried to help you, but instead you spit in my face. You spit in her face." Naruto said calmly.

"Naruto." He turned to face him, his finger pointed in his direction.

"Don't fucking act like you care. Don't feed me your stupid bullshit. If you ever go near her again, I swear I'll—" The door flew open, slamming into the wall and reverberated throughout the room.

"Sensei—" He didn't stop.

"Kakashi, what are you—" The toe of his boot connected with Sasuke's chin, effectively shutting him up and throwing him back. His head hit the wall first, his body following right after. He slid to the ground. Kakashi blew a short breath from his lips.

"Good." He dropped Yuuki, who he dragged by his lapels into the suite, by the door. Naruto peered outside to see Yuuki's two guards slumped against the door. "Where is she?" The younger man nodded behind him to the double doors that led to the bedroom. They were cracked. He nodded back to him and walked toward the door.

"You didn't have to do that." She whispered as he cautiously stepped inside.

"Somebody had to," He chuckled. She lowered her head as he looked on. "I'm assuming this was another disappearing act gone wrong?" She averted his gaze.

"I had to get out. I just needed time—"

"Sakura." Kakashi interrupted with a stern voice. "You don't need to explain yourself to me." He said softer, his eyes locking with hers, filled with a look of deep understanding. "I mean, I was the bastard who helped you run away the first time around, wasn't I?" He finished, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. A signature expression that caused a warm familiarity to wash over her. Her shoulders visibly dropped, letting down the guard she's built over the last week with Sasuke.

She turned her head to the window. It was slightly cracked, the breeze sweeping inside of the Penthouse Suite causing the white curtains to flow and sway at its mercy. She looked further out into the city. She could faintly see the dock. She was so close. After the incident happened— She stopped herself. She definitely did not have the emotional fortitude to process what Sasuke did just yet. And while he wasn't the one who caused her concussion, he might as well have. She just remembers that afterward, her most basic thought told her that she needed Kakashi. And now he was here.

"Hey." Her head snapped back to face him. "You tell me…" He sighed deeply, shaking his head before looking back at her. His eyes seemed to be piercing her soul. "You tell me what you need." He finished with a tone of finality. Her eyes widened.

What she needs?

'Peace.' She instantly thought.

"You tell me what you need and we will do that. I dislike you and hate Sasuke even more so objectivity is not a problem for me." He finished with a chuckle before looking away. His demeanor turned serious. "I know…We all know. He's sick." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the window as she momentarily fixed her lips in a grim line.

"This again." she groaned.

"No, Sakura, listen to me." He said more sternly as he turned back to look at her, grabbing her hand from atop the covers. "Take your emotions out of it for one moment, if only for the brevity of this conversation, and look at the facts." She looked at him through her peripherals. "He's sick and you know this. Just think back. Think back to almost 3 years ago, you and Sasuke experiencing the troughs of what you both foolishly labeled a relationship." She scoffed. "Think back to when he would have his psychotic breaks. What did you desperately seek then?" She slowly turned her gaze to meet his eyes, a foreign green, but as they searched her pair, she recognized the depth that caused her heart to clench. She bit her lip.

"I just wanted…" She released it and sighed deeply, her shoulders visibly slackening. "I just wanted him to know that he had love here. That he would always have love here." She broke his gaze. In the past, when the hallucinations while doped up were getting too much for Sasuke, and it was hard for him to differentiate between the lines of reality and sick illusions brought on by the various pills meant to keep him docile, his psyche would break. And who do you think was there to clean up in the aftermath?

It was Sakura.

She eased the minds of the Villagers and gently reminded them of their safety after his public outbursts, whether they were violent or full on mental breakdowns. She would hold Sasuke for days and never leave his side as he would bounce between fits of psychotic laughter or gut-wrenching cries of anguish. And the worst of all would be when he would take it out on her. Ignoring her presence in their home completely, or disrespectfully reminding her that what she vied for after so many years was barely sane, let alone capable of showcasing any emotion outside of hate and discontent for the entirety of their Village and everything it represented. Everything it stole from him. And that they were completely responsible for what she brought back to Konoha. He was barely sane, and this burden was hers to deal with. Just like Kakashi said, those two years were foolishly labeled a relationship and she so foolishly believed that love could conquer all. If she could just stick beside him, he could heal and get better…

As she grew older Sakura realized that their connection was similar to that of a mental health doctor and their psyche patient, who, at the time, she was desperately in love with and whom she vowed to spend the rest of her life with. She scoffed in memory. With that impossible idealism, was she sure she wasn't the psyche patient…?

"Right. So you put your needs and your wants to the side and focused on him." Kakashi stated matter-of-factly as he brought her out of her thoughts. "For the sake of peace." At those words she bit down on her lip again. "And don't even get me started on when he cheated on you. You would know no peace in that Village with TenTen around parading what she's done, and I would've sooner lost it than continued to break up fights between you two." He rolled his eyes, thinking back to the many, many times he had to stop his reckless, over emotional, fist-happy former student from an altercation with the weapons master. "So you used me as a pawn and ran away. To seek peace."

It was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. She never asked for his interventions, anyway. He grabbed her hand lightly, and she sensed a serious tone overcame the conversation.

"You always put others before yourself. You spared their feelings and guarded their heart with no regard to your own, not even recognizing it was destroying you bit by bit. Not even recognizing that somewhere along the line you had convinced yourself that the only way you would know any kind of peace is by acquiescing." She looked away again, following the dancing of the trees right outside her window as the breeze tossed her hair ever so lightly about her face. Only Naruto and Kami knows the amount of times she's said 'I'll be alright' or 'I'll take care of him, Naruto. This will pass soon.' Because it always did. She tore her eyes away and looked down, the clench getting tighter and tighter on her heart.

"Kakashi, I tried to put myself first. I did." She said, barely above a whisper as she stared at her jagged and torn fingernails, anxiously fiddling with the bed sheets. She put a plan in motion, didn't she? Now yes, what Kakashi said about her being reckless and over emotional was completely true, because why did she think it was morally and professionally acceptable to use the target on a mission to escape from her personal problems? She would blame it on the concussion, but she couldn't help but remember always taking toughest road when it came to her hormone-led decisions. Either way, she did try to get away. But how well that worked out was evident in the mess that lay around her.

Sasuke, unconscious after been spartan-kicked to the face by Kakashi. Naruto, trying his damndest to stay impartial while the closest people to him drove a stake through the wedge between them. And poor Yuuki and his guards, dragged into Team 7's mess all because he wanted to ensure Haruka's safety after Mei probably reported to him she never made it to the ferry. Now he was the true victim in all this.

But that was just the point, wasn't it? Whether she chose herself, or put others first, this sick, sick cycle still remained. She started to believe she was cursed indefinitely. She would never be rid of Sasuke, whether she wanted to be or not. And she knew Naruto and Sasuke's relationship ran deeper than any connection ever would, and they shared things with each other that she could never even begin to understand.

But even he was unaware of the vulnerabilities that Sasuke shared with her during his darkest moments on his path to recovery and redemption as a Hidden Leaf Shinobi. No words were ever uttered, but the violent shakes, unending tears and the days she spent next to him, just holding him while his body lay fixed in fetal position, no the two of them were bonded—no different from the curse mark that once adorned Sasuke's skin. So yes, on the deepest level, at the very core of her being, she knew.

Sasuke was right. She brought back something damaged that could never be fixed, just poorly slathered plaster onto the dam wall that was always just itching to burst. He tries, she knows that he actively does but something was broken in him as a child that was irreparable. And he fails more often than he succeeds but isn't this what they signed up for?

They all knew what he was…even Kakashi, as he lightly rubbed his thumb back and forth over her skin while gently holding his hands in hers. She watched the slow movement of his hands but he never stopped looking at her. She wanted to believe him. Desperately. And it wasn't that his offer was insincere. She knew Kakashi meant everything he said with every fiber of his being. But she just.. she just couldn't. The sigh that sounded through her body was deep this time.

Acceptance, once again. He offered her everything. A way out, like he always did. He was siding with her, like he always did. Even before lines were crossed and motives blurred and faded between the two Anbu operatives, she could say he always had her back. Even she was sure he had no way of figuring out just exactly how he could remove Sasuke from the mission, or Sakura, whoever was the biggest liability honestly, and continue on with the task at hand. Regardless he would do it in a heartbeat. He fought for her. Always.

But they both realized that breath that left her nostrils was indeed a final huff of acceptance, as she surrendered to their sick cycle. Just as it did many years ago, the curse mark that would sprawl across Sasuke's entire body during emotional turmoil would concede when the imminent threat was neutralized and his body no longer felt he was in immediate danger. The fight left her. Resolve, gone. The metaphoric curse mark that was Sasuke's and Sakura's entwined relationship retreated to a single, ugly symbol; a representation that the worst was over. And they could go back to normal life, as normal as life could be walking around with a ticking time bomb branded to your core.

Kakashi felt this too and squeezed her hands, giving her a small reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes, and a nod. He stood, reaching his arms above his head in a stretch before placing his hands on his hips.

"Well, let's get this cleaned up, shall we?" He smiled, scratching a hand behind his head, and for the first time she noticed his full expression. And while she understood implicitly that it was her bone structure, she never took in just how odd it was seeing his expression past his eyes. How he really did use his whole face to showcase his emotions. She just wishes she wasn't so busy blurring lines and doing what she shouldn't have been, and she could've appreciated his features more when they were his own.

His eyebrows furrowed as he caught her staring. Immediately realizing what she was doing, he smirked, a glint to his eyes. "Oh Haruka-chan don't tell me you've never noticed how boyishly handsome I am?" She snorted, rolling her eyes in disgust.

"That's my face, you stupid man." He shrugged and pushed through the double doors.

"Naruto." He stated firmly. Naruto stood, worry still on his face as he left the couch where he was previously indenting the floor with his excessive tapping. He searched Kakashi's eyes, before a curt nod came from the older man. Naruto's lips immediately fixed in a grim line as he recognized what this meant.

They shared a glance, years of understanding passing between them. Sasuke would never change and just as stubbornly, never would Sakura. So their two teammates' roles remained the same. Damage control. Naruto slowly nodded back, turning to the body still passed out against the wall. A bruise was starting to spread across his jaw.

"I'll get him out of here for now and give her some space. The apartment will be ready today so I'll call you to coordinate the move." Kakashi nodded in response. "Do you think I could spend some time with her? I just want to make sure she's okay." He said worriedly, the boy in him breaking through. Kakashi glanced back at the bedroom and sighed, running a hand through his black tresses.

"I don't…" He turned back to Naruto and clicked his tongue. "I don't think that's a good idea right now. As much as you were just doing the right thing, I think it's best that you stick around Sasuke today. I'm positive he's not done spiraling and I need you to keep a lid on him. And keep him away from her. Just for now." They both know that their pink-haired teammate had already made her decision to let it go, but episodes like this with Sasuke were rarely ever one sided. No, his bad things always came in threes.

If Kakashi could remember what Naruto told him over the phone, he used his Sharingan on her and stopped her chakra-flow. Which admittedly was terrible but on the list of things that Sasuke has done to her it's pretty elementary. But one could not forget the incident last night at the Lounge which was very on brand for the dark-haired man. When he can't regulate his emotions he'll use the only thing he knows for sure will make him feel something. Sex. Kakashi was a betting man, and he could almost foresee something else happening unless he kept the deranged boy far from Sakura. This is where Naruto came in.

"I understand." He said, accepting his role once again and moving to grab the body of Sasuke. In one movement, he swiftly threw him across his shoulders. "I'll drop him at the apartment and be back for their stuff. For now I'll get him fixed up." Kakashi nodded back as Naruto shifted awkwardly through the door with a body on his back. A door that now sat broken beside its hinges from his earlier stunt.

As the two left, Kakashi wondered briefly what he should do with the three civilians that littered the hotel room, one of which being the target. He'd be passed out for another hour he was sure, but his guards, whatever military training they had, would probably come to soon. Kakashi did the decent thing and moved their large bodies onto the couch before moving back into the bedroom.

"Sakura are you hungry?" She was still staring out of the window when he entered and as if on cue her stomach grumbled. She smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I could eat." He smiled back. She was just doing the best she could in the circumstances, which was all Sakura ever did. He truly hated the position she was in, but she's made up her mind and suggesting anything other than what she's decided would surely leave you on the wrong side of her wrath.

"Let's find some grub, shall we?" He moved to help her out of bed. She paused.

"But what about—"

"It's taken care of, Sakura. Your teammates have left to start setting up the apartment. I'll fill you in while we eat." She looked down, and allowed him to help her the rest of the way out of bed. She smoothed her dress first, and then tied her hair back into a bun at the base of her neck. She reached for the floppy hat that sat on the night stand.

"Your first disguise right?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips. "Naruto may have underestimated you, Sakura, but I know exactly what you're capable of. I'm not letting you out of my sight." He stated with a short laugh. She rolled her eyes, a small smile spreading across her features as well. There were many things she could pull over Kakashi, and she's learned this during the time they spent together over the last couple of years. But escaping his grasp was not one of them. It was like trying to fool the person who wrote the book on escape artistry.

"This is just to help me with sun-sensitivity. Unfortunately, due to my foiled plan, me and Naruto were never able to pick up my medication." The line was long in the pharmacy and she used that to her advantage. Naruto already slightly suspected her. He must've gotten impatient and came back out to check on her. This boy has known her his whole life and was arguably the most elite Shinobi they had in their time. He didn't even have to glance at her body double to know that it wasn't Sakura.

She groaned to herself.

This civilian-ass, concussion-ridden plan. Did she honestly forget who her teammates were? There was no way she was making it out of this Village. It was just when Mei came to her earlier this week and offered her freedom, even though she had already signed on to dance at the Kansai, Sakura's brain that couldn't do more than process a couple of thoughts at a time, and not very complex either. She could do nothing but agree. Did Sasuke sealing her chakra really take away her intelligence too? 'It's the concussion, Sakura' She thought to herself. Coupled with her already rash decision making, she stood no chance.

She walked with one hand tucked inside of Kakashi's bicep through the doors of their bedroom. She gasped slightly at the scene before her. The coffee table was broken, magazines and debris scattered about. As she was coming to, she overheard Naruto and Sasuke getting into one of their scuffling matches, so a little destruction was to be expected.

She scanned to the entrance. The broken hotel door laying against the wall and spider cracks stemmed from the impact area. Along with a body shaped imprint on the wall. Then finally, she looked to the couch where she saw Yuuki's sleeping form slouched against his two guards. Oh, the explaining she would have to do when she spoke to Mei later. Her eyes softened in pity. Victim to Kakashi's wrath indeed. He noticed her lingering stare.

"That's the target, isn't it? My bad." He quipped. She shook her head as they moved to walk out. She stopped, right before they exited the door. She took one look up at Kakashi smiling and took in his face. He came for her. Through the turmoil she decided that all she really needed was Kakashi. When her brain could barely form a single thought and everything around her was scattered, she realized her new primitive form was knowing that just being around Kakashi could fix everything. Her lips trembled as water began to brim her eyes. A single tear fell onto her cheek. He returned her gaze and his immediately softened. "Hey," he said softly using his thumb to brush her tear away.

"Thank you, Kakashi." She said sincerely. His eyes crinkled.

"I'm always here for you, Sakura." Those familiar words held so much meaning. With everything the both of them have been through the past half year. From returning back from her training for Anbu, to their stupid escort mission. To the skirmishes that ensued afterward and her unfortunate capture, and then finally Kakashi's fight to get her back, mentally and physically. He never gave up on her or left her side.

He fought for her.

That was more than she could say about the dark-haired man. Her pride would never let her ask for help, but he was always there. Whether it was breaking up a fight between her and TenTen, or grudgingly letting her crash on his couch after a fight with Sasuke. Willingly putting up with her for two years on a quest for power, and enduring every beating she gave him, physically and emotionally after the fact.

There were no words to explain the place that Kakashi held in her heart. She realized in one short thought that the overwhelming feeling of anxiousness and affliction she's felt the past week was replaced with something else. Something much more familiar.

Peace.

He was her peace.

She closed her eyes and laid her shoulder on his arm as they continued to the elevator.

"I know."

---

"Naruto told me you were a couple of towns over, so how did you get here so fast?" Sakura asked, a mouth full of food as she scarfed down the meal in front of her. The two were seated across from each other at a diner in the quieter part of town. They were situated in the back, right next to the emergency exit in a poorly lit area of the establishment. Their table was small and round; not much distance separating them as Sakura could reach over and put her hand on his shoulder if she wanted. Kakashi looked on in horror, his plate already cleared. He shook his head at the image in front of him, leaning back in his rickety chair.

"I've always been here. I lied to Naruto. He can't keep his mouth shut." Kakashi said with a shrug as Sakura tilted her head upward in understanding. "Had I told him I was here, he would've ratted to you, and you would've run to me after the slightest provocation from Sasuke." She rolled her eyes. "I was hoping that the two of you grew up, so I was trying to give you time to work through your problems as adults. I don't know why I even bother hoping anymore." He finished, looking to the ceiling. Sakura frowned.

"He started it…" She grumbled childishly, popping a piece of grilled chicken in her mouth.

"Do you always have to finish it?" He replied sarcastically. "I mean running away, come on Sakura." She pushed her plate away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I know, I know. Please save the lecture, Kakashi." She said with a roll of her eyes. "He sealed my chakra." She finished as he sighed, rubbing a tired hand across his face.

"Yeah, yeah I did hear about that." He replied wearily. "Well did you hit him, Sakura?" She looked away.

"…" He leaned closer.

"Well?" She huffed.

"I tried to, but he stopped me." Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"While I'm not a fan of domestic violence, Sasuke does deserve a beating every now and then. And yes, he took it to the furthest extent, but you have to understand how much power you carry in those petite fists of yours." She pursed her lips. "I personally have experience with calling you out and suffering the consequences. I died." He finished with a laugh, placing a hand on his chest. He still had the scars to prove it. She smacked her lips.

"He just makes me so angry sometimes." She grumbled.

"Yes, yes well I thought we ran away together the first time to control that." He responded as she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You say that as if we plan to run away again." He raised his eyebrows.

"That depends entirely on you." He offered his hand. "What do you say, Sakura-chan?" His voice was low and smooth, charisma rolling off of his tongue. She paused; her eyebrows furrowed.

"I wouldn't run away with you if you were the last man on earth." She quipped. He tilted his head as his eyes narrowed questionably.

"I seem to remember a similar situation during the battle to recover Tadashi Nao. Technically I was the last man you'd ever see that didn't want your head on a stake and you had no qualms—"

"You kissed me! You called my lips "enticing!" She emphasized with air quotes. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, let your scrambled brain tell it." She frowned. "You don't have to lie to me, Sakura. Your body tells me everything I need to know. Like when I do this," He reached for her hand, his calloused fingers slowly rubbing back and forth against her skin, sending shivers through her body. She froze, her eyes locking with his pair as he stared back at her intensely. "What's it telling you right now?" He whispered. Her insides bubbled. He never broke eye contact. Her mouth parted slightly then she closed it, her teeth gnawing at the inside of her lip.

"I…" He leaned closer.

"Tell me, Sakura…" She pressed her lips together as her thoughts raced across her mind. Was Kakashi right? Did her scrambled brain confuse the events? It all started with the stupid escort mission with the Grass Ambassador when she saw him naked and saw his face. Then after their return to the Village, her feelings of betrayal from him always leaving her to satisfy his primal male urges. Fast forward to her capture when she…she just wanted to see his face once more. It was damn near the object of their childhood. She, Sasuke, and Naruto did everything in their power to unmask him and they were unsuccessful, and she got to see it by pure luck because they were detained together.

She wanted to revel in her achievement for the final time before she thought what was going to be her untimely death. But no, Kakashi kissed her and she was sure of it. He blurred the lines first and started this conundrum. It was only after he opened that door did she continue to test the waters just to prove that they were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

She was brought back to the present; her hand still being held by Kakashi's.

He was smirking at her, almost taunting her now, trying to get her to fold as he always did. She knew him too well. If it wasn't from studying his tactics from being on his team as a Genin, then it was most definitely the two years they spent together while he sponsored her for Anbu. At the very basis of it Kakashi was a man, and dare she say it, a man who got whatever he wanted from whomever he wanted. But not Sakura, and that must put him on edge. She would shout to the rooftops that they were friends, and as of the past couple of years, he was probably the closest one to her. He knew her. But make no mistake, it went both ways.

All she did was pull down his mask. Kakashi kissed her. And also subsequently made it his personal mission to keep her from anyone else. And at the top of that list was Ren.

He would scream that he went through hell and high water to protect her, but his actions sang a different tune. That he wanted her to himself. In what specific capacity? Well, that would only be known to the enigma in front of her.

With this realization she threw a sly smile back. Her free hand that wasn't currently being caressed she slid up the side of his thigh. His eyes widened immediately.

"It's saying that you can't resist me." His initial shock wore off and she noticed the smug look that was recently plastered all over his features vacated. "Isn't that right, Kakashi…?" Two could play that game. She loved being able to see his expressions, free from the barrier of his "super mask" as he would call it.

"Don't start something you can't finish, Sakura." He said low, as he looked away, his hand still holding hers.

"Oh I always finish, don't you know that?" She whispered, leaning forward and drawing his attention back to her. "But it was you who started it. You can't resist me, can you?"

Why did he start it anyway?

He'd be remiss to say that he didn't miss his pink—erm, blue-haired teammate. Her company was all that he'd known for the last couple of years, annoying or not, and it caused him to turn close to possessive.

He had always taken care of Sakura; be it cleaning up after her brawls in the streets or offering sanctuary or recompense whenever she and Sasuke would get into it. They were friends, and he can admit that she has broken through more of his guarded walls than anyone else he gave that title to. But he did kiss her first, didn't he?

At the end of the day, he was man, and it would be ignorant of him not to notice that Sakura was a very, very beautiful woman.

She's the topic of almost every conversation when it comes to Konoha's most eligible bachelorettes. And ever since Sasuke fumbled, the race to secure her has been the word passed around every Shinobi-inhabited space he could think of. And of course he knew how vulgar locker room talk could get, Kakashi indulging in it himself every now and again, but as of recently he's had her to himself and he hasn't ever been known as a man that likes to share anything.

So maybe he wasn't thinking as clearly as he should've been when he slipped his free hand up her sundress.

Her breath hitched and her knees buckled in reaction, hitting the tops of the oh so small table they currently occupied. The reaction of the glasses and silverware clanging sounded in her ears as electricity shot down her spine. Just as quickly as she felt the warmth between her legs it was gone; Kakashi retracting both of his hands. She looked on in shock as he popped his index finger in his mouth, his eyes closing in pleasure.

"Ah, Sakura-chan. I could say the same thing about you." She blinked, still trying to process the events that were over just as quick as they started.

"Did you just…" She started her voice small. He looked past her, his eyes narrowing.

"And who do we have here?" Sakura's head whipped around to meet the object of his gaze; her features still flustered. Then they brightened as she jumped out of her seat.

"Mei!" She enveloped Sakura in a hug. They squealed and spun before separating, Mei's hands firmly grasping Sakura's shoulders as a concerned look washed over the dark-haired girl's features.

"Are you alright? I mean, I would hope you're okay. It's just that Yuuki—" She paused and looked back as she mentioned her fiancée's name. The man in question was currently glaring down at Kakashi, a nasty bruise spread across his cheek. The latter, unbothered, reached over and grabbed a grilled chicken skewer from Sakura's plate. He pulled one from the stick, popped it in his mouth and hummed. Sakura offered Yuuki a look of apology.

"Mei, Yuuki, meet my brother. Hatashi."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Kakashi nodded, his voice indifferent as his focus shifted to finishing what was left on Sakura's plate.

"We've met." Yuuki bit out. Mei looked between the two men with a face of worry and then back at Sakura. The smaller girl pulled her out of earshot.

"Your brother's here?" She whispered in disbelief. Sakura shrugged.

"He came right after the incident. He must've saw on the news that I was hurt again and…I can't explain it either, Mei." Sakura glanced back at the table, Yuuki now seated in front of Kakashi who was again, leant back in his chair with his arms crossed. She couldn't make out what they were saying.

"How are you?" She asked again. Sakura sighed.

"This past week has been full of emotions." Mei's eyes softened, remembering what happened at the lounge. "And as much as I would love to hate him I kind of need him right now." Sakura finished. Mei placed a hand on her arm and smiled softly before leading her back to the pair still seated.

"No." She heard Kakashi say.

"Well you pack quite a punch and I could really use another—"

"No." He repeated more firmly as Yuuki sighed.

"Haruka, we just came to make sure you were alright." Sakura wasn't going to question how they found them. She bowed slightly.

"Thank you for everything, Yuuki. The doctors, everything." She stated sincerely. "But I have just one more favor to ask." He perked.

"Anything." She released a breath.

"Where can I find Asami?" Both Mei and Yuuki's eyes widened. Yuuki's hands immediately raised in surrender.

"We want to apologize on her behalf. We promise no other dancers will—" Sakura waved him away.

"No, no. You misread what I meant." She responded in a small voice, her features apologetic. "I wish no more harm to her. In fact I wanted to express my regret for the whole situation. Everything just got out of hand that night and I should've never put my hands on her." She watched both of their shoulders visibly drop. It was true, the whole incident should never have occurred. Asami just unfortunately got entangled in Sasuke and Sakura's mess.

"I'll text you. We can meet there when she's feeling up to it." Mei responded. "Come on, Yuuki. We saw her, she's fine." She finished while pulling the much larger man toward the exit of the diner.

"Just think about it, Hatashi!" Yuuki called before they disappeared out of the doors. Sakura's attention turned back to Kakashi with raised eyebrows.

"You ready?" He asked, slapping bills on the table before raising himself. She looked down at her empty plate and frowned.

"I guess so." They moved in the same direction out of the diner into the cool afternoon air. Kakashi was leading her to the apartment to which they would stay for the remainder of their mission. Lunch was in part a distraction to keep Sasuke away from Sakura while he and Naruto moved their things. And probably also clean up the mess they left in their wake. As they trudged along the path, Kakashi's mind kept returning him to one thought.

What was he thinking?

Okay, to be fair, he wasn't necessarily using his brain at the moment. And she started it. He just…finished it.

They've been toying around their dangerous game for a while, but this? Kakashi catapulted over a line that they could not come back from. And what would be the consequences? An angry Sakura, no doubt. At least once she got over her shock. His eyes darted over to her beside him. Her hands were fidgeting with her dress at her sides and her focus was on the ground. Still flustered, as far as he could see. Or, planning his demise. He never really knew with Sakura.

During their mission to recover Nao, she kissed him first. And they were seemingly enjoying themselves, until morning came and she tried to bite his hands off. Why did he always push to see how far he could go? That would always be his flaw. He saw a rule, or a regulation, or a line and always wanted to see how far he could push it before consequences ensued. But this was different. This was his mentally unstable partner who didn't always think before she acted when it came to her emotions. With everything going on as of late, he could assume that she probably thought he was trying to take advantage of her, which wasn't the case at all. He just—it's just been a while for him. They did have that bet a while ago for how long he could make it without sex. And the last woman he took home came with too many strings.

'Timera.' He thought, trying to remember her name.

If Kakashi gave her too much time to think, he wouldn't have enough time to come back from whatever her over-emotional, female, scrambled mind came up with.

So, damage control.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. That seemed to be the word of the day.

"Look, Sakura—"

"Kakashi, I—" They stopped. Her hands were fisted in the fabric of her sundress now, and she avoided his eyes. 'Here we go.' He thought. He took too long. "What happened at the diner…" He braced himself for her speech about how he was the worst friend in the history of friends, to which he could probably agree with considering friends shouldn't kiss like lovers or have their fingers in very warm, very wet— "Let's just forget about it, okay?" She finally met his gaze and smiled. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. That was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum that Sakura typically went with. He could assume this only meant more trouble. He sighed.

"Sakura, I don't want you to think that I was trying to take advantage of you—"

"Oh I don't think that." 'She doesn't?'

"You don't?" And then her face changed. He couldn't put a finger on it, but it looked…smug?

"Of course not." She clasped her hands behind her back and continued to walk. He followed, albeit a bit cautionary. He wasn't trying to treat her like a feral animal but none of her teammates ever really figured out Sakura's tell for when she was about to strike. "I'm flattered." His eyebrows raised. He was completely thrown off.

"Flattered." He deadpanned. Where was she going with this?

"Kakashi, you could have any woman you want. Literally, any woman. Trust me, you're notorious." He smirked. He always wondered what the streets of Konoha said about him. "You can't resist me. You want me, but can't have me. That must irritate you." She finished smugly. His head jerked back.

"Sakura, I don't want you." He stated matter-of-factly. Now where the hell did her mentally unstable ass dredge up this idea from? "And if I wanted you, I could have you." Was he losing it too?

"Could you?" She hummed.

"I could. I—" He stopped himself. "Sakura, I don't want you." He reasserted. "Your attitude is nasty and you have a mean track record of violence against men." He pointed out. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Minor things, Kaka-Sensei." She turned to him and placed a manicured digit on his chest. "Face it. I'm the only one who can handle your laziness, your aloofness, and your overall anti-social personality. You can't have me and that's why we're friends. Now that I think about it, I'm your only friend." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"I have plenty friends."

"Females?" He narrowed his eyes and looked away in thought.

"Kurenai." She scoffed.

"Asuma's babymomma. She's friends with you out of respect for him." He frowned.

"Anko."

"You had sex with her."

"Oh right."

"You don't let anyone close to you, but you let me in. Why is that?" He blinked.

"Sakura, I let you in because I care about you and respect you." She rolled her eyes.

"Respect? When did that happen?"

"Since you risked your life and got us all home when we went to detain Sasuke." She pursed her lips. "You beat the odds and dragged over 500 pounds for 4 days just to make sure we didn't die."

4 YEARS AGO

"No!" She screamed, as she watched the metal of Sasuke's katana slice through her Sensei's vest. They were engaged in battle at the edge of Fire Country; the intel that they got on their former teammates' position finally checked out. He was in Snow from his last battle and they were able to lure him out.

Kakashi was engaged in battle with Sasuke, jutsu for jutsu, sword for sword, Sharingan versus Sharingan. Sasuke used a clone to activate his fireball jutsu at Kakashi who effectively shielded his face, but it was only a diversion. The real Sasuke jumped up behind him and just as Kakashi reached for his sword to dodge the blow, it was too late.

She watched him fall from the cliff situated about 30 feet above her position and she jumped; catching his motionless body before he hit the ground. She grunted from the brunt force of his weight as they slid back, unearthing dirt and debris along their path. She immediately pulled herself from beneath him; dragging his dead weight to the closest tree and leaning him up against it. Her healing hands got to work as she watched the blood seep from his wound into his torn shirt and vest.

"This is deep…" She whispered in fear. The gash was diagonal, reaching from his shoulder blade to his hip, nicking his internal organs and making it that much harder to heal. She closed her eyes in concentration as sweat began to bead on her brow. Dread started to set in. At the rate that the blood was gushing out of his wound, he'd bleed out before she got to fully heal him.

"Sakura. Sakura. Ah," Kakashi winced in pain as gloved hands weakly pushed hers away.

"What are you doing? You'll bleed out!" She exclaimed, her hands moving back to continue working on him. He squeezed the eye that housed the Sharingan shut, and she saw a single trail of blood creep down his cheek. She shook her head fervently as he placed his hands on top of hers and slowly pushed them down. She smacked his hands away again. "At least let me cauterize it." Chakra sizzled from her fingertips as she traced the length of the wound trying to stop the bleeding.

"Save your chakra for them. They'll need it." Tears started to well in her eyes.

"You'll die…" She said softly. She watched his eye close and the familiar tug of his mask. He was smiling.

"At least I die looking at someone pretty." He whispered with a laugh, which turned into a cough as he grimaced in pain. The dam broke and tears flooded her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

"You're a pervert, Sensei." She whispered.

"What, you think the last thing I want to see is Sasuke's ugly ass? Fuck that." The moment the words left his mouth an explosion was heard in the distance. She squeezed her eyes shut. The blast resonated through her ears causing them to ring. Once the smoke cleared it was eerily silent. Sakura immediately pulled a kunai from her holster and got into a defensive position. The ground shook so violently it uprooted the trees and brush around them leaving cracks in the earth below her. She was crouched in front of him when she felt his hand at her back. "That's it." She whipped around to face him.

"What do you mean?" He shook his head and let out a chuckle. "I was just the distraction, Sakura. Sasuke has either been restrained or…" She leaned in closer, prompting him to continue.

"Or?" Kakashi closed his eyes again.

"Or both of them are dead." Her eyes widened. She quickly darted in the direction of the sound of the explosion, the tears in her eyes flying behind her. The sound of branches snapping beneath her feet deafened her ears as fear rose within her.

'Dead? This can't all be for nothing…'

She reached the clearing where she heard the blast emanate from and gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth.

The only word that came to her mind to describe the scene in front of her was devastation.

The ground was leveled, trees strewn about and craters marking the earth deep to its core. There was no flat land for as far as she could see with her naked eyes; rubble scattered about creating a new mountainous terrain. She climbed down toward the largest crater, rocks falling around her unsteady feet as she moved as fast as she could to the figures standing in the middle.

"Naruto!" She screamed as she ran toward him. His hand was at Sasuke's throat, and she noticed his fingernails were claws digging into his skin causing him to bleed. He was in full Kurama Sage mode. "Naruto…" His eyes locked with hers and he saw relief wash over his features. His shoulders dropped as the fight left him.

"Sakura…" He released Sasuke who dropped to his knees and fell, smacking into the ground face first. Naruto's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he began to fall over. Sakura rushed to his side and caught him, placing his head on her lap.

"Oh Naruto." Her shoulders shook as she cried, her tears dropping onto his face. His eyes fluttered open and he immediately screamed in agony. Her hands quickly moved to his face as a green glow radiated from her hands. "Naruto, you did it." She whispered. His body shook and his face grimaced in pain. He was going into shock.

"No," He breathed. Her eyebrows furrowed. "No. He gave up. He let me…" Her eyes widened and she froze as her heart clenched. What did he mean he just gave up? He wanted to be brought back? Her head slowly turned behind her to the body of the boy they desperately tracked down for years.

He was battered, to say the least. Blood was spattered on the ground beneath his face and he barely looked like he was breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut as a plethora of feelings consumed her body. Feelings she couldn't place. Love? Resentment? She had no time for that now.

"Sakura please," Naruto rasped. "I need to sleep. The pain—" She nodded quickly and pulled a syringe from her pouch. She flicked it first, ensuring there was no air before injecting it into his arm. His body immediately went slack.

"Open your eyes." She commanded as she began to weave her fingers through the hand signals for her genjutsu. "Sleep peacefully. You deserve it." She whispered as his eyes slowly closed. She kissed his forehead and moved him off her lap. "Now," She said forcefully, taking a deep breath as her focus shifted. She stood and walked a couple paces, standing over Sasuke's body.

She placed her hands together and summoned her chakra before spreading her fingers apart, creating a crackling wire only she could dispel. She used her strength to carefully flip his body with one hand and used her other hand to bind his wrists with her restraints.

"Kai!" She exclaimed, and in response the wire imprinted on his skin as if it were a tattoo. She moved her fingers to his neck to check his pulse and her ear to his mouth. His breaths were shallow and ragged. She grabbed another syringe from her pouch and repeated the gesture, placing him into a medically induced coma. She wouldn't dare try her hand at a genjustu; the second he opened his eyes Sharingan blazing, she would be a goner.

She lifted his body and she jumped, racing back to the forest where she left Kakashi. She noticed his body was still leant against the tree and Pakkun was sitting on his lap. She panicked, laying Sasuke's body at his feet.

"Is he...?" The pug shook his head.

"He's dying, Sakura. He summoned me before he passed out." He whispered sadly, a whimper following his statement. Her eyes trailed to his fingertips. They were stained red. He wouldn't have even had to draw blood, he had excess pooled around him. She swallowed painfully.

"Not on my watch." She pulled a scroll from her pouch and whipped it open as she knelt next to Sasuke. She ripped the portions of his Obi that were stained with his blood and squeezed until the excess dripped onto the ground. With a shaky hand she began to scribble a message before sealing it. "Take that to Tsunade-sama." The pug trotted up to her.

"And what about you all?" Sakura rose again. Preparing to retrieve Naruto.

"I'm going to get us all back." She said firmly.

"We're at the edge of Fire Country, that will take days." She narrowed her eyes.

"Well then you better get a move on it. I have no choice."

She brought Naruto's body back to the clearing and quickly set about creating a pallet made from layers of strewn branches and tied it together with twine. She carefully placed each of their bodies on the pallet and freed the rope tied around Sasuke waist. She knotted it around the pallet and then to her waist.

She placed her fingers together and concentrated, guide lines of her green chakra streaming from her body and connecting to the three men. She didn't have much but she had to keep them alive. Kakashi and Naruto did their part, putting their lives on the line to defeat Sasuke. Now it was her turn.

The trek through Fire Country was treacherous but she didn't stop. She didn't sleep, she didn't eat, her thoughts barely deviated from navigating her way through the terrain with the three of them attached to her. Her chakra reserves were dangerously low but they were alive and that's all that mattered. She didn't even know how close she was to the Village until she heard barking.

"Sakura! Sakura, you made it!" It was Pakkun again. She continued to trudge along mechanically. "It's been 4 days, I couldn't trace the bosses' scent so we thought you…" He continued on, talking about the frenzy of the Village.

"It's been 4 days…?" She whispered. She covered her tracks extremely well to ensure they weren't followed and so that no one could find them, especially in their extremely vulnerable state. With the steady output of chakra she was releasing into their bodies to keep them alive and comatose, she was their only hope. But she was teetering between life and death herself.

"Sakura!" It was a familiar voice. She blinked her eyes into focus.

"Ino?" The blonde-haired beauty rushed from the Village gates, which was also swarming with people. "Ino…" The streams of chakra retracted back into her body before Sakura fell to her knees and passed out.

PRESENT

"Look, the reality is, you never crossed that line before and you crossed it. What changed?" She stared up at him, her features stern.

"I…"

"None the matter. This is the apartment, isn't it? Wow, Shishou spared no expense." Sakura bounded up the steps to the apartment building and left in her wake a very speechless, very confused, Copy Ninja.

What the fuck just happened?

---

"Wow this is…is this how civilians live?" Sakura said in excitement as Kakashi walked into the apartment behind her. It was expansive, the place already coming furnished and decorated. There was a flat screen television and a large sectional couch that Sasuke and Naruto were currently splayed out on, a large kitchen with an island and a dining room table in the corner. There were fur rugs, paintings, expensive vases and plants adorned throughout the space.

"Seems a bit gaudy to me." Kakashi grumbled as he sat down on the corner of the couch and ran a hand through his hair.

He couldn't take his mind off his and Sakura's previous conversation. Each time he tried to think of anything else, literally anything else, his brain wouldn't let him.

'You can't resist me. You want me, but can't have me. That must irritate you.'

What the hell gave her that impression?

He and Sakura were close. She was honestly probably the closest person to him. The closest friend to him. And sure, they kissed a couple of times but what male and female friendship was purely platonic?

He inwardly cursed himself. Now he just sounded misogynistic. He was sure he had plenty of female friendships. They just currently weren't coming to mind, as Sakura so eloquently pointed out. And sure, he's probably made his way around Konoha twice, but that didn't mean he couldn't hold a meaningful friendship with a woman.

Take Sakura for instance.

Again, they kissed a couple of times. He couldn't be blamed for that. It started with a high-pressure situation and just ended with a tit-for-tat game. But he didn't want her. Kakashi wasn't even sure if he was emotionally mature enough for a stable relationship. He's never even been in one! Sure, he's brought Ayame flowers a couple of times at the Ichiraku stand, and he did favor her for a couple of months. But that wasn't a relationship per se, just an agreement between two consenting adults to continue seeing each other sexually. He had no actual plans of settling down with her. Hell, did he even have plans of settling down? He was getting older but he never actually sat down and thought about…kids.

How could Kakashi bring a kid into such a fucked up world? Look at his childhood. His father killed himself, his mother doped herself up and drank herself to death. He was a child soldier by the age of 6, and then his surrogate father figure sacrificed himself for his actual son and left him fatherless. Itachi slaughtered his whole family and left his little brother so mentally fucked up they were still dealing with the repercussions. The Third Hokage sacrificed himself, and then Asuma went and died, leaving Kurenai without a partner and his daughter without a father. He could literally go on and on about the fucked-up families all around him. Who's to say he could do any better?

He always thought his path was to live his life in service to his Village and then… die? No, that can't be right. There has to be something more.

The moment he dies, his whole family line gets eradicated. And his name will definitely live on as "The Great Copy Ninja Who Has Copied Over A Thousand Jutsu," but after a couple of generations, then what? He just fades away? He becomes another nameless Ninja, forgotten on a cenotaph?

Maybe he should have a kid. This harsh ass life he lived could not have just been meant to completely vanish and have no meaning when everyone who has ever known him dies.

But Kakashi as a father?

He shuddered. He could barely take care of three Genin. And they turned out even more fucked up than they were when they were first assigned to him. Various outside forces absolutely had an impact on their future, but Kakashi definitely wasn't the nurturing type or father figure that could've at least helped them a little bit. If anything, he probably pushed them away.

Baby steps. He should start with figuring out how to be in a relationship.

But with Sakura?

He didn't want her, he was sure of that.

Sakura was a medical diagnosis away from bipolar and she had so much emotional baggage.

From what he's read in Icha Icha, relationships were supposed to fit like a glove. No conversation was easy with her and if it wasn't her way, it was the wrong way. Did he mention she liked to put her hands on men? Everything about the two of them was opposite. Their personalities clash. And now somewhere in her head she's come to the conclusion that he wanted her?

But he had to reiterate that she was the closest friend to him, and while she had flaws that went on for miles, he wouldn't prefer anyone else to be as close to him as she was. He's always favored her, but as of recent years he's felt an overwhelming duty to protect her. From her arch nemesis, from Sasuke, hell from any womanizing Shinobi that came her way because none of them were good enough for her.

Whoa. Where did that come from?

He can admit that despite those flaws that would take days for him to list, Sakura had so much to offer. He's never met a kinder heart nor someone who literally put others before herself. She risked her life to get the three of them home after they finally detained Sasuke, she risked her life in Hoshigakure to save his ass, and she damn near sacrificed herself to get Kakashi back to the Village safe, just to avoid being captured and killed by Grass. She has put her life on the line for him time and time again without a second thought. And why? For his old ass who was damn near at the end of his rope? She had so much more life left to live.

No. None of them could reciprocate what Sakura had to offer.

But who was good enough? Kakashi himself?

He scoffed.

Sakura would much rather consider taking Sasuke back before trying to domesticate Kakashi.

Whoa. Once again, his thoughts treaded into dangerous territory.

How did he get here? How did he let his thoughts take him so far to even think about how he would fare with Sakura as a partner?

She was right about one thing. Kakashi couldn't have her. He was sure he'd only end up being added to the list of men who would only hurt her. Right next to Sasuke and Ren. That was a shit-list he did not want to be on, next to those dickheads nonetheless.

All he knew is that he never wanted to hurt Sakura and only wanted to protect her. And yes, he was possessive over her. Who wouldn't be? Who wouldn't want their own personal medic, team partner, betting buddy and drinking buddy all in one? Kakashi was too old to try and find that in someone else and Sakura already knew too much about him. She understood him. So maybe their relationship was easy…

Once again his thoughts trailed far out of bounds, and it was actually frustrating him the direction that they were going. His thoughts have taken a mind of their own and made him super uneasy. Which is why he wasn't paying attention to the hand currently waving back and forth in front of his face.

"Kakashi, are you done daydreaming about porn and ready to start this debrief?" The woman who was currently annoyingly occupying his thoughts said sarcastically.

How did he even end up down this rabbit hole?

He shook his head and motioned to her, telling her to begin. Literally anything was better than where his mind was.

She clapped her hands together, causing all of their heads to turn.

"I've found out some information that will potentially change the trajectory of our mission." Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, over the past week or so, I've gotten pretty close with Mei. I met her mother and found out some concerning information about the Daimyo." She responded.

"You mean the Daimyo who enlisted our help for said mission?" Sasuke questioned.

"Precisely. As you all know, the Daimyo wanted us to get Yuuki far away from Mei under the pretense that he was a terrible man and causing harm to her. Well, from the information I got from her mother, who is currently in hiding somewhere deep in this Village, the Daimyo is the actual culprit, stemming all the way back to the relationship he had with her. Yuuki even told me that the Daimyo beats her and only keeps her close to him as a means to control her." Naruto's eyebrows raised.

"That's…" Sakura nodded.

"Exactly. Mei, working so closely with him, has records of money laundering, illegal use of force with the Shinobi and Mercenary Ninja they hire—I mean it's just a lot of dirty work. Yuuki and Mei know this, and Yuuki's plan, outside of marrying Mei for love, was to marry her to get her out from under the thumb of her father, so that they could subsequently take him down. I mean, we all know how dangerous a corrupt Daimyo is to the Shinobi world. Causing unnecessary conflict between countries is cause enough to take him out. And the Daimyo knows all of this, which is why we were hired to get Yuuki on her bad side and out of the picture so he can continue on with his mess. That in itself is making the Hidden Leaf Village complicit in his crimes and more importantly a liability! Just imagine the future blow-back from this." She finished. She focused on Sasuke's expression as he looked away from her. When the both of them were getting into it and he bailed, she assumed the mission was a bust. She had no leads, no intel, nothing. He presumed she couldn't do this on her own. She was letting her personal feelings get in the way of the task at hand. She was back now.

"I'll request an audience with Tsunade-sama and get her up to date. She won't be happy about this either," Kakashi said as he stood.

"Yes, yes, but that also means I won't have to sell my body away on this mission." She joked. Naruto perked up.

"So you don't have to have sex at all?" Sakura crossed her arms and shook her head proudly.

"Nope—"

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed. Just as the words left his mouth a pillow whizzed toward him, to which he swiftly dodged by tilting slightly without looking. "You have to be quicker than that, Sakura-chan—" A hand interrupted him by slapping the back of his head.

"Only a distraction, Sasuke-kun." He rubbed the sore spot as Kakashi raised.

"Domestic," He called, feigning a singing voice as he opened the door to head to his and Naruto's apartment. Two floors down, and way less decorated than the previous.

As he shut the door behind him, he briefly leaned against it and sighed. He needed to get out of that room. He wasn't able to focus with Sakura around. He was rarely easily distracted and her presence alone was currently driving him crazy. This wasn't him. Once again she was pulling him out of his character. That wasn't good for relationships right?

He cursed and shook his head, pulling himself off of the door and heading for the stairs.

Why did his mind keep dragging him there? He arrived at their apartment and rummaged through his things, pulling a scroll out and laying it across the table. Then he moved to grab a knife out of the kitchen drawer and sliced his thumb, carefully using the blood currently dripping from his digit to inscribe kanji on the piece of parchment paper. He placed his fingers together and released his chakra, and in another moment, a smaller version of the Hokage's summons Katsuya appeared. He bowed slightly and sat himself at the table.

"Katsuya-sama," She moved closer to the edge of the table.

"Kakashi, how are you?" He nodded his head.

"As well as could be considered. I want to request an audience with Tsunade-sama and speak to her directly regarding our current mission. Is she available?" She nodded and paused.

"Kakashi," Tsunade's voice broke through. "What's your mission update?" He chuckled nervously.

"Well…" The Copy-nin went on to tell her about Sakura's findings and the illegal activity of the Land of Hot Water's Daimyo. There was a long silence. "Hokage-sama?" Then there was an exasperated sigh from the slug.

"I swear, you four are the only Ninja I know who could take a vacation and turn it into an S-Class mission. A vacation!"

"To be fair, Hokage-sama, I don't think Sakura and I really deserved a vacation, what with the state of the current economy with Grass."

"That's just it, Kakashi…" She said more softly. "How is Sakura?" He felt a foreign feeling in his chest at the mention of her name, with all those unwanted thoughts flooding back. He began to tell her of the incident between Sakura and Sasuke. Tsunade cursed. "This is the opposite of what I wanted to happen." Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean Hokage-sama?" He responded in confusion.

"Kakashi, I sent a scroll to Sakura telling her that she'd have to have sex with Sasuke." She finished.

"What?" He breathed.

"Yes. Despite the previous mishap with you two—"

"What mishap?" He interrupted nervously.

"The escort mission gone wrong…" He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that his Hokage would have his balls strung up on the Village gates if she ever found out about the dangerous game that he and her Apprentice were playing. "Like I was saying, despite the previous mishap with you two and the current conflict with Grass, you are probably the most loyal Shinobi I have under my charge."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"So with that being said, it's no secret that the Uchiha Clan must be restored. Not only for Sasuke's sake, but for the strength and the future of this Village." Kakashi's eyes widened.

He knew he was a conspiracy theorist at heart, but he never thought…

"I already spoke with Sasuke before you all left. That was one of the driving factors for me sending you four on this mission. To reignite the proximity between the two. I know they've had their issues in the past and God knows this is no easy feat, but I don't see the Uchiha settling down with anyone else." His mouth ran dry as he felt his heart pounding in his ears. He swallowed.

"So this mission was mostly a ploy to get Sasuke and Sakura back together." She scoffed.

"Yeah and it's just in Team 7's nature to fuck it up." She said sarcastically.

"Does Sakura know?" He said, barely above a whisper. The slug shook its head.

"Not directly."

"How will she… how will she feel about it?" Tsunade sighed.

"Kakashi, you know Sakura better than anyone. She may not be happy about it, and she'll probably kick and scream to no end, but eventually she'll perform her duty to her Village." There were no other words that Kakashi could use to describe himself in this current moment but shocked.

Sakura would much rather consider taking Sasuke back before trying to domesticate Kakashi.

Who knew he would eat his words so fast?

"But that's why this mission is so important. I don't mean for you to play match maker, but at least Devil's Advocate on the Uchiha's behalf. They need to be back on good terms again." Kakashi was silent. "And I know you care about her. There couldn't be worse timing, especially in light of recent events. It's not my intention for Sakura to suffer by no means. She's like a daughter to me and you out of all people should know I only want the best for her. But the restoration of the Uchiha Clan takes priority." She finished. Kakashi tried swallowing, but the apple-sized lump that formed in his throat prevented him.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." He responded dutifully.

"And again, I want to be able to talk to Sakura about this myself, so can I expect your discretion?" Despite the inner feelings of trepidation brewing in the pit of his stomach, he gave Lady Katsuya a smile.

"Of course. You know me, Hokage-sama. Loyal to a fault." The slug nodded.

"Great. Have Sakura send over all the information she has on the Daimyo implicating him, and I'll leave it to you to create a new course of action. You all still only have two and a half weeks left. I don't need to remind you that war is brewing and I have my four best Shinobi gallivanting on the other side of the world." He nodded.

"Hai." And with a puff of smoke, Katsuya disappeared. There was an eerie silence left throughout the place.

What the fuck just happened?

---

"Play nice," Naruto called as he shut the door softly behind him.

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Sakura nodded to Sasuke before retiring to their bedroom, slipping out of her "disguise" as Kakashi called it, and into an oversized shirt she pulled from her suitcase. She was notorious for stealing from Kakashi and Sasuke, so only the smell would determine who its original owner was. She brought the fabric to her nose and inhaled deeply, ignoring the feeling of disappointment when she recognized a scent that she only associated with Sasuke.

Why was she disappointed?

She hadn't seen Kakashi in about a week and a half and had no time to tactfully commandeer any of his things. But even so…

Her mind wandered back to the diner.

Once again Kakashi blurred—no smeared the lines of their relationship.

'That was bold of you, Sakura.' She thought as she laid down on top of their plush king-sized bed. She brought her knees close to her chest and started absent-mindedly rubbing her fingers back and forth against the soft material.

She felt like she was close to losing her mind again, as thoughts that accompanied her during her 3 months in captivity occupied her.

Kakashi kissed her, and outside of fighting for her life, that was the last memory she took to the hell-hole.

She foolishly daydreamed of unfathomable realities, realities where Kakashi actually wanted her, and their growing proximity over the last couple of years wasn't just a figment of her imagination. He's told her since she was younger that he favored her. She only truly started believing it recently once he took down the metaphorical Village wall he kept between himself and everyone else. She was sure that the things that he shared with her no one else knew. And their late night binge-drinking and bets, inside jokes and playful arguments, all of those things made her feel…special.

But she was special to him, wasn't she?

Kakashi was infamous around the Village. If she sat down and really thought, she could probably go through and name all the women he's been with. Mostly from scuttlebutt, but all the others are whom he's decided to divulge to her. And even with her knowing all of that, none of those women knew him like she did. None of them could name his favorite food, or the way his voice sounds when he's lying. They couldn't speak on the emotional attachment that he got for his inanimate objects in his home, like his favorite coffee mug or favorite Jonin shirt (which she had successfully stolen). They wouldn't know that he's kept Mr. Ukki alive for over 10 years. And she would bet her last paycheck that they've never seen the Shuriken-shaped tattoo on his left ass-cheek, because he would only ever see women at night, and they would be gone before the sun rose. They would've never seen it, so they would've never known he got that tattoo from a lost bet to Sakura. She sighed.

Even with all of that being said, what did it all mean?

'Not much.' She thought dejectedly.

It meant that she and Kakashi were friends, close friends, and that's where it would be left.

'Sakura, I don't want you. And if I wanted you, I could have you.'

That was the reality wasn't it? If Kakashi actually wanted her, he could have her. But she had to look at the facts. He was unobtainable. And why was that exactly? It wasn't because he was previously her Sensei. They were now as equal as they could possibly get; both of them being Anbu partners. And she's seen worse scandals travel through the Konoha streets.

It was because she's never seen the man in a relationship.

The longest woman that he's seen him entertain was the Teuchi's daughter Ayame, and even that was way before Sasuke even came back to the Village. The facts were that he just wasn't a relationship man. He didn't even seem like the type to want to settle down. Has he ever even considered a future beyond risking his life in duty to his Village? Marriage? Children? These were all things Sakura wanted. And no matter how wild her imagination got, the image furthest from reality had to be Kakashi changing diapers.

Another sigh emanated from her lips. She was definitely losing her mind again.

'Look at the facts again, Sakura.'

Okay. The facts also were that Kakashi would do anything and everything in his power to protect her. He always has. He has saved her dignity on more than one occasion whenever she would get into fights with TenTen. Whenever Naruto kicked her out after getting put on probation, Kakashi even housed her for a couple of nights. He knew that he could only sponsor one of his pupils for Anbu, and though she was the least qualified out of his three former students, he agreed to take her on for two years. He's trained her and he's trained with her, creating a combination jutsu that was privy to just the two of them. He's let her see his face multiple times (the first time against his will), and he's allowed her to cry on his shoulder about boys out of all things. And no matter how misguided and fucked up his actions, his intentions to keep the men she chose to date from hurting her were pure.

He cared for her.

Knowing Kakashi, and knowing all of the horrors that he's experienced from such a young age, the trauma he carried around from letting people close to him just to lose them, she knew that was no easy feat for the Copy Ninja.

Even when she came back, mentally battered and bruised and doing everything in her power to push him out of her life, he fought for her. Because he couldn't stomach the thought of losing her.

Even today, when he got word of one of Sasuke and Sakura's notorious fights, he made it his mission to come to her rescue and offer her a way out.

'What does all of this mean?'

On more than one occasion, Kakashi has praised her superior tactical mind. But even without a concussion, this matter just wasn't one she'd be able to solve. Not on her own. Who would she seek advice from? Ino had suspected that the two had something going on but even she was countries away. And with everything going on back at home, the mind-control user was probably in and out of the Village on missions. She didn't want to bother her with something as trivial as her love life. Naruto had previously claimed that the only two men he could see her with was Ren and Kakashi. Ren, turning out to be a total train wreck and Kakashi…

Previously, she'd sit down with Kakashi and talk about her love life over a couple of beers. And he would pretend not to listen, with his face stuffed in a book. But then he would make a joke about her dying alone, and she would hit him, and then he would offer some pretty sound advice. But now…

She was at a terrible impasse. And she realized there was absolutely nothing she could do about it now.

She heard four short raps on the door, snapping her out of her reverie. It was Sasuke, she realized. Their tragic play was far from over.

And…action.

"Come in," She answered softly as the door creaked open.

"Sakura…can we talk?" Sasuke asked quietly as he sauntered into their bedroom. She wished she could say she was psychic, but her teammates were creatures of habit. Everyone was playing their role perfectly today.

"What about?" He moved over to the opposite side of the bed than the one she currently occupied.

"May I?" She nodded, continuing to caress her fingers across the sheets. He got into bed next to her and sat up against the pillows and the headboard. She moved to sit up as well. She watched cautiously as he nervously cracked his fingers.

Here we go.' She thought. There was a long pause and it was unnerving.

"I didn't have sex with her." She didn't realize she was holding her breath until he spoke. Her eyes trailed up from his hands but his pair stayed fixed on his knuckles. "I know what it looked like. It was just a dance. But that doesn't make it better." She turned away from him and squeezed her eyes shut as unwanted feelings filled her. This wasn't supposed to be apart of damage control. She was supposed to forgive, and forget, and sweep under the rug. "You walked in when you did and interrupted the dance. And to be honest I don't know if it would've gone further than that. If you didn't interrupt the dance, it could've gone further than that. In my heart I know that I never wanted to hurt you like that again. But my mind…."

She could hear him breathing, short pants that left his lips. It was like it pained him to even speak on the topic, but that was only because she knew how much it took for Sasuke to even consider thinking about his emotions, let alone share them.

"All that I have will never be enough for you, Sakura. Never." Her eyes widened. "But I will continue to try and fail and try and fail because it's you. It's always been you." She blinked, taken aback by Sasuke's admission. Then she thought back to earlier, when Kakashi brought up how she got them all home. While Naruto was in shock, he said something to her, right before she put him to sleep. He said that Sasuke gave up. That he let him… "So I'm sorry. Because I don't want to lose you, okay? I can't." He finally met her eyes and they were filled with emotion, an expression that looked so foreign on him.

Once again, Sakura was speechless.

For years Sasuke continuously claimed that the only reason he came back was for Sakura. That the sole reason he put himself through any of the trials and the tribulations brought on by their Village was because of her. The only reason he forced himself into docility, the only reason he took the pills, the only reason he played along and did as he was told without so much of an outburst was because he feared losing Sakura.

She asked Naruto earlier if he'd thought that Sasuke changed. But she already knew the answer. He didn't; he couldn't.

The premise of his behavior was based upon which opposing force won that day. His mind, or his heart. His mind being painfully aware that he's been tamed like a caged animal by the Village he hated so much, and his heart wanting desperately to accept that despite everything that has happened to him and everything that was taken away from him he still had family. He still had people who loved him and would do anything for him.

People like Sakura.

But that was just it, wasn't it? She enabled him so much…For this, her heart and her mind were in sync. This wasn't a cycle she wanted to put herself through any longer. But just as she realized with Hatsumi, she wouldn't run out of forgiveness for the boy. She would continue on. She would forgive, and forget, and sweep under the rug. That was Sakura's role. They all played their part perfectly.

Creatures of habit.

"I can't lose you either, Sasuke." She whispered, as she slowly repositioned her body and laid her head in his lap. She felt him relax as his fingers slowly ran through her hair. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, his controlled breaths becoming more ragged as he fell into a deep sleep, comforted by Sakura's presence. Comforted by the realization that all really was okay again. That she wouldn't run away, or argue, or fight.

This was her reality. Not fantasies of Kakashi and what they could be. Not her struggle for peace. Not her trying hopelessly to rid herself of this relentless cycle.

Her reality was that she was cursed. And unfortunately, she couldn't possibly fathom a way to ever break free.

And scene.