A/N: I wanted to do all prompts for the last KakaSaku month, but I was in the middle of studying for board exams back then, if I remember correctly, so this was put in the back burner. However, I swore to myself that I would make something (art/fic) for all prompts so here I am, posting for KakaSaku month almost a year late, lol. The prompt was: Yukata/Kimono.

Also, this was supposed to be a one-shot with around 1k ish words. And now it evolved into this word vomit.

When Kakashi moved in to this apartment smack-dab in the middle of town with half the rent of his previous place, he simply thought it was a stroke of good fortune. When he found a dusty, bright red yukata folded up in the corner of one of the closets, he didn't think twice of the nervous glances the owner of the apartment complex sent him.

"Just, let it be, okay? Don't ever touch it if you could help it."

At the moment, Kakashi chalked it up to the eccentricities of an older man and shrugged. The place was a steal and he'll be damned if it slips away from his fingers just because he couldn't let go of some old man's oddities. Now that the pots and pans were clanging in his kitchen in the dead of the night, Kakashi wished he had.

He also wished he could chalk up the strange banging to a wind draft but his kitchenware were safely stored inside his cabinets. The first few times it happened, he hoped it was a burglar. Hell, a burglar was easy to deal with. He wasn't a cop for nothing. The translucent entity residing in his home along with him though, was a completely different matter altogether. He first caught a glimpse of it when he went to the comfort room in the middle of the night. Just as he was returning to his room, he saw it glide across the kitchen, slowly approaching him.

Now, Kakashi was a brave man. But he was also smart, and his brain told him to get the fuck out of there before that white, glowy thingy feasted on his innards as he helplessly screamed for help or death, whichever came first. In retrospect, Kakashi mused that ghosts don't even eat humans at all, but it was 2AM and his brain wasn't even functioning enough to properly shoot his pee in the toilet. Five days after that fateful encounter with the unknown – also five days of stretching his bladder's limit to hold it in in the middle of the night – Kakashi can't take it anymore. He absolutely had to go and piss.

Yet, the clanging of pots and pans and various kitchenware resounded in his tiny apartment, convincing Kakashi that maybe wetting his bed was the better option.

No. Kakashi thought. He was better than this. His father taught him better. His father also taught him how to run quickly, so he was pretty positive he could make a mad dash from his room to the bathroom and vice versa without White & Glowy noticing. Taking a deep breath, he opened his bedroom door and sprinted.

And everything had gone according to plan, at least up until this point. His bladder, relieved, and no ghostly encounter tonight to speak of, Kakashi thought that maybe things are starting to look up. That was, until he turned and found himself face to face with doe-like green eyes.

He thought he heard a voice say "what is it with men and their inability to pee inside the bowl" before he passed out.

When he came to his senses, all he sees is a hazy white. "Am I dead?" He whispered, rather put off that he died of fright of a ghost. He could just imagine the amount of ribbing his dead father would put him through once they meet again on the other side.

"No," he heard a voice say, "but I am."

Quickly crashing back to reality, Kakashi realized the hazy white color he was seeing was actually part of the ghost that assaulted him. Panic kicking in, he jumped up and backed up to the bathroom walls to get away from the entity. He grabbed a nearby shampoo bottle and wielded it like a bat.

"What do you want? What are you?" He managed to shout without stuttering. That was when he noticed that the ghost was actually a girl. It was clad in a grayish white yukata, the same shade as the rest of her. Her eyes were green, her hair pink, both colors dull and muted. She looked like the subject of an unfinished portrait, her surroundings a vivid color compared to her washed out tones.

"You don't have to be rude," the ghost said sounding rather put off. "Anyway, I'm Sakura and, obviously, I'm dead." She said extending out a pale, ghostly arm.

Kakashi looked at the hand in front of him dubiously. "What do you want from me? Leave me alone!"

The ghost – Sakura – rolled her eyes as she retracted back the hand that Kakashi obviously doesn't want to shake. "Oh, I will. I want to cross over to the next life as soon as possible. It's not fun being stuck here. But I can't. And I need your help."

When Kakashi moved in an apartment smack-dab in the middle of the city with to a too-good-to-be-true rent, he should have realized that it came with a few repercussions. Said repercussion was currently lounging (or rather, floating) on top of his couch as he eyed it warily. It was annoyed at being called 'it' though and insisted on Kakashi referring to her by her proper name. Sakura. Kakashi thought it was a pretty name. Fitting for a ghost as pretty as her, that is, as pretty as ghosts could ever be. He wondered if she was a real beauty when she was alive.

"Well, yeah, in fact I am. I have two overprotective best friends who happen to be built like barns though. Really close, the lot of us. Knew them since we still had nappies. However, their presence puts off any prospective suitors. Also, you don't have much of a brain-to-mouth filter don't you?" She remarked.

"It's close to 3AM." Kakashi mumbled. "My brain-to-mouth filter is asleep. As should the rest of me."

"You can have all the sleep you want later. After you help me pass on, that is. After that, you get a nice, ghost-free apartment and all it took you was helping a girl in need."

Kakashi didn't really have a choice. The apartment was such a good steal after all.

When Kakashi arrived home that night, he had a huge stack of folders in his arms. It drew a few stares at the police station as Kakashi was notorious for being as good in the field as bad as he was with paperwork and it garnered attention that he was bringing work home. Upon seeing his documents, Sakura also questioned him about it.

"We're finding out who murdered you." Kakashi replied, releasing the stack of folders on his apartment's coffee table as he crashed beside Sakura on the couch.

Sakura frowned, "I don't even remember how I died. How do you know I'm murdered?"

Kakashi looked at her as if she was a particularly daft child. "Why else would you be hanging around here if not for a bloodthirsty desire for brutal revenge towards your murderer?" He finished with a childish glee that had Sakura raising an eyebrow at him. Despite his initial misgivings, he was obviously enjoying playing detective.

"Rrrright. Looks like somebody watches too much police dramas." Sakura said not fully convinced of his logic. She sighed, "I suppose it's a decent start, though. Any leads?"

"I went through some files and found some cases with unidentified female victims. One of these could be you. We could go through this pile and see if it rings any bells."

"Okay." Sakura nodded. Kakashi cleared his throat and began reciting the contents of the file closest to him.

"Body was found 3rd of May 2017 with multiple stab wounds and signs of torture. Feel familiar? Any phantom pains anywhere?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura frowned, "well, no. I don't think so. Glad I don't, though. That sounds like a horrid way to die."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, "yeah, I didn't think so either. You don't look forty-three to me." He said, looking at the age at the top of the file.

"Excuse me! I'm only twenty-three!" Sakura huffed in indignation.

"Really?" Kakashi said disbelievingly, "I'd say you're around twenty-eight at the youngest."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If I could just touch you now, I'd disembowel you."

Kakashi tsked. "Such anger. Ever thought that's why you died? Remember any enemies you made?"

"I don't have any enemies." She said, rolling her eyes. "You can ask Naruto and Sasuke, you know, the best friends I told you about who are built like barns"

"Well, if I could ask them, let alone find them, I would not just ask them that but also what happened to you so that we can get this over with. However, it just so conveniently happened that you don't know where to find them. Some best friend you are." Kakashi said, snarkily.

"I forgot, okay?" Sakura said, irritated, "I can only remember bits and pieces from when I'm alive. Unfortunately, where they live isn't one of them." She sighed, visibly deflated, "hell, I don't even remember a lot about myself."

Kakashi looked at the young spirit seated beside him. Right now, she looked and sounded less like a ghost he should be scared of, and more of a young girl who has lost her way. "I miss them, you know." She continued, melancholy tinging her voice. "I tried looking for them before but I can't go too far from here. I'm literally tied to this place." At that moment, Sakura looked so forlorn and so much like a lost little kid that Kakashi can't help but think that it's cute. Her pout tugged on heartstrings that he thought were long dead and he spoke without really thinking about it.

"What if," Kakashi said, "I look for them for you?"

Sakura's eyes widened, her visage brightening visibly, "you'd do that? For me?"

Kakashi really would prefer not to, as he hated extra work, but he found himself agreeing. "Sure. Maybe that's why you're stuck here. Not because you wanted revenge but because you wanted to say goodbye. It's another common theme in horror movies." Oh well, he rationalized, maybe doing this favour for her would speed up his acquisition of a ghost-free apartment.

Sakura laughed, a pretty bell-like sound in Kakashi's opinion. He wondered whether that's how ghosts laughed in general. "Thank you, Kakashi." She said with a grin.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile back.

A newfound zeal for paperwork has been noticed in Hatake Kakashi that made his fellow policemen wonder on whether to call an exorcist. Surely, the man is possessed or cursed? The last time Hatake Kakashi willingly volunteered to archive old reports was when he was fresh out of police academy and was still a bright-eyed, hopeful twenty-something. The current Hatake Kakashi, though, while still the most excellent member the police force could ever ask for, could not be bothered with routinary, menial tasks like paper-pushing. Today, though, a huge stack of folders were on his desk as he combed through them like a madman. He had been barking orders all day, bullying his subordinates into a frenzied panic. When fresh blood, Sarutobi Konohamaru, came knocking to Shiranui Genma's door pleading for someone to please, please, have mercy and talk some sense to Hatake-senpai, the older man only smirked. Hatake had always been rather famous for hazing new hires. When the day came that Kakashi, the man who never arrives at the station earlier than 10 AM, told Genma to come tomorrow to work at the ungodly hour of six in the morning, Genma decided that enough is enough.

"Yeah, right, okay. Not gonna happen. We're going to talk about your phase, Hatake."

Kakashi raised his eyes from the folder he was examining, "my what?"

"Don't act like you don't know! You've changed!" Genma cried, like a scorned lover.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Kakashi replied, his interest in this conversation officially depleted, "now if you have nothing else to say, I have to get back to my work. See you tomorrow at six."

Genma let out a cry of frustration. "This! This is what I'm talking about!"

Kakashi looked at him dubiously, "you have a problem with me looking at paperwork or coming to work early?"

Genma huffed, "don't make me sound stupid!"

"I've never had to try," Kakashi muttered.

"There's something weird about you these days, Hatake." Genma continued, "before, you wouldn't even touch these things, saying that they don't interest you and then pawn them off the new hires! I'm pretty sure you would be fired if you weren't this station's chief, to be honest. But now, you're even telling me to come to work at fucking six! Last week, you wouldn't even be here before ten!"

"Your point is?" Kakashi drawled in a lazy voice.

"Look at you now! Poring through these files like a man possessed and we don't even have a case to crack! You've thrown this whole place in a frenzy, Hatake!"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that." Kakashi replied serenely.

Genma sighed, "well, yes, but it's so weird."

It was Kakashi's turn to sigh. "Look, Genma, if I'm suddenly interested in certain individuals and decide to do some background checks on them, I'm pretty sure it's fine as long as I'm not hurting other cases."

"You're hurting my sleep schedule," Genma pouted.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "You'll live."

"Kakashiiiii!" Genma whined pitifully.

Kakashi sighed, "fine, I'll make it six-thirty."

Genma was about to protest that no, six-thirty isn't all that better, when he was interrupted by three sharp raps on the door followed by ridiculously glossy head of hair poking in.

"Itachi-kun!" Genma cried, "perfect timing! Will you please tell our superior that he's being unreasonable by making a dashing young guy with a bustling social life like me report to work at six-thirty?"

Itachi didn't even spare him a glance. "Here's the paperwork you were asking for, Hatake-san."

"Thank you, Itachi." Kakashi replied.

The younger man was about to exit the room but Genma wasn't allowing him to escape that easily. "Hey, hey, Itachi, you don't have anything planned tonight, right? Maybe you could fill in for me tomorrow. I have a hot date tonight with a blonde bombshell and I'm pretty sure it would go pretty well. Can't really leave a pretty lady like that alone in bed at the morning, can't I? Huh? Huh?" Genma said, as he punctuated each 'huh' by inching closer to Itachi's face. The younger man, finally realizing that he has to acknowledge his idiotic colleague, sighed in poorly concealed annoyance.

"Shiranui-san, even if I were free, I wouldn't cover for you." Itachi replied pointedly. "As it so happens, I have a family dinner tonight. My little brother, Sasuke, is back in town."

Kakashi's ears pricked up. "Did you say Sasuke?"

The odds of Sakura's Sasuke being the same person as Itachi's Sasuke was approximately one in a hundred as there were quite a handful of Sasukes in Konoha. Nonetheless, he had a good feeling about it and a good cop always trusted their gut. After a quick interrogation about Uchiha Sasuke, Kakashi declared that he was calling it a day – but it's only 3PM! Yes, Genma, I know how to read the clock – and sped home. Sakura would be thrilled.

He found her alternating between sobbing quite hard and wailing like a banshee. Kakashi stared at her as he kicked off his shoes. "You okay?" She let out another ghastly screech that Kakashi was sure would have sent chills down his spine. If only he hadn't seen the funny way her face contorted as she wailed.

Sakura turned her head as if noticing him for the first time, "oh. You're home early." She said, gliding towards him, normal as can be, as if she wasn't on the floor earlier and screaming her little ghost lungs out.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" Kakashi said, crashing on the couch. Sakura's lips quirked up into a mischievous smile.

"Did you know that every afternoon, the owner of this complex comes up here and places his ear on this very door?" She said in conspiratorially.

"And?"

"He thinks this place is haunted!" Sakura declared.

"Aaaand, he's right." Kakashi deadpanned.

Sakura huffed, "you're no fun. I just give him a show so that going up three flights of stairs to listen at your door won't be a waste. He's a nice old man. I don't want to give him disappointment."

"So you give him a heart attack instead."

Sakura waved him off, "psh, nothing but a little adrenaline to get the old bones jumping. Anyway, you haven't told me why you're home early."

"Oh, right," Kakashi said, suddenly remembering what happened at the station. "I've got a few leads on your identity as well as your friends'. Does the name 'Uchiha' ring any bells?"

Suddenly, like a dam breaking, a flood of memories washed over Sakura.

Her first memory of the Uchihas as a family was Sasuke's fifth birthday party. Her mother had dressed her in her finest clothes, which she would later dirty after a tussle in the grass with Naruto and the birthday boy. Mikoto and Fugaku were the picture of a proud and esteemed couple. Itachi, a doting elder brother. And Sasuke, a disgruntled five-year-old in scratchy clothing. It was a fun party, even though it ended with Naruto splitting his lower lip, Sakura getting a monstrous bruise at the side of her face, and Sasuke bawling his eyes out.

Sakura remembered getting her first confession in middle school. It was just before Christmas and a boy named Kiba wanted to spend the day with her. From out of nowhere, Sasuke and Naruto appeared from behind her back. "She's spending Christmas with us." She heard Sasuke say as he and Naruto took one each of her arms and marched her away.

Naruto's first girlfriend was a shy girl called Hinata. Sakura remembered asking the boys why they were allowed to get girlfriends, yet they chase away any guy who came close to her. "Because all men are trash." They answered in unison.

Sasuke wanted to be a cop like his older brother. He went to police academy and promptly dragged Naruto along with him. The academy, however, was in a different city than Sakura's medical school. While she would surely miss her bestfriends, maybe at least her lovelife would be able to bloom now that they're gone.

It didn't. Naruto and Sasuke visited often enough that they were constant presences in Sakura's university. Often enough to glare menacingly at any potential suitors. Maybe getting a boyfriend is still not in the cards for the near future.

"Sakura?" She heard a voice say, breaking her away from her trance-like state. She looked at the origin of the voice, disoriented. "You spaced out for a moment."

"Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto." She breathed, savouring the way the names rolled off her tongue. She looked at Kakashi, "both police academy students. I'm in medical school."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, "so your friend is my subordinate's younger brother after all."

Sakura raised a brow, "you work with Itachi nii-san?"

"I'm his superior." Kakashi replied. Sakura looked at him in disbelief.

"You're the police chief of Konoha? You?"

Kakashi raised his hands in mock surrender, "well, please don't sound too surprised. I'm pretty good at my job, you know."

"You looked like you would piss your pants when you first saw me and I bet you would have pissed your pants too if you hadn't just pissed then."

"I like to work with hardened criminals not barely-out-of-their-teens bratty spirits. Did you know you used the word piss three times in one sentence. Not very ladylike."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Bite me."

"Kinky."

Finding a reason to gate crash his subordinate's family dinner was something Kakashi didn't expect he'd be doing ever in his life. He also never expected to help a trapped ghost pass on, but such was life, and here he was at Konoha's top Japanese restaurant in his nicer clothes and seated right behind Uchiha Itachi's ridiculously glossy head of hair. Maybe sticking gum in it would be the conversation starter he was hoping for.

Sadly for Kakashi, aside from this being a terrible plan, it was also unnecessary as Itachi chose that moment to rise from his seat to go to the comfort room. Their eyes met as Itachi turned. "Hatake-san?"

"Oh, Itachi! I didn't know you were in this restaurant." Kakashi exclaimed in mock surprise. It's been so long since he'd had to do undercover work, he hoped his acting skills were still up to par.

"Yes, I'm with my family." Itachi said, gesturing to his parents and brother.

Kakashi zeroed in on Sasuke almost immediately. He looked like a surlier Itachi - if such a feat were even possible - but with shorter hair. Now, how to get this boy who was currently scowling at his tea to meet Sakura? Kakashi directed a polite smile towards Itachi's parents which the couple returned. Then he turned to Sasuke, "ah, this must be your little brother then? Heard he wants to join our ranks soon. Nice to meet you, Sasuke. I'm Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi said as he stood up to shake Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke raised his gaze from his cup to the hand currently extended in front of him. "Charmed," the younger Uchiha said dryly. Itachi smacked him behind the head. "I mean, nice to meet you, too, Hatake-san." Sasuke said, extending his hand to meet Kakashi's.

"Forgive my brother's rudeness, Hatake-san." Itachi said with a bow, a curtain of hair falling down beside his face.

"Oh, no worries, Itachi. Tell me more about yourself, Sasuke. I've always been curious about Itachi's brother." Kakashi said in a voice he deemed as friendly.

Itachi raised a brow, "really? Because I believe this morning was the first time I've mentioned having a brother at all."

Oops. So much for trying to make friends to gain Sasuke's trust. "You've mentioned it before I'm sure," Kakashi bluffed, "after all, how will I know about Sasuke if not through you?"

Itachi looked like someone thoroughly unconvinced but decided to let it go. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to his parents, "can I go now? Naruto and I have somewhere to be."

Jackpot for Kakashi. Since Sasuke was meeting this Naruto, maybe he can get them both to see Sakura tonight. He should have realized, though, that there was such as a thing as too enthusiastic, and his interest in Sasuke now crosses that territory. Itachi eyed him warily, as if wondering why is normally aloof superior is showing this much attention to his little brother. Kakashi, meanwhile, had been too excited at the prospect of allowing Sakura to meet her friends again, he didn't notice that Itachi was already noticing something was off.

"Ah, leaving so soon, Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi said with what he thought was a friendly grin but what actually looked more like a predatory leer that creeped out the younger man.

"Yes," Sasuke nodded warily.

Kakashi's grin broadened and got creepier. "What a coincidence! I'll be leaving as well. Let me accompany you to the parking lot!" He exclaimed, drawing a hard stare from the elder Uchiha brother that Kakashi didn't notice.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the suggestion. "That won't be necessary. I'mleavingnowbye." He said in a rush before practically sprinting out the restaurant.

"Sasuke, wait!" Cried Kakashi as he stood up to follow the younger man. Suddenly, he felt a strong grip hinder him. He turned and met the cold eyes of his subordinate. "Itachi, let me go." Kakashi told him.

"No." Itachi replied, firmly. Because Uchiha Itachi was a good brother and good brothers don't leave their little brothers with superiors who looked like they were up to no good.

It took the rest of the night for Kakashi to convince Itachi that he had nothing but pure intentions towards spending time with the younger Uchiha and it sucked that Sakura didn't appear sympathetic towards his plight either.

"You acted like a total creep." Sakura declared as soon as he finished his story.

"Well, thanks. Not like I was doing this for your own good or anything." Kakashi replied indignantly.

"You could have acted less creepy about it." Sakura said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Who the hell would be that enthusiastic to go to a dark parking lot with someone they just met. I bet you were smiling your creepy smile too."

"I don't have a creepy smile!" Kakashi protested.

"You do." Sakura deadpanned, "sometimes, you direct it at me. I would have feared for my life if only I weren't already dead."

"Do I need to remind you that I'm a cop? I apprehend psychotic, scary men with little girl fetishes. I am not the psychotic, scary man." Kakashi replied, defending his honor.

"Says you," Sakura muttered under her breath.

"Keep that up and I'll take away that bowl of ramen you've been – what are you doing with it anyway?" Kakashi asked with a tilt of his head as he looked at Sakura who appeared to be continuously passing through a bowl of take-out ramen in a back-and-forth motion.

Sakura sighed, "I'm trying to taste this bowl of ramen, you idiot."

"You can do that by passing through a bowl?" Kakashi asked, his interest piqued.

"'Try' is the operative word," Sakura replied disappointedly. "Never thought I'd see the day I'd miss the taste of ramen."

"Not much of a ramen fan, huh?"

"Not really," Sakura said as she glided her way to Kakashi's side and assumed a sitting position beside him, though her butt still hovered off the couch. "It's the only thing Naruto wants to eat. You try not getting tired of ramen after eating it almost everyday for the entirety of high school."

"Ichiraku's ramen is the best, though. While I don't know what ramen you're eating back then, eating Ichiraku's would have made the ordeal more bearable."

"Oh, we were eating Ichiraku's," Sakura replied with a fond smile playing on her face, as if remembering the past. "It's Naruto's favourite. In fact, it's the only place where he wants to eat at whenever he and Sasuke are in town."

"Sounds like an unhealthy obsession," Kakashi observed.

Sakura laughed, "oh, you have no idea. Sasuke and I always worried that Naruto would get kidnapped someday by a strange man who offered ramen instead of candy."

Kakashi chuckled, "did it happen?"

"Oh god, thankfully, no. We told him to never speak to strangers and soon, the two of them eventually bulked up so I'm pretty sure nobody can kidnap Naruto anymore even if they wanted to."

"Ha. Maybe I should just kidnap Naruto with ramen and bring him here so that you can see them at last." Kakashi said with a snort.

He didn't like that Sakura looked at him like he was some sort of genius.

It's really a testament to the circle of life that Kakashi, a cop who had chased thieves and apprehended kidnappers, is now in the middle of trying to abduct a twenty-three year old man who looked even more buff than Kakashi himself. He had hung out for quite a bit at Ichiraku's and found out who Naruto was by hearing the owner, Teuchi, call out to him. Apparently, he went here enough to be on first-name basis with the owner. Taking a seat at the far booth, Kakashi began to wrack his brain for ideas on how to get Naruto to Sakura. Hopefully, a legal one would pop up soon.

"Hey!" Said a cheery voice that roused Kakashi from his musings. "Mind if I sit here?" And by some stroke of good fortune, Kakashi found himself face to face with one Uzumaki Naruto, who happened to be gesturing to the empty seat in front of the older man.

"Oh, um, sure." Kakashi found himself mumbling in dumbstruck agreement.

"Thanks! It's really hard to get a seat during the lunch rush. My name's Naruto, by the way." Naruto said, as he plopped his tray of ramen on the table and promptly began to eat. Internally, Kakashi compared the stark contrast between Sakura's bestfriends. Naruto was bubbling with uncontained energy and cheer. Meanwhile, Sasuke was surly and disinterested for practically the whole time Kakashi interacted with him.

"Kakashi," Kakashi said as a way of introducing himself.

Naruto grinned, "nice to meet you! I haven't seen you before and I'm quite the regular here. But then again, I haven't been here for quite a while."

"Oh? And why's that? Found a better ramen joint to frequent?"

Naruto's face collapsed into a scandalized expression. "No!" He denied vehemently, "there's no ramen better than Ichiraku's!" Kakashi found himself chuckling. Sakura was right. It really does seem like this boy worships Ichiraku's ramen.

"If that's the case, then why haven't you been here for a while, Naruto?" Kakashi replied as Naruto's face furrowed into a frown.

"Oh. Well, a friend of mine got into trouble. There was an accident, you see." Kakashi's ears perked up. He must be talking about Sakura.

"Really?" Kakashi replied, trying to seem disinterested. "Mind telling me? I'm rather curious and you'll probably feel better after venting."

Naruto smiled, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. It seemed infinitely sadder compared to his earlier cheerful grins. "I don't want to trouble you with my problems, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi was about to reply that no, it was absolutely okay for Naruto to vent and maybe he'd want to get drinks with Kakashi at his apartment? He did look like he needed a friend, after all.

Thankfully for Kakashi, he didn't get a chance to blurt out his spiel, which, to be honest, sounded rather creepy given that he and Naruto just met. Not so thankfully for Kakashi, he was interrupted by the arrival of one Uchiha Sasuke who looked grumpier than he did on the night that Kakashi first met him.

"Oi, dobe!" Kakashi heard Sasuke's voice coming from Ichiraku's entrance. Upon seeing the shock of blonde hair that belonged to his friend, Sasuke made a beeline towards their table. "I knew I'd find you here." He said with a smirk.

"Did you bring your car?" Naruto asked, his earlier cheer returning to his voice.

"Yes. It's in the parking – wait a minute," Sasuke's eyes widened. His gaze was on Kakashi who had a finger raised in a salute. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted.

Naruto looked at the two, "you know each other?"

"I met him when I was at dinner with my family the other day," Sasuke replied. "He's Itachi's boss."

Naruto's eyes widened in interest. "Really? You're a cop? Sasuke and I are at police academy, you know!"

Kakashi was about to reply, but was then interrupted by Sasuke once more. "You're talking too much again, Naruto. How many times must I tell you not to talk to strangers?"

Naruto pouted, "but there were no other seats, Sasuke! And Kakashi-san has been really nice too!"

"Ah, yes," Kakashi managed to say, "it's been nice meeting Naruto, and you again as well, Sasuke."

Sasuke turned to Kakashi once more, "yes, well it's been nice to see you too again Hatake-san." He said in a way that suggested it hasn't been anything close to nice at all. "But, you see, Naruto and I have somewhere else to be."

"But, Sasuke! You said we're having lunch here before we leave!" Naruto whined.

"You look like you're already done." Sasuke said, looking pointedly at Naruto's empty bowl.

"I was planning to get a second one," Naruto grumbled under his breath.

"The second one's going to have to wait." Sasuke said, pulling Naruto up by the sleeve. "Come along now, Naruto."

"Aww, alright, alright," Naruto then turned to Kakashi, "it's nice to meet you, Kakashi-san!" He said with a bright smile before turning back to his friend.

For a while, Kakashi thought it a waste that Sasuke arrived when he did and prevented him from learning more about Naruto, and by extension, Sakura. But then, he heard the blonde boy's voice over the noise of the restaurant and realized that Sasuke's arrival might have been a blessing in disguise.

"Are Sakura-chan's parents already waiting for us?"

For yet another instance, Kakashi found himself playing spy for Sakura. This time, he was in a rather busy diner as he tried to sip coffee as innocently as possible. From behind him, he heard Naruto's chatter as the boy greeted who Kakashi assumed was Sakura's parents. Kakashi wouldn't dare turn around to see their faces as he was pretty sure Sasuke's distrust for him would increase a hundred fold if he found the older man in their presence again. He heard them settle down and order their food. As soon as the waitress left, he heard Sakura's father speak.

"Thank you for coming all this way, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun. I can only imagine how busy the two of you are at university, yet you still managed to squeeze in the time to meet us on your visit to Konoha."

It was Sasuke who responded first, "it was no big deal, Kizashi-san. Naruto and I are planning to meet with you anyway. How are you and Mebuki-san holding up? I think it's been close to five months since we last saw each other."

There was a pause, as if the older man was thinking carefully of what he wanted to say. "Terribly." He said. "Ever since that day, ever since the accident-" he said trailing off, in a voice that said that he was remembering something painful.

So it was an accident, Kakashi thought, noting this new piece of information. A new lead to unlock the mystery of Sakura's death.

"How about you, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun?" Said a female voice that belonged to Sakura's mother, "are you coping well?"

Sasuke sighed, "Sakura-chan was family to us, Mebuki-san. I don't think I can say we're faring any better than you and Kizashi-san."

"Not to mention we'd been at university, away in a different city, while Sakura-chan is hospitalized." Naruto continued in a regretful tone, "we're sorry, Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san, for not being here sooner."

"Ah, but it's not your fault, boys." Mebuki said in a tone that brook no argument. "Sakura-chan would have hated it if you missed school for her. Besides, you were the ones who took her to the hospital when she – when she – " Mebuki couldn't finish the thought as Kakashi heard her break down into tears. Beside her, Kizashi whispered soothing consolations, despite the obvious pain coloring his voice as well.

"Mebuki-san, if there's absolutely anything, assistance of any sort, that I or my family can offer, just name it." Sasuke said, sincerity shining through his voice. It was the first time that Kakashi heard strong emotions coming from the usually stoic young man. He must truly care about Sakura.

"You've been enough help, Sasuke-kun." Kizashi said firmly. "You and your family did all that could be done for Sakura, and we are thankful."

There was silence that lasted for a few minutes until Naruto spoke again. "No." He said quietly, "It's not enough. You don't understand, Kizashi-san," he was now speaking with a tone of desperation. Kakashi heard Naruto take a deep breath, as if bracing himself. "What happened to Sakura," he continued in a low voice, "was our fault."