Sakura swallowed nervously, running her hand through her pink hair.

She was walking down a dirt path next to her sensei. He was kicking a pebble down the road, looking a bit uncomfortable. Sakura eyed him with a questioning look for about the fifth time in the last ten minutes.

Team 7 was currently on a mission along the coast. Kakashi had ordered Naruto and Sasuke to set up camp near the beach-- there had been reports of people going missing in this area; the purpose of the mission was to find out the cause of this.

Kakashi had noticed that his pink-haired student had been acting pretty down lately. She was helping with the missions without protest, not reacting to Naruto's attempts at flirting, and even paying less attention to Sasuke than usual. She had, more or less, stayed out of the way and kept to herself.

So when her teacher requested a walk with her, Sakura was a little shocked. She wondered if she was in trouble or if she had done something wrong.

Kakashi was leading Sakura to the beach. The sun was starting to set. After ambling through the sand a bit, they walked down a wooden fishing dock that was more or less abandoned at the moment.

At almost the same time, they sat down at the end of the dock and tugged at their sandals. Both shinobi let their legs dangle over the water.

"Great sunset, isn't it, Sakura?"

"Yeah."

Kakashi took a deep breath. "Look, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Sakura quickly sucked in air. She could tell something was up. "Uh... um... Am I in trouble, Kakashi-sensei?"

He laughed. "Of course not. I just want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What's bothering you?"

Sakura gulped. So he could tell.

"Well..." She started. "It's nothing, really. I-It's just that... that... You know..." She sighed. "Sasuke and Naruto are amazing, aren't they?"

Kakashi began to worry. He was afraid this might be the issue.

"You see, Sensei, sometimes I feel like..." Sakura's voice was faltering. Kakashi hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If there's something you need to say, say it. I don't mind."

"Well, it feels like... like... you don't pay attention to me. Like I'm not worthy of being taught or something. Like I'm not good enough. I know they're a lot better than me, but-"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kakashi interrupted her.

A tear was running down Sakura's cheek. Her sensei absentmindedly wiped it away. "Sakura... To be completely honest with you, Naruto and Sasuke are total idiots. I hardly have to give you instruction because you do so well." He grinned through his mask.

Sakura looked up at him. "Really?"

"Really." Kakashi had hoped his statement would make her smile, but at least it cheered her up a little. "If it makes you feel any better, I could, uh, talk to you more, if you'd like that."

I'm really not good at talking to girls, Kakashi thought. Especially when it comes to giving moral support. This is really weird.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

There was a slight pause. Sakura swung her feet to and fro, stirring up the water below her.

"Thank you, sensei," she whispered, looking at her feet. "After talking with you, I feel a lot better."

"Then smile." Kakashi nudged her with his elbow.

Sakura pouted, folding her arms.

Kakashi chuckled and mimicked her position.

She couldn't hold the pose much longer without breaking into fits of laughter.

"Haha, see? Laughter suits you much better." His eyes shut; Sakura giggled. She could tell he was smiling under his mask.

"Remember, Sakura, I'm not just your sensei, I'm your friend, too. Now let's get going back to the camp before our boys set fire to something."

Sakura grinned. "Right."