A/N: Hello! You guys have waited so long for this, and it's finally here! I present to you, the sequel to Mistake, Linger! I'm really glad you all enjoyed Mistake. I was very surprised to see how popular it had gotten. I really appreciate all of your kind reviews, feedback, comments, etc. You all make me very happy! (:

If you haven't read Mistake already, I highly suggest that you do before you read this story! You'd be missing a lot of important points and references I make as we progress deeper into the plot.

Summary: Love. It comes and goes, brings joy, elation and frustration, and lingers when it is most unwanted. Once again, Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno find themselves stuck in a tight predicament. Sequel to Mistake.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Linger

Rated: Mature

Chapter One: Return

At the age of twenty, Sakura Haruno finally reached the highest point in her life. She was respected by many of her peers and was known far and wide throughout the nations. Tsunade only recently praised her as the newest sannin member, and the diamond crest resting on her forehead provided the evidence for her status. Her income from her shifts at the hospital and missions were large enough to supply her with a new, larger apartment. It was decent and was surrounded by a great deal of lovely scenery. It was also closer to her work, so it never took her more than twenty minutes to walk over to the hospital.

Sakura had everything she ever needed. She had a nice home, amazing friends, work that paid well, and respect from many different shinobi. She was aware that there were people who were dying for such a sweet lifestyle, and she knew that she was supposed to be happy. Yet, despite all of these facts, there was still a sense of insufficiency. There was something that she was missing, but she could never put her finger on it. She could ask Tsunade for a short break from work, but she didn't want to put even more pressure on her.

Because Naruto was elected as the Sixth Hokage, Tsunade had taken complete charge of the hospital. Her expertise in medical ninjitsu helped lessen the amount of patients they had. Things had never been more organized, and Sakura appreciated her master's hard work and effort. Naruto was elected Hokage recently, and since he still wasn't quite used to his role, Tsunade offered to lend him a helping hand every once in a while. Naruto was normally reluctant and stubborn about accepting assistance, but this time he allowed it. Sakura was quite relieved that his behavior matured. She had to admit, at first she was extremely worried about how he was going to handle situations as leader of the Hidden Leaf.

She hummed and began to chew on the cap of her pen. She stared blankly at the documents sitting in front of her and tried to recall what she was working on. Her concentration often trailed off elsewhere, so it didn't surprise her that she forgot what she was doing. It was a terrible habit that she had gotten used to. She knew she had to get rid of it, but she never found the will to do so.

Sakura caught sight of Moegi as she practically skipped past her open door. Her body instinctively jolted out of her seat. "Moegi!" she called loudly.

A few seconds ticked by before the young kunoichi poked her head into the office. She wore a warm smile as she greeted Sakura with a nod. "Yes, Sakura-san?"

"Would be a dear and bring these documents over to Shizune for me?"

She stapled the papers together and extended her arm outward. Moegi stepped forward and took them politely.

"Of course! It's not a problem!"

Moegi departed in an instant, leaving Sakura alone once again. She sighed and began to search through her schedule, wondering what she could do to pass time before her shift ended. She still had approximately an hour until she was cleared to leave, but that was an entire sixty minutes. It seemed far too long and unending. And so, after deciding that she had no idea what to do, she left her office to seek out Tsunade for advice.

The hospital was practically a maze. There were many turns and dead ends. It wasn't unusual to see nurses or doctors getting lost in these hallways. She, herself, had gotten lost a couple of times. But after constantly making trips here during her genin years, she got to study and memorize the entire layout of the building. She grew accustomed to the winding paths and the distinctive odors that clung to the white walls. The scent of disinfectants and death nauseated her and gave her small headaches. At first, she didn't have any difficulties with working in the hopsital. Over time, however, she gradually found herself hating the deathly atmosphere and actually dreading it.

Sakura paused in front of her master's office, her hand gently grasping onto the doorknob. She glanced back at her desolate surroundings and took a moment to ponder. Perhaps it all started when she was seriously handicapped and was forced to rest for a month. She shuddered at the bitter memory and allowed herself inside of the spacious room.

Tsunade's head rose from the pile of papers spread out across her desk. Her expression lightened up and she welcomed her former pupil with a wide grin. She immediately discarded the pencil in her hand. "Sakura, what a surprise! I thought you'd be too busy chasing patients around!" the blonde exclaimed.

"I thought so too," laughed Sakura, stepping onto her toes before relaxing back onto the balls of her feet. "I came to see if you needed any help, Shishou. I couldn't find anything to do back in Wing A."

"Couldn't find anything to do," echoed the large-chested woman. She leaned back into her chair and propped her legs on top of her desk. "Why don't you just head on home then?"

It took a while for Sakura to process, and once she did she could only blink in shock. "Are you being serious?"

"Sakura, you deserve a break. You've definitely earned it."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. After bidding Tsunade a kind farewell, she took no time in hurrying out of the hospital. The fresh air soothed her aching lungs as she merged into the large crowd wandering about the village's streets. She wouldn't be going back to work until Monday and she was grateful that she was given a head start on her weekend. It surprised her how generous her shishou was being, but at the same time she didn't bother questioning the unusual behavior.

Smiling to herself, she began to make her way to her apartment complex. She decided to take the long way back, which involved going around the entire training facility. There was still a lot of time to kill and she was certain that she did not have enough plans to occupy herself until nightfall. The amount of people on the path she was following gradually began to die out. The large, familiar fences coated around the training fields appeared in a matter of minutes. A disarray of small weeds and blooming flowers poked out from the holes of the fence. They always seemed to tilt towards her once she passed by. A stray dog scurried in front of her, whimpering silently as it nudged the boxes of trash resting nearby a discolored wooden wall. She bent over and stroked its tan head softly, whispering comforting words into its twitching ears. She withdrew and watched as the fragile dog chased its tail in continuous circular motions. As she reached out again, a tremendous force shook the ground.

The dog recoiled and fled in fear. Sakura rose to her feet and questionably glanced towards the upcoming training field. Cautiously, she strode to the next sector and entered the field. Her beryl eyes trailed over the groupings of tangled, painted wood rooted deep into the earth and almost immediately, she realized the cause of the short tremor.

She ventured deeper inward and discovered Yamato and Sai struggling over one another. Yamato's hand was firmly locked around Sai's pale wrist, and in Sai's hand was a kunai pointed downward. Although she was a bit distant from their current location, she could still hear their quiet pants and intakes of breaths. Yamato eventually deflected the painter's weapon and stepped back from his opponent. His flak vest and sweater had been tossed to the side, so as his back bent over into an arc, she could vaguely see his defined structure through his thin tank top.

The man undid the headgear strapped around his forehead and he let it drop to the dewy grass. He sucked in a deep breath before his dark eyes met her curious gaze. There was no reluctance as he happily called her over.

"Sakura! How long have you been standing there?" As soon as she reached them, Yamato wrapped her in a sweaty embrace. His skin was wet with sweat and it stuck onto her top. It felt extremely icky, but as always, his hugs were welcoming.

Sakura smiled sheepishly, rubbing the moisture off of her shoulder. "Not for a while. I was just heading home when I felt a little earthquake."

Yamato took notice to her actions and his face instantly reddened in embarrassment. "Oh, forgive me! I forgot I was all sweaty from the spar! I'm sorry, I'm probably not in one of my best appearances right now."

He was pretty bedraggled, but his appearance was oddly attractive. If Sakura was interested in him, she would have been blushing furiously over him.

"It's alright, taichou," she chuckled, dismissing his apology with a swat of her hand.

Sai dropped to his knees to retrieve his kunai before looking up at her inquisitively. "Ugly, you mentioned something about heading home earlier? You're finished with your shift already?"

"Shishou dismissed me from work early. She thought I deserved a break."

Yamato chuckled. "You have been working a lot lately."

"I suppose so." She hummed tunefully, observing the two males as they changed into their proper clothing and gathered their belongings. "Do you guys train together often?" she suddenly asked.

Sai was the first to answer. "We are partners in the ANBU facility, so yes. We don't train a lot outside of the facility though."

She nodded.

Yamato grinned again and gave her a pat on the back. "Well, Sai and I are going out to eat some Korean barbecue. Do you wanna tag along? It's my treat."

Sakura just couldn't say no.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Sakura promised Yamato that she'd order one of the most expensive meals on the menu. Sai actually laughed and Yamato explained that her silly remark reminded him of an old friend.

~ X x . . . x X ~

Shikamaru was lying stiffly on his bed, his arms crossed behind his head. He stared blankly at the fan circulating above him, watching as its wings spun in one swift motion. He didn't have much planned for the weekend, as usual. Since Naruto took place as the Sixth Hokage, he had been assisting him with figuring out the ins and outs of his new career. Naruto's passion for his work was unexpectedly strong, so it didn't take him long to get used to his new routine. Shizune did not show up often at the Hokage Tower, so Shikamaru assumed she returned to the hospital. Perhaps he was considered Naruto's right-hand man.

The idea of it shook him slightly. The amount of work needed to be done did not appeal to him, but what else could he do during the day? He was going to be quite frank with himself. He had a boring lifestyle.

Shikamaru rolled onto his side and glared at his alarm clock. It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon. There were still six more hours before he would return to the tower to check up on Naruto. Approximately an hour ago, Naruto asked him to fetch Sakura for him. He pointed out that it wasn't urgent, however, and Shikamaru took the opportunity to go home to visit his mother.

Looking around now, his bedroom hadn't changed much since he moved out into his own apartment. It was still tidy and orderly. Knowing his mother, she probably kept it clean for whatever purposes she had in mind. His lips curled into a smile at the foolish thought of her cleaning every inch of this bedroom. He was starting to think that he missed living with his parents.

There was a silent knock on the door and it slowly creaked open. The scarred face of his father appeared with a takeout bag held close to his cheek. Shikamaru lazily sat up and flung his legs over the bedside. He gazed gratefully at his father as the older man handed the food over.

"Once I got home, your mom told me that you are here visiting," began Shikaku, taking a seat next to his son. "Luckily, I ordered enough food during my lunch date with Inoichi for both you and your mom. Save her some, will ya?"

"Of course," replied Shikamaru. He broke the chopsticks into two and began digging in. "Thanks."

As he ate, Shikaku patted him gently on the head. He gave a hearty chuckle. "You know, I kinda miss having you around. I remember when you were just a baby. Boy, you cried a lot!"

Shikamaru twitched and slurped the remainder of his noodles. He glanced embarrassingly up at his father. "Dad, seriously…"

"And then you started to grow up and become lazy—"

"Dad—"

"You were pretty adorable. What happened to you—"

Shikamaru set the takeout box on his nightstand and softly elbowed his dad on the arm. His cheeks had grown noticeably hot and red. "Dad, please."

Shikaku blinked. Then he laughed aloud, placing his hands on his knees. "Sorry, Shikamaru. I was just reminiscing. Time just flies by when you get old."

Shikamaru sighed and scratched the side of his head. As much as it pained him to hear these silly stories of his young-self, he enjoyed spending time with his father. He was far much younger than him, so he most likely didn't understand the concept of being an adult. An adult's behavior was surely strange, he thought, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to understand the situation until he was standing from their point of view. Adults fascinated him, but he never made fun of them for what they did.

"So, Shikamaru. How's the work with Naruto going? I've heard that you help out more often at the tower than you do at the Interrogation Facility."

The dark-haired shinobi hummed. "I'm not fitted for it…but it's fun being around my friends. Naruto isn't an idiot like I originally thought."

The older man nodded. "I see."

Shikamaru looked at the time once again, recalling the task Naruto had assigned to him. He slowly rose from the bed and made his way to the door. He paused, then turned to look over his shoulder. "Hey, dad. Do you know where Sakura could be at?"

"Ah. As a matter of fact, I do. I ran into her on the way out from the barbecue house. She must still be there. It hasn't been that long since I've left. Why?"

"I just have to relay a message," exhaled Shikamaru. "I'll be back for dinner."

Shikaku smiled once again. "And in time for another round of shogi?"

Shikaku's son snorted softly as he closed the bedroom door. "Yeah, of course."

~ X x . . . x X ~

Sakura didn't know the last time she had eaten such a delicious meal. Being cooped up in the hospital for days straight left her no time to eat out anywhere, and her exhaustion often prevented her from cooking her savory dinners. The most she had been eating was either ramen or egg over rice, and the both of them were beginning to taste very bland. She was glad to be reunited with her past teammates, but she was even more glad to stuff her belly with warm goodness.

Yamato was being awfully generous to her and Sai, offering to pay for all of their meals. It was extremely expensive. She tried telling him that she was joking about having him pay for her portion, but he insisted and continued to insist until she could no longer argue. But then again, perhaps it was just her. She had not seen the two ANBU agents for well over a month. Being around them nearly made her feel foreign.

She could still easily remember their behaviors back when they were still a team. Yamato was often contradicted and never really figured out how to control barbaric, foolish predicaments. If he was unable of coming up with any other solution, his best resolve was to scare the shit out of them. His eyes were always very barren and frightening, but radiated warmth when he was in a content mood. Sai was the expressionless, unemotional one in the squad. He had difficulties with interacting with others and gave inappropriate, dirty names to his comrades. After a while, he began to develop feelings and finally understood the interaction between people. However, the pale-skinned ninja still remained a complete mystery. As for Naruto, he was barbaric, crazy, and definitely reckless. He was still quite the same, but nowadays, he took life more seriously than he had before. It was certainly different seeing him in a different light, but it gave her pride and joy to see him growing up to be a fantastic, outstanding person.

And then there was the oblivious, elusive mentor…Kakashi Hatake.

She shuddered at the thought of him, her body stiffening and her muscles tensing. His name only brought back bittersweet memories.

Sakura was completely wrapped in her thoughts and failed to notice Sai's intense glare.

"Sakura, you're thinking too much," he pointed out, drumming his fingers rhythmically against the table.

Hearing her name slip out of his mouth gave her the chills. It was times like this when she could tell how concerned Sai was.

She laughed dryly at herself. "I guess I am."

Sakura stared down at her lap, her hands clutching onto her dark skirt. Why was she thinking too much?

"Sa-ku-ra."

Shikamaru lazily waved his hand in the air as he casually approached their table. She looked questionably up at him, noticing the burnt cigar hanging from his pressed lips.

"Shikamaru, what's up?" wondered Yamato.

The dark-haired ninja lifted his chin slightly. "Naruto told me to fetch Sakura for him. Said something about discussing the details from your previous mission?"

"Oh, well if I'm needed…" Sakura rose from her wooden chair and stood by his side. She bid her former teammates a short farewell, thanking Yamato for the treat and promising him and Sai that they'd see each other again. As busy as she was, she was willing to try to make time and meet up with them every once in a while.

Once they emerged from the restaurant, it almost appeared as if the sky had darkened. The bright blue colors were wiped away and were replaced with a purplish-pinkish hue, with gray clouds dotted in various places. The sun was setting behind the horizon, suggesting that it was almost the evening. The feeling in her chest suddenly became heavier, but she forced her concentration elsewhere.

The start of their trek to the Hokage's tower was a tad bit awkward. She didn't know what to say or what to do. Like many of her other friends and acquaintances, she hadn't seen Shikamaru for what seemed like decades. It was as if she had become a young infant, just learning how to interact and say proper words. Her natural ability to talk freely with others was now blurred and forgotten. Sakura continued to wallow in her personal issue.

Shikamaru hummed tunefully before renewing his cigar. Smoke bounced around his figure, embracing him with an ashy, burnt scent. He exhaled slowly, retracting the cigarette from his lips and holding it firmly between his thumb and index finger. "You know, you kinda remind me of a hermit," he spoke cautiously. "You've been a little reclusive lately, if you ask me."

Sakura chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Really?"

There was a short pause.

"I was expecting you to hit me or something. I guess not." Shikamaru bit onto the tip of the cigar.

"You want me to hit you?"

"It's not that I want you to hit me. I was just expecting it. It's a normal reaction I usually see from you."

"Oh…well…"

"It's different seeing you like this," he suddenly said, looking at her nonchalantly.

The kunoichi was momentarily stunned. "I…I'm different now?"

He listened to her puzzled and somewhat hurt tone. He broadened his statement, "It's not that it's bad, but I don't know if it's good either. Maybe it's just me and my stupid antics. I guess I'm not used to seeing everyone growing up and going off to their own paths. I just feel like you've changed the most, Sakura."

Sakura couldn't stand the intensity of their conversation anymore and slapped him across the arm. He flinched and rubbed his attacked limb, dumbly looking at her before chuckling. "Heh, you ended up hitting me after all."

"Of course," she huffed. "Cause you're an idiot, Shikamaru. No one's changing. We're all still the same. We're all still friends."

She was almost being completely honest with him.

Shikamaru grinned meekly. The cigar dropped from his mouth and was left unforgotten on the dusty sidewalk.

At last, they arrived at their destination. The lights were dim in the hallways and vaguely illuminated the reddish-orange walls of the structure. The building was practically empty, with the exception of ANBU agents patrolling the perimeter. There was an unusual, woody-like scent resting in the tower. It contrasted the sweet aroma of budding flowers and plagued the air with a deathly, discomforting chill. Shikamaru was not bothered, but he did take notice of the distinct atmosphere.

The two shinobi were steadily approaching the door to the main office before Sakura abruptly stopped in her tracks. Shikamaru glanced at her, but she didn't look at him. Her attention was fixed on the wooden door in front of her, her beryl eyes quickly losing its vibrant color. She took in a ragged breath and cleared her throat. When she spoke to Shikamaru, her voice was soft, but fragile and weary.

"You know, now that I think about it, I'm not feeling too great today," she whispered. Her hands clenched and her tone became increasingly melancholic. "Every day is practically like hell."

She could see him uncomfortably look to her before grasping onto the knob, turning it, and pushing the door open. He allowed himself in first, Sakura following quietly behind him.

"Naruto, I'm back," announced Shikamaru, withdrawing towards the back of the shadowy room slightly.

"Oh, that's good. Thanks for bringing her. Great timing too, actually!" Naruto smiled, oblivious to the tension in the office room. "Sakura, Shikamaru. I'd like you to say hello to our good ol' friend." His tan hands motioned towards the open window on the left, leading their gazes to the silver-headed man sitting on the window sill.

One leg remained extended in front of him while the other hung lifelessly to the ground. His ANBU gear clattered silently as he turned to greet them, one hand reaching up to move the ANBU mask to the side of his masked face. A single, onyx eye met Sakura's apprehensive glare before crinkling happily. His familiar voice was smooth, low, calm, and had a familiar, attractive roughness to it. She froze when he began to talk.

"Yo. Long time no see." Hearing him speak added on even more weight to her shoulders and lungs, making it impossible to breath.

"Ya see," began Naruto, excitedly, "he just came back from his mission a couple of minutes ago! You should have seen how shocked he was to see me in this Hokage uniform!"

The ANBU agent rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "I wasn't that surprised, Naruto."

Shikamaru coughed and dug his hands deep into the pockets of his linen pants. "Troublesome idiot." He ignored Naruto's baffled remark and complaint and directed his attention to the older man. "It's nice seeing you again. Been a long day?"

"Definitely." He hopped off the window and stood tall beside Naruto's desk, adjusting the weapons holstered on the belt strapped around his waist. "Well, I've got to get going. I don't want to be a nuisance."

Sakura could feel the strain on her back steadily and increasingly becoming more and more painful. Her body stiffened even more once he turned around and looked at her. His gaze burned right through her, his expression undecipherable. He suddenly began to walk towards her, and then it occurred to her that he was making his way past her. She instantly found herself struggling to accost him and the anxiety was becoming too unbearable for her to handle.

She swallowed hard and forced a small smile. "Welcome back, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi paused next to her. His musky, pinewood scent intoxicated her lungs and sent shivers running up and down her spine. Her eyes widened when his hand unexpectedly landed on top of her head. He gently ruffled her pink hair before letting his arm drop back to his side. His action left a numbing sensation behind. His hand was neither warm nor cold, and was neither comforting nor discomforting. Sakura could only blink in surprise.

"I'll see you later, Sakura."

After his departure, Sakura found her eyes watering. She now knew that he had placed all that had happened between them aside to be forever forgotten. He really meant to forget her existence.

"How nostalgic," she muttered, shamefully and dejectedly.

Naruto was too busy chattering away to hear her remark and Shikamaru was too focused on the tears forming at the corner of her eyes to understand why she was crying.

Thank you for reading!

Reviews Are Appreciated!

Some things you should know:

- I will most likely work on Fool more often, so don't expect frequent updates for this one. I don't know, actually. I'll decide eventually. Hopefully, I'll be able to manage my time well and figure things out.

- There are a lot of references made in this first chapter to the first chapter in Mistake. I hope you've read Mistake already, and if not, please! Go read it! (:

- Lastly, there will be a lot of things here that I will leave to you, the readers, to interpret. Some symbols and figures in this story will have more meaning than you think! So read carefully, aha!

Thanks!