Part Two

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

Sakura gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged, although her brow wrinkled as she watched his reaction. "Naruto needed the day off because of a promise he'd made to Hinata. I felt bad because I've been letting him do most of the escorting since I've been so busy lately…"

"So you brought him to work?" He crossed his arms. Was there a holiday known as 'Bring your Uchiha to work day' that he wasn't aware of?

"He'll be quiet. Won't you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke inclined his head, but was otherwise silent. Whether that was intended to demonstrate that he would do as she said or was simply his normal refusal to speak, Kakashi wasn't sure. The last time Sasuke had appeared in front of Kakashi was more than a week ago. It would seem that Sasuke's sudden willingness to express himself had been a fluke after all.

There was a slight sway in the way Sasuke was standing, the stink of alcohol hanging over him. Kakashi wrinkled his nose. "Is he drunk?"

"That's also why I didn't want to leave him alone at his house," she said quietly.

"Have you been drinking by yourself?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke ambled over to the Hokage's chair, collapsing into it, tucking his head between his knees. "It's not like I have anyone to drink with me."

This was seriously worrying. Although Sasuke had been fairly solitary for the majority of his life, he'd never shown physical signs before that it bothered him. Well, other than abandoning the village to seek revenge—but he never showed up drunk to the point where everyone could tell. Kakashi noticed Sakura clasping her hands together, biting her lower lip.

Kakashi went to the side table, pouring a euwer full of water into a glass then setting it in front of Sasuke. "Sober up. For the next hour, we're going to alternate water and coffee. Sakura, if you'd please brew up a pot?"

Normally, he'd never ask her to waste her time with something like coffee, but she seemed relieved to have something to do other than watch Sasuke wallow in his own misery.

"Need an aspirin?" Kakashi offered, pulling out a small jar from his lower desk drawer, doling out two white tablets into Sasuke's palm. "Rough night?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He washed down the pills with the water set before and slumped further into the seat.

"It'll get better." Kakashi decided against an awkward pat to the shoulder. In hindsight, he should have made the coffee and let Sakura counsel. He certainly wasn't chosen to be Hokage because of his people skills.

Sasuke's bloodshot eye landed on Kakashi, almost in challenge of that statement. Yikes, if his normal eye looked like that, the modified one hiding behind hair must be a horror show. Over the years, Kakashi had seen all of his former team members in various states of filth, owing to the fact that living in a tent in the wilderness tended to limit hygeine options. But this wasn't the wilderness, this was the comfort of their village, where there were showers, something Sasuke apparently seemed to have forgotten based on the thick coat of grease built up in his locks. His old fans would be distressed to see Sasuke's no-shower look.

"What purpose does this serve?" When a second glass of water was placed in front of him, Sasuke slid it back with two fingers.

"Well you see, if you hydrate your body, it helps to flush out the alcohol you've poisoned your body with." Kakashi returned the glass to its original spot.

"I don't want your help."

"Want and need are two different things. Now drink that water or I'll throw you in prison."

"You can't keep threatening that. It'll lose its magic," Sasuke grumbled, taking the glass and sipping it.

"We'll just see, now won't we?"

The rich aroma of coffee tinged the air, followed by the little sputter of caffeine infused liquid draining into the pot. Sakura came over to them, suggesting, "How about we go to the training grounds, for old time's sake?"

"Just drop me off at home," Sasuke muttered, staggering to his feet. The chair spun from the force of his sudden movement.

"Nope, we're going to the training grounds," Kakashi said, diving to catch the stack of papers Sasuke knocked into.

"Doesn't the Hokage have better things to do than waste his time with me?" Sasuke snarled.

"Well, that's a given, but luckily I have great staff members for when I need to play hooky." Kakashi shrugged off his outer robes, folding it over the top of his chair. "Any objections?"

This last part was directed more at Sakura, who asked, "Are you sure you want to come with us?"

"I need the exercise," Kakashi said, smiling.

After fulfilling the promise of pumping Sasuke with life-returning caffeine and hydration, Kakashi took hold of Sasuke's arm, choosing to ignore the half-hearted complaints grumbled.

#

Their first choice of training grounds turned out to already be occupied by genin going through their exercises. Shikamaru's face was completely disinterested as he blocked the rather clumsy blows aimed at him. His idea of 'teaching' was to have the children try and attack him all at once. He casually greeted the newcomers with a nod.

"Are these all your students?" Sakura asked, scanning the group at least ten people too large for a normal team.

"There aren't enough teachers to go around." Shikamaru sighed. He used one hand to grab the ankle of a girl who came flying at him with her leg extended in a kick. "Someone has to teach these brats."

"I've been looking into it, but there really is no helping the shortage. We lost so many good people," she said. "Well, we're here today, so perhaps you wouldn't mind us taking a few off your hands?"

Shikamaru hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at Sasuke with a measure of suspicion. Not everyone was so welcoming of his homecoming. She noticed, turning to Kakashi in a silent question. The hesitation was understandable as this could be a very bad idea. Ideally, teachers were supposed to guide the new generation into making good choices. Sasuke had made terrible choices. By this logic, Kakashi supposed this meant that he himself had been a bad teacher, but that was a given. Sasuke was technically still a genin, unable to participate in the chunin exams for a very, very long time. It probably didn't matter, as the label would be a formality. The only thing that would change was that he would be able to take higher ranked missions and Kakashi had no intention of sending Sasuke out just yet. The most pressing issue here was whether Sasuke's decision making skills were contagious.

Then again, pairing emotionally scarred teachers with students had always been business as usual in Konoha. Having something productive to do might actually help Sasuke.

"We'll both be here to supervise," Kakashi finally said.

"You want me to teach?" There was doubt in Sasuke's voice as he surveyed the kids who were now staring back in curiosity.

Each of them took on three students. Sakura immediately began explaining theory in manageable chunks, breaking down the information so that her kids could understand and taking the time to answer questions. Kakashi, on the other hand, disappeared into the trees to force his students to come find him. He gained a good view from his place as activity returned to the training area.

Sasuke…stood there.

Kakashi's sensitive ears picked up on a few conversations between the genin standing further away from the others.

"Isn't he the traitor?"

"My mom says it's a good thing the Uchiha clan is gone."

"Don't look into his eyes. I heard he can curse you right on the spot."

Kakashi winced. The gossip and wariness wasn't unwarranted, but was probably still difficult to deal with on a daily basis. He remembered going through something similar after his father took his own life. The constant dissection of his past, present, and future, even though in his case it hadn't been his fault, had grated on him as he sought to deal with the trauma on his own. His chest tightened as he thought of that time in his life. As an adult, he'd put it behind him. How had he done that without going insane? He suppressed a bitter laugh that would have given away his position. That's right. He did go insane, at least for a while.

If he could hear the speculation from his hiding place, he was certain Sasuke could too. While these days, Kakashi sought to put distance between himself and his former student, there was a time when he had cherry picked Sasuke as a successor of sorts. As a teacher, he'd misread them all based on what was on the surface. He assumed that Naruto only a well meaning idiot, unworthy of the legacy of the Yondaime. As for Sakura, she was a smart, but boy-crazed shallow child. Sasuke, with his tragic history, losing everyone he'd ever loved—he was the most like Kakashi.

An ugly thought reared its head in his mind: maybe that's why Sakura moved onto him. Kakashi wanted to slap himself for even thinking it. She wouldn't use him like that. Besides, if she was really so attached to the silent, brooding type with a sad past, then there were plenty of others like that in the village.

Kakashi was one of the people who made Sasuke as he was today. He fed that power hunger, that thirst for revenge, turning a blind eye (haha) to the turmoil within the Uchiha because he'd just assumed Sasuke would learn to live with it like he had.

He was too busy spying on Sasuke and his students making wary circles around each other that he didn't notice Sakura sneak up on him.

"Got you!" she said, landing on the branch next to him.

"You're not the one who should be looking for me." Kakashi turned away from Sasuke's stiff posture somewhat relax as the kids began to try out what he was explaining to them.

"The kids you were supposed to teach got tired of looking for you and came to me instead." She rolled her eyes.

"Shinobi need to learn how to find hiding enemies."

"Bull shit, you pulled this exact stunt when you were my teacher because you wanted to read your dirty books in peace." She giggled.

Since becoming Hokage, he wasn't allowed to carry around his books when he walked in public. It turned out, it's bad for approval numbers. "Well, you've learned since then how to find me. My methods worked."

"Come on, we're going to head to the lake to work on chakra control." She leapt down, landing neatly. He dropped after her.

"The kids really seem to love you," Kakashi commented as they followed the group leaving the training grounds. "Have you considered taking on a team of genin?"

"I have, but I don't think now is a good time with trying to do two jobs and helping Sasuke adjust." Sakura looped her pinky to his briefly, a secret show of affection that brought a smile to his lips.

"Speaking of Sasuke, he seemed to like teaching a lot more than I thought he would." Kakashi nodded over to the other man who was patiently answering the questions of the bolder genin who were less afraid of him.

"I wonder if there's a way for him…" she trailed off as she thought out loud. "Naruto could teach with him."

"We could say it's community service."

"And he wouldn't be alone all the time."

Sasuke, realizing he was the subject of their conversation, turned his head. "Stop scheming about me."

There would be more than a few roadblocks to get approval for their new little project. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure if he was being serious about it. He still had a few misgivings about letting Sasuke being around the youth, which was partly out of worry for the Uchiha, but also for the kids. Could kids handle being around a grumpy Uchiha for extended periods of time?

A girl with pigtails tripped and fell on her face with a decided lack of ninja grace. She grew red in the face, on the verge of tears when Sasuke approached her and offered his hand.

"Thank you, sensei," she squeaked, dusting herself off. She was about to run off when she stopped, looking back at Sasuke. "Can you teach me how to do the fire jutsu too?"

"If you'd like." The barest hint of a smile lifted the corners of Sasuke's mouth.

She nodded then rejoined her friends. This encouraged others to add their requests for Sasuke to teach them and he agreed to each and every one.

"Nice job, sensei," Kakashi said after the voices died down.

"Shut up," Sasuke said.

#

Kakashi sighed as he walked out of the Council chambers. They would 'deliberate' (read: gossip) about the proposal to allow Sasuke to teach genin students under the supervision of Naruto.

Sakura met him in the hallway, hugging him tightly around his middle. "Thank you so much for doing this."

"Boys get into trouble when they have too much time on their hands." Nonetheless, he accepted her hug, which was always pleasantly comforting.

"Do you think they'll go for it?"

"Not sure. The odds are a bit stacked in this case, but Naruto is going to be interviewed next."

"Yikes. I hope their hearing aids are turned on low."

After a few days of deliberation, the Council reluctantly gave permission for a trial run—provided they could choose the students and that Sasuke would submit to a mental evaluation.

"That's…fairly reasonable," Kakashi said, after reading the memorandum submitted to him. He handed it back to Sakura who pushed it back.

"Did you actually read what the mental evaluation would entail?" She pointed to a specific line.

"My eyes aren't what they used to be, you know that."

"The mental evaluation entails a complete catalogue of his memories. It's a huge invasion of his privacy."

Kakashi frowned. He glanced to Sasuke, who was sitting at the other desk, carefully inking characters into a notebook, much improved since his brush with alcoholism. His clean hair had been cut recently, exposing the back of his neck. He continued writing without commenting about their discussion on him.

"Doesn't this bother you?" Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"I will do it."

"You don't have to," Kakashi said.

"It's an opportunity for me to begin rebuilding trust," Sasuke said, setting his brush down. "What about you two?"

"Our memories aren't going to be probed," Sakura said.

"I am the only person, it would seem, who knows about your relationship."

Sakura folded her hands together, staring at them. Kakashi knew what she was thinking about: the threat of a corruption investigation. Judging by their reactions before, indignant at the very idea of someone else's memories being laid out like that, it was clear it wasn't something they wanted.

Sakura peeked over Sasuke's shoulder, seeing what was written there before he slammed it shut even though the ink wasn't dry. "Are these lesson plans?"

"I just had some ideas." His face was red. He averted his eyes, touching the cover of the notebook, his voice soft. "It doesn't mean anything. I will decline the evaluation if you wish me to."

Sakura and Kakashi exchanged glances, coming to an understanding. Whatever discomfort they may suffer, it might be worth it to help Sasuke.

"Don't worry about us," Kakashi said.

The mental evaluation took a few days, with Morino Ibiki in charge. Nothing, it seemed, would be spared: beginning from the time Sasuke defected from Konoha to the present. If Kakashi didn't know any better, he would guess that this was the opportunity that the Council had been waiting for—if they couldn't execute Sasuke, then the next best thing was to pick through his brain. In the end, Morino found nothing to indicate future plans to betray the village again. By coincidence, he passed Sakura and Kakashi on his way out of the Tower after the final session. His expression was blank, but Kakashi could see the tiny hesitation in his stride as he approached them. The man knew.

For one week, they lived with bated breath, until a request for the Hokage to appear before the Council arrived. Before they went down to the chamber, Sakura paced the floor of the office while Kakashi watched her from his desk.

"What are you going to do if they bring us up?" she asked.

"The truth." He lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

"I'm going to resign."

"No."

She threw her hands up. "You tried to fire me only a little while ago!"

"I've changed my mind. Look, it would be unfair of us to let Sasuke go through this and stay quiet about our own secrets."

She shook her head. "I'm more worried about you."

"Come here," he said. He accepted her into his arms, seating her in his lap, nuzzling the juncture between her throat and collarbone. She smelled of her favorite almond scented body wash and the laundry soap they used. He could breathe that in exclusively and he'd never tire of it.

"You're the one going down in the history books. Do you really want this to be part of what they write about you?" she murmured.

"If that's what they decide to remember me for, I can't control that. I've decided there's not much I can do, except just live the best I can." He rolled his eyes. "Okay, please don't point out that I'm not doing the best I can as Hokage, but I really think helping Sasuke is the right thing to do."

She lifted her face to press her lips to his. "Thank you. I know you still have your doubts about him."

"You don't?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." She sighed.

"Shall we go down?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

As Hokage, Kakashi generally avoided seeing the Council members if he could. He wasn't sure what their names were. Merely describing them as "old" was not good enough, because all of them were relatively ancient.

"Hokage-sama, we have finished reading through Morino's evaluation," the old one with a mole sticking out of the side of his nose said. There was a whistling noise from within his chest every time he spoke.

Kakashi straightened his shoulders.

"Much of it was troubling." The woman with pure white hair shook her head, her jowls trembling with the movement. "There is no doubt that Uchiha Sasuke collaborated with the enemies of this village in several attempts to destroy all that we hold dear."

"This village has taken a lot from Sasuke as well," Kakashi said. "It takes from all of us who serve it, but we choose to remain."

"You cannot compare—"

"I can and I will. If you think him a monster, a traitor, then he is what this village made him. There is good that comes out of us, but there is also the bad, the mistakes, the flaws. We can't stand around pretending that we're too up our own asses to think Sasuke's actions an 'aberration.' Orochimaru, Kabuto, Madara—they were enemies that came from within. But they and Sasuke are as much Konoha as you or I.

This is a crucial time for our village. We're broken, we're scared—and we've suffered. Now is the time we decide what our new course for the future will be. I am Hokage and I choose to discard the fear and suspicion we bred in the past." Kakashi leveled his gaze on them. "I choose forgiveness."

There was a slight intake of breath heard in the stillness that followed. He'd never spoken more than two syllables at a time during sessions like these, mostly because he couldn't be assed to argue with them. They stared at him now as if he just grown an extra set of arms.

"Fine words," the one with the mole said. The lines around his eyes gathered as he narrowed them.

"I have been known to have a way with speaking every once in a while." Kakashi shrugged.

"You realize the risk. These are our children that you are asking us to entrust to a potential madman."

Kakashi laughed. The Council murmured among themselves at the sudden outburst. He kept going until his shoulders stopped shaking. Under his mask, he smiled. "I'm surprised you didn't realize this before, but you entrusted this village to a known madman. You ask broken men and women to defend you and we do it. We stand and fight gladly, but each time, we break a little more. Sasuke broke in more places than others. All I am asking you is to help me hold him together."

The Council members glanced at each other. There was silence for a long, long time.

At last, one of them proposed, "There will be a member of ANBU on duty at all times. Uzumaki Naruto shall also be present. Should there be the slightest sign of trouble, there will be orders that the Uchiha be taken out with no consequences to the killer. This would apply to any shinobi nearby should Naruto or the ANBU fail."

To this, they agreed.

As Kakashi and Sakura were about to leave the chambers, he stopped at the door. "Did Morino include any of Sasuke's personal memories concerning me?"

"There was a copy submitted to you if you'd like to read it." A Council member with a long gray braid shuffled papers together, neatening the stack by tapping it against the table. He moved away with the other members, all of them more interested in returning to their own schedules than the Hokage's question, dismissing it as an errant piece of curiosity.

Sakura was waiting for him in the back of the room. They walked out together, their fingertips brushing. He watched her out of the corner of his eye for her reaction. She noticed this, smiling, linking her pinky into his briefly.

"Thank you," she said.

And all of this was worth it.

For her.

#

The newly ranked genin milled outside of the Academy with their parents, proudly showing of their forehead protectors that signified they were part of the next generation of shinobi dedicating themselves to the future of Konoha. Kakashi walked among them, shaking hands with parents, speaking with teachers and giving solemn speeches about teamwork to the genin unlucky enough to catch his eye. Sakura smiled at him broadly when he returned to her side.

"What?" he asked.

"It's just a shame you want to retire, when you're just about getting the hang of this Hokage business."

"Always leave on a high, I always say." Kakashi deftly sidestepped a few girls chasing each other with a game created from the foreheadprotectors. "Which ones are going to be Sasuke's?"

"Those three in the corner over there," she said, nodding in their direction. Although the Council approved the request months ago, Sasuke agreed to wait until the next genin graduation. In Kakashi's opinion, that was a delay tactic on the part of the Council. Their ploy to see if Sasuke would screw up during that time. That was a severe underestimation of Sasuke's determination once he settled upon a goal.

The two girls and boy that Sakura referred to were arguing in hisses and whispers. The girl with bright orange hair moved her hands in animated gestures, waving around her newly received forehead protector. The other girl was dressed in a lime green outfit that made Kakashi certain he was going to lose his vision if he didn't look away. The boy wore a bright, highlighter yellow shirt. Just as Kakashi was wondering if these children were chosen for being colorblind, they broke into a tussle, dust rising in clouds around them.

"Oh boy." Kakashi cringed. Heaven help Sasuke.

#

One Year Later

Kakashi's ceremonial Hokage headwear was, in theory, waterproof. On more than one occasion, he'd been assured of this, and he'd made it a point to ask because of the situation he was in precisely at that moment, standing in Iwagakure, where it had been raining for one week straight.

One would think this kind of unseemly behavior by the weather would be limited to, oh he didn't know, a villaged named after rain like Amegakure, but Iwa? Their name meant rock. The rain had no business acting like a great flood was about to wipe the earth struggled with every step, his robes soaked through, tripling in weight and constricting his movements. The wind blew stinging water like needlepoints straight into his face.

Sakura, meanwhile, walked nimbly ahead of him, chatting with Ino as if they lived through pouring rain every day of their lives. Neither of them had bothered with makeup, but their skin held a pale glow that stood out from their colorless surroundings. Sakura turned around, noticing how far he'd fallen behind, motioning he should hurry. He took a second to appreciate the teasing smile on her lips. The tilt of her green eyes. The fabric of the waterproof cloak clinging to certain curves.

Get a hold of yourself Hatake.

He sighed. One week's travel on foot to Iwagakure, plus how busy they'd been in preparation for the Chunin Exam, and they'd barely seen each other during that time. The constant security protocols required of them were not helping. Pat downs, identity verifications, passwords that changed everyday (he was lucky Sakura was there to remind him), and the worst, making him stand knee deep in the mud while he was forced to remove his shoes for inspection.

The Stone nin were obsessed with studying shoes for weapons. He wanted to shake one of them and remind them that if he really wanted to kill somebody, he'd convince Sakura to punch a hole through their chest with her bare hands. Now that was an idea that was becoming more and more appealing with every passing day.

Sasuke and Naruto were loudly making bets on how well their students would do. Although officially, they were Sasuke's students, Naruto had become a surrogate teacher to the unfortunate trio.

The group slowly separated, with the teachers going down to the arena with their students and the village leaders to the viewing box. Kakashi stood in a room carved into the mountain, staring down at the sheer drop that separated them from the ground. Water dripped from him into a puddle around him.

"Isn't this exciting? I can't believe our relations with the Iwa have improved so much," Sakura said. The other village leaders also had assistants with them who likely doubled as bodyguards if the worst came to pass, much like Sakura was prepared to do. It was a subtle reminder that the peace between them was a delicate balance they watched with a wary eye.

Gaara approached them and they greeted each other formally. Only Naruto really seemed to have the ability to get past that stony exterior.

"You have my congratulations, Kazekage-sama. Without you, none of this would have been possible," Kakashi said.

"It hasn't been easy. There are still many factions out there wishing to see the old ways of the Iwa return," Gaara replied. His pale eyes turned to the audience members filling the seats. "Naruto's presence has been helpful if only as a measure to keep the peace temporarily during the exams."

"They are coming to a close soon and nothing has happened." Sakura said.

"I see also that Uchiha Sasuke's students have advanced thus far." Gaara crossed his arms, but didn't look at them as he spoke.

"Yes, they're doing very well," Kakashi confirmed.

Gaara sighed. "I suppose that idiot Naruto spoke for him when Uchiha returned?" Then, under his breath he muttered, "Soft-hearted fool."

"Most definitely. And this id—" Kakashi coughed, catching sight of Sakura's murderous glare. "—ideal young woman here also put her name on the line."

"Do you think it wise?" Gaara watched the examinees making rounds on the arena floor as their villages they represented were announced. Something like a smile, or what passed for a smile for the Kazekage, formed on his lips as the Suna genin recognized some of the Konoha members and they acknowledged each other. "We've come far, both your village and mine."

Kakashi's last memories of the Chunin Exams had been before the war. These were the first ones organized since the villages began rebuilding. "Honestly, we are simply hoping for the best. It's rather apt that we begin this new era of peace by forgiving the mistakes of the past."

"Some would call that weakness, Hokage-sama."

"And I would call that rudeness, Kazekage-sama."

The kanji on Gaara's brow wrinkled as he lifted it. Before he could answer, a cry of alarm rose in the room. A deep rumble shook the floor they stood on. The walls began to close in, threatening to crush the occupants should they remain. Those trying the door found it sealed off, it being made of stone, the edges melted into the frame it was set in. The next logical thing to do was to jump out of the open end of the room, great heights never stopping healthy shinobi before. However, as one of the kage's assistants went ahead to scout for traps, she was sucked into the stone below without warning.

"Stand back, we're setting explosive tags around the door," someone said. Shortly after, a controlled set of bombs went off, the noise leaving a ringing sound in Kakashi's ears. As the dust cleared, masked shinobi poured into the small space, forcing them back to the edge. He lost Sakura in the increased chaos.

He shouted her name, but his voice was swallowed up in the din. He searched, desparation increasing by the second, for the head of bright pink hair. His eyes never stopped scanning, even as he dodged an attacker, throwing him off the edge.

Sakura found Kakashi, fighting her way through the enemies. He reached out for her, snatching her close as soon as he was able, finding that he could breathe again. He wiped blood dripping from a cut on her face with his thumb. Almost frantically, he searched her for more injuries. "You all right?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"Still kicking."

He looked down into the arena, where everything had stopped as people stared up into the viewing box to see what was happening. Below them was that sheer drop, the arena being built into a natural ampitheater in the mountain.

"I'll go first," Sakura said.

"No. My lightning can break up any stone based traps."

"Mr. Genius, it's raining. You'll electrocute all of us."

Ah. He'd been so focused on protecting her he'd forgotten his own shortcoming. "Try to avoid that first trap."

"Who do you think I am?" She tightened her gloves and leapt.

Ahead, Gaara cleared a path from his cloud of sand, releasing the grains into open cracks and forcing out the ninja inside.

"Go! I'll watch your backs." Gaara shouted.

Kakashi touched two fingers to his brow in thanks as they passed. The stone split and yawned like hungry mouths waiting to snap shut and swallow them whole. More attackers came at them, but they fought them off, moving in tandem, their abilties flowing together from practice. They were almost to the arena when an explosion tag lobbed Sakura into the air. His gut reaction was panic in seeing her hurt until the moment he realized just a half a second later that she'd jumped on purpose to avoid the trap.

The distraction was enough to slow him down as a horde of attackers fell on him from directly above, blocking out the sky. Pain assaulted his senses as kunai ripped into his flesh. They broke the chakra holding his feet to the moutainside and they plunged together, cutting through the wall of rain. His lightning would have thrown them all off at once, but he was soaked through. He'd be fried along with them. But water was not the enemy here. He went through a rapid succession of hand signs, increasing the weight of the liquid already around him.

Instead of aiming it at them, he used it against himself, plummeting faster than before by pushing the water against his body. It put enough distance between them. This was the tricky part now. He clapped one hand onto his upper arm as a chakra block. The other arm he aim and fired the destructive energy of the violet lightning. The technique electrocuted the attackers, as he'd planned. One less thing to worry about.

However, he was still falling.

He sighed as the wind whistled in his ears and whipped through the wet strands of hair. The limb he used to channel the electricity now flailed uselessly, pain roaring through the nerves. Sakura could probably fix that. If he didn't die from impact. He weighed his options. The attackers had separated him far from the mountain side. He could use the water technique again to make himself fall at an angle but the problem there was that currently, one of set of his fingers were not listening to him. He couldn't even form a fist.

Oh good, so this was how he died.

A blur of pink snatched him out of the air. They landed on the top level of the arena, the impact forming a small crater around them. Sakura straightened, still carrying him princess style securely in her arms. "The Iwa security squad is finally moving in. We can let them take care of this and see to our villagers." She hissed, noticing his blood seeping into her clothes. "Can you walk?"

"I could, but being carried is nice." When he saw his joke falling flat he added, "I can make it. I know you'll catch me if I pass out."

They found the others as they were exiting the arena. Naruto jumped at the sight of them. "We're moving the students to an underground bunker in case there are rebels targeting them."

"Do you know if the hospital is secure at the moment?" Sakura asked.

"No word on that. It'd be better if you came with us."

The entrance to the bunker was nearby. The jounin teachers from every village stood guard at the other exits. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were left to watch over the group.

"Heal any of the kids first if they're hurt," Kakashi wheezed.

"No major injuries, thankfully. Just a few scrapes from the escape." Sakura kneeled at his side, cutting away his clothes now plastered to his skin with drying blood. "I can't believe you almost fell to your death. That would have really been a way to go for you after all of this."

"I think I knew you would catch me." He smiled.

"Idiot." She hastily caught the tear before it fell from her eye, brushing her face against her shoulder. She kept muttering 'idiot' under her breath as she worked on him. His smile broadened. It was music to his ears. He could listen to her calling him an idiot for the rest of his life.

Chakra healing was always soothing. The pain ebbed away, replaced by the gentle hum of Sakura's presence flowing warmly through his veins, stitching him back together. He drifted off. They were still in the midst of danger, but he had her at his side and Naruto and Sasuke a few feet away. With that knowledge, he could fall asleep even if bombs were going off around them. All right, maybe not that extreme.

When he woke up, Sasuke sat on guard next to him. Kakashi made a face because it wasn't Sakura.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "They're bringing in other wounded and they needed her help."

"I didn't say anything."

"You two make me sick."

"Hey."

"You asked me a long time ago if I love her." Sasuke stared straight ahead as he spoke. "I do."

"I thought we were over this." Kakashi shifted on the thin padding he was laying on. The cold cement floor seeped through the cotton.

Sasuke tilted his head back slightly. "We will never be over this. I will always love her, until the day I die."

"Have you told her this?"

"No. I never will. It's clear you're the one she wants." He smiled with his lips closed at some secret joke only privy to him. "But I want you to know. In case you ever hurt her, in case you ever stray, that I will still be there. I will always be there."

"Is that a threat?"

"I thought that was pretty clear."

Kakashi would never be scared of Sasuke if the little shit threatened to kill him or maim him, but that declaration. Oh boy that declaration. It would be a lie to say that it wasn't a tad bit frightening.

#

The rebels were subdued and security gave the all clear to resume the examination the next day while they launched further investigations. Alert would remain on high, but many of the students insisted on continuing. Damned if ninjas would let a little surprise attack stop them.

After the stress and adrenaline rush, Sakura and Kakashi chose to let off some steam with their favorite joint activity back at his hotel room. He was two fingers deep inside her when she locked her eyes on his, her green eyes sparking with heat. "Marry me," she demanded.

His newly healed arm nearly gave out from under him. "What?"

She twisted, moaning louder, "Marry me."

He watched her a moment longer as she gripped the sheets, her hips rising off the bed. His lids lowered halfway and he leaned closer, his face nearly touching hers. If it was possible, he was even harder than before. "Say it again."

"Kakashi, I'm so close."

He slowed his pace, dragging out her pleasure. "Again."

"Marry me!"

He withdrew his hand, seizing her thighs and dragging her to him. He thrust his erection into her with one stroke, all the way to the base of his length. She cried out. Her back arched and he admired the rise of her breasts. He thumbed one pale pink nipple in a slow circle. "Yes," he murmured.

She took his hand, lacing her fingers with his as she came. She came again before he was done. He rolled off her, laying on his side next to her. His heart was still racing. "Are we really doing this?"

She scooted closer, pressing a leisurely kiss on his lips. "No take backs. We're going to get married and live our lives together and fuck and argue about take out, maybe fuck some more…" She looked down at the cause of the sudden pressure pushing against her stomach. "Already?"

"That part about takeout must have really gotten to me. You know I love it when you talk dirty."

"I have to be able to walk tomorrow."

"So you tease me like this and leave me wanting?"

"I can't help it if you get turned on by weird things."

He pressed kissed on her throat, tasting salt on her skin. "Let's argue about takeout every night."

"Won't we cook sometimes?" She laughed as he nibbled her on a spot on her neck he knew she was ticklish.

"This is my condition, Sakura. We argue about takeout every night or we don't get married at all," he said seriously.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, taking his erection still slick from being inside her only moments ago in her hand.

"Arguing about takeout was a euphemism for sex right?" He hissed as she stroked him. His hips moved automatically as he thrust into her hand.

"We can negotiate later," she purred.

They didn't sleep much that night.