Hey everyone! Okay, I'll start by saying, if you are reading "When Skies are Grey", don't worry, I'm not abandoning it. It may wind up being shorter than I previously anticipated, though... I'm just facing an extreme lack of inspiration for that story currently, and I think it has something to do with the fact that I accidentally started shipping KakaSaku...hard. And so I just had to start writing this KakaSaku story I've had bouncing around in my head. I struggled with whether or not I should post this first chapter, as I don't know how quickly I'll be able to update, but I just decided to get it up and see if anyone is actually interested in reading it. I'll probably write the whole story regardless of if anyone wants to read it or not, but if people like it I'll keep posting it here.

Obviously there's an age gap between Sakura and Kakashi, in this story it's about 12 years, (that's the shortest age gap that I thought I could get away with with their canonical ages xD), but don't worry, Sakura is a consenting adult! I'm gonna go ahead and stick an M rating on this story, although it doesn't really apply to this chapter. I'll try to make sure to post a warning at the beginning of any chapters that merit the "M". ;)

Anyway, read on, my dear friends! Let me suck you into the obsession that is KAKASAKU *heart eyes*.

If you were my boat in the deep blue sea,

I'd probably sink you down.

I know I should've thanked you for carrying me,

But for you I would happily drown.

If There Was No You (Brandi Carlile)

Chapter One: Feelings

She breathed heavily, each pull of oxygen straining her already tired lungs just a little bit more. Sakura could feel the warm blood trickling quickly down her back and she grimaced. That was really going to sting tomorrow. If she lived until tomorrow, that is.

A cool hand wrapped around her wrist, and she looked up to see the tired and concerned eyes of her silver-haired companion gazing down at her. "Are you alright, Sakura? You're losing a lot of blood, we need to get your wound closed up."

Before she was able to choke out a half-hearted "I'm fine", an explosion blasted them apart. She thought she heard someone shouting her name, probably Naruto, but she was unable to focus on the sound as the ringing in her ears grew to a nearly unbearable pitch. The images of the trees and field around her faded away in a blast of bright white light, and Sakura wondered if she was dying.

She felt herself slipping…into death or unconsciousness, she wasn't sure which. She struggled helplessly against the white light that was threatening to engulf her completely, taking her in from every angle and refusing to release its merciless grip on her. Sakura tried to scream out in frustration, but was silenced completely as the light overwhelmed her. She was weightless, without form, and she felt herself floating freely without any control over her own body.

She was gone.

When Kakashi had agreed to take this mission, he was actually looking forward to it. It had been quite some time since he had been on a mission with just Sakura and Naruto, and so for old time's sake he had agreed to go. Plus, he and Sakura had gotten very close over the past few years, and their relationship had slowly shifted from teacher-student to friends. They were now sparring partners and often met to simply talk or sit in silence. They found peace in each other's company as a sort of respite from the somewhat hectic and hyperactive life of a Leaf Village ninja. He would never turn down a mission with her.

When Tsunade had offered the mission to the three of them, she had said it was probably a little below the skill level of the three shinobi in front of her, but the three of them were available that week and she figured they might enjoy a reunion of sorts. Kakashi and Sakura had made automatic and natural eye-contact, a smile behind both of their gazes as Naruto burst out his acceptance for all three of them.

But now, Kakashi found himself hunched over Sakura's broken form, his heart was pounding wildly in his chest as he watched blood pour from the many wounds covering her body. There was one particularly nasty gash across her forehead that the blood was practically squirting from, and Kakashi immediately tried to stop the flow with his gloved hand. He was no longer worried about the enemies they had been facing, he could hear Naruto making short work of them in his great anger, and Kakashi knew that the fox-boy would have no problems now. Anyone who knew Naruto knew that anyone who hurt Sakura was as good as dead.

The mission was supposed to have been simple. They were escorting an important diplomat back to her home in the Hidden Sand Village, it should have been a piece of cake. However, on their way through the River Country, the trio and their client ran into a large squad of ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Kakashi, the legendary copy-nin, was in their Bingo book, and the Mist ninjas didn't want to pass up on an opportunity to catch the elusive Hatake Kakashi. They obviously thought it would be relatively easy to apprehend Kakashi, there were five Mist ninjas and they seemed to underestimate the hyperactive Naruto and the incredibly small Sakura. They had ignored the diplomat completely.

How foolish they had been.

While it hadn't been easy, they had taken out all but two of the Mist ninjas, and that's when it had all gone to hell. As Sakura had gone to land one of her outstanding punches right into the face of one of the enemy nin, he had jumped out of the way, causing Sakura's arm to become lodged in the large stone behind where the man had been standing. The Mist ninja took this opportunity to hurl a kunai at Sakura, and she had only been able to move herself enough so that the weapon couldn't pierce any vital organs. It struck her in her left side with a dull thud that Kakashi had heard from across the field that was hosting their battle.

Kakashi had been there in an instant, throwing a kunai with deadly accuracy so that it stabbed the unsuspecting Mist ninja through the back of the head. He was immediately at Sakura's side, helping her to remove her arm from where it was lodged almost elbow deep into the boulder.

That's right about when the explosion had gone off.

Now Sakura lay at his feet, obviously bleeding out without much time left. He began to use every healing jutsu he knew, trying with little success to close up her many wounds. He wasn't a great healer, he knew that, healing was Sakura's forte. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to focus his chakra and to calm down enough to actually make some progress. When he opened his eyes again he was determined, and he managed to close up a few of the more deadly looking gashes.

"How is she?!" Naruto asked much too loudly as he suddenly appeared next to Kakashi. The boy was covered in blood that Kakashi could only assume wasn't his own. Those ninja had chosen the wrong squad to mess with, that was for sure.

"I don't know," Kakashi replied in his cool voice, trying hard to conceal the extreme worry he felt like he was drowning in. "At this point, it makes the most sense to get her to the Hidden Sand Village. Go find Lady Haruki and tell her we must hurry."

"Kakashi…" Naruto began with wide eyes. "There's no way in hell Sakura is going to make it at the slow pace that we'll have to go for that woman. You go ahead and take her. I'll stay back with what's-her-name."

Kakashi considered this option. Naruto was probably right, Sakura was not in good shape, and he'd be damned if she died on his watch. However, he didn't think it was a good idea to leave the Sand Village diplomat with only one twenty-one year old escort, regardless of the fact that Naruto was one of the most powerful ninja he had ever known. But as Kakashi's gaze shifted to the girl curled up and dying at his feet, he knew what had to be done.

"Alright, Naruto, you're right. I don't like this, but we really don't have a choice here. I'll get Sakura to the Sand Village and you escort Lady Haruki. Just please," Kakashi added quietly, "Be careful. Sakura will kill us both if something happens to you."

Naruto cracked a smile, despite the circumstances. "I know she will, I'll be fine, promise."

With that, Kakashi wasted no time gathering the broken pink girl in his arms and launching off as fast as his legs and chakra would carry him towards the Village Hidden in the Sand.

When Sakura woke up, she was alone. Sitting up slowly so as not to further aggravate her throbbing head, Sakura carefully looked around, surveying her surroundings. She was in the same field that she had been fighting in with Kakashi and Naruto, however, now they were nowhere to be found.

Looking down at herself, Sakura also realized that her body was completely free of injury, although the pain was still there. She was wearing a bright white dress that she had never seen before in her life and her feet were bare and cold. Upon examining her hands, she also found that her skin was inhumanly pale and almost transparent. She put her hand over her chest to slow the racing of her heart, but was shocked to find no beating there. She swore she felt the sensation of a beating heart in her chest, but her hand registered no vibrations.

Was she dead?

She felt like she had to be dead. Was this the afterlife? Was she cursed to forever wander the field she had died in, as a ghost perhaps? Or was all of this in her head? She supposed that perhaps she was just unconscious, but it seemed unlikely. This felt like the end.

Standing up despite the pain in her body, Sakura spun around in a slow circle, trying to decide if what she was seeing was real or not. "Kakashi? Naruto?" she called out, testing her voice. The words echoed back to her endlessly, as if a thousand Sakura's were shouting the names one after the other. The sound continued for almost a full minute, and Sakura decided then that she wouldn't be yelling anymore.

A sudden and extreme exhaustion washed over her, and almost against her will, Sakura crumpled back to the ground. Her vision immediately began to dim and she felt her body fall backward, softly into the daisies. Before her vision went completely dark, Sakura was able to see the sky for a moment. It wasn't blue, but a rainbow of warped colors churning around and melting together across the expanse. A face began to appear in the multicolor sky as her vision blackened further.

She smiled as her eyes closed. "Kakashi."

Kakashi stopped immediately upon hearing Sakura say his name. It had been a whisper, but he had definitely heard her say it. "Sakura?" he questioned, not bothering to mask the worry in his voice this time. He scowled when he didn't receive an answer, and took off again, even more swiftly than before, if that was possible.

He hoped to reach the Sand Village in about half a day, and he prayed to a god that he didn't believe in that she could hold on for that long.

Sakura had come to mean so much to him. More than anyone. He had no idea when it had happened or when something had changed, but now, faced with her possible death, Kakashi knew that he couldn't live without her. She was the only person who really understood him, she understood his quiet and private ways and didn't push him to explain himself to her. But when he did explain himself or when he needed to talk, she was always there to listen. He was there for her too.

He remembered the first time they had had one of their talks, one of their moments. One of the times that was so special now in Kakashi's memory…

He sensed her presence before he saw her. He didn't bother to look up from his book, he figured if she wanted to talk, she'd say something. He was leaning up against his favorite tree, its massive trunk had more than enough room to relax against comfortably. This was his favorite spot to come and read or to think.

"Kakashi," he heard her say in greeting from somewhere above his head.

The copy-nin grunted a syllable that sounded like "yo", still not lifting his eyes from the dirty novel in his lap. If Kakashi was one thing, he was consistent.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Kakashi grumbled slightly, pretending to be annoyed at being interrupted. He didn't mind the kunoichi's presence, but he felt the need to act like he was being bothered. He didn't question the urge. It fit his character.

"Am I unattractive?" Sakura's voice came from above him again, although this time slightly to the left.

Kakashi had not been expecting that question, and he sat in a half-stunned silence for a moment. Was she…what?

Apparently taking his silence as affirmation, Sakura scoffed audibly, jumping down from the tree branch she must have been perched on. She landed with her back to Kakashi. He couldn't keep his eyes from wandering up her thin form, and he thought to himself "Definitely not unattractive." She was wearing a loose black dress that stopped a few inches above her knees, and the soft wind rustled the hem around her toned legs.

"Cat got your tongue, Kakashi?" she still didn't turn to look at him.

"Why would you even bother asking, Sakura? I'm sure you know the answer. You have more men chasing after you than any other female in this village," Kakashi answered carefully, not sure if there was a line he needed to be wary of crossing. Sakura was a woman now, but as his ex-student, he wasn't entirely sure of an appropriate response.

As she turned to face him, he was struck by her beauty along with the sad look in her green eyes. She looked like she had been dressed up for something, and she looked amazing. Her pink hair was blowing softly in the wind, the shoulder-length, wavy locks framed her face beautifully.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" he couldn't help but ask, the curiosity was too much to take.

The young woman eyed him warily, finally seeming to decide to sit down on the ground across from him. The way she was sitting was probably considered indecent for a woman wearing a dress, and Kakashi scolded himself for having to strain to keep his eyes focused on her face. What had gotten into him? He knew he was a pervert but…geez.

"Sasuke ended things," Sakura finally said, carefully, quietly. "It's not like he hasn't done this before but…this time…this time I don't think I want him back. Today was our anniversary. Well, scratch that, it was our one year anniversary since the last time we broke up. We've never actually been able to stay together this long before," she laughed without humor.

"This time was different," Sakura continued. "He told me this time that there was someone else, although he neglected to say who. He told me that he wasn't attracted to me anymore and that I've 'lost it'." Sakura shrugged, "I don't know what the hell 'it' is but apparently it's something that I need to have to be good enough for him. He also said my hair really weirds him out," Sakura made an annoyed face at that last bit. "As if I can actually help the color of my hair.

Kakashi just sat listening to the small ninja beside him, soaking in her words and deciding what to say in response. He'd have to kick Sasuke's ass, that much was for sure…

"You don't have to say anything," Sakura said, as if reading his mind, "I just needed someone to talk to. If I would've told Naruto, he may have taken it upon himself to beat Sasuke to a pulp. He doesn't take well to our break-ups. I didn't want to talk to Ino either. Usually I would but…I'm not convinced that she isn't the 'someone else' that Sasuke mentioned."

Kakashi continued to sit in silence for a few moments, before asking, "He actually told you that he doesn't like your hair?"

Sakura snorted a sarcastic laugh. "That's not even that bad. Last time he broke up with me he was drunk and he said, and I quote, that he had never been less attracted to a human being in all his life, including Naruto."

Kakashi openly stared at her in disbelief. "Yikes, I knew Sasuke could be a little harsh but…yikes. Maybe he just has a thing for Naruto."

Sakura cracked a smile and nodded. "Tell me about it. I cried for a week after that. We wound up back together a few days later. I'm not sure how or why. But I really want to be done this time. I've wasted so much time on that stupid Uchiha. I used to think that meant I had to stay with him or all that time would have been meaningless, but now I just want to get as far away from that relationship as I can and never look back. I'm not wasting anymore time."

The forlorn look on her face struck Kakashi deeply. She was staring out in front of her, her bright green eyes focused on nothing in particular. She wasn't a child anymore, and he found that he was just now realizing that fact.

Leaning over, he tapped her shoulder gently. "Sasuke is a fool, Sakura. Don't listen to the shit that he says." Smiling his eye-scrunching smile, he added, "Trust me, you're hot as hell."

With that, he disappeared, relishing in the short glimpse he caught of her shocked green eyes as he vanished into thin air.

Kakashi arrived in the Sand Village just as the sun was setting. Meeting the guards at the gate, he explained who he was and what had happened. Immediately, one of the guards rushed off to explain the situation to the Kazekage, who would most likely send support out to Naruto. One of the other guards escorted Kakashi and Sakura to the Sand's medical building, looking worriedly over his shoulder at the damaged girl in Kakashi's arms frequently.

"Are you sure she's still alive?" the guard asked Kakashi carefully.

Kakashi glared. "I'm sure."

Sakura was rushed to the healers immediately upon being received into the medical building. She was practically ripped from Kakashi's arms and he couldn't help but be annoyed as she was whisked away from him so suddenly. He was suddenly without purpose and he didn't like it. He shoved his hands into his pockets immediately and slouched into a comfortable position against the wall in the waiting room.

The nurse sitting at the front desk had her eyes on him, he could feel it, and he did his best to appear cold and uninterested. He didn't feel like talking to anyone unless it was about what had happened to Sakura.

He felt guilty, like it was his fault somehow. He should have sensed the danger, he should have pushed her away. He should be the one injured, not her.

A few different healer-nins came out to speak to him, asking various questions about how she was injured and the jutsus he had already used to heal her. The last healer who came out to speak to him patted his arm gently before returning to care for Sakura, saying, "You did very well getting her here so quickly, Kakashi-san, much longer and she wouldn't have made it."

After a seemingly endless amount of time, he was approached again by one of the healers. It did not comfort Kakashi to see the healer-nin's sleeves covered in blood.

Kakashi looked up expectantly, unable to voice his questions and hoping that the healer would speak on his own.

"She's stable for now," the man began, "but she's still unconscious. She lost a ridiculous amount of blood, she's lucky that you got her here so fast. A couple more hours and it would've been too late."

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. "So I've heard." She was alive. Nothing had ever brought him so much happiness. He had prepared himself for the worst.

"Are you Kakashi? She keeps saying that name," the healer questioned the silver-haired ninja.

Kakashi looked up suddenly. So he hadn't imagined her saying his name before. "Yes, that's me."

"Wow, it's an honor to meet you," the healer practically gushed, "the famous copy-nin."

Kakashi got the impression from the healer that he was interested in him in more than one way, and the copy-nin was suddenly very uncomfortable. "Er, can I see her yet?"

It took the healer a few moments to answer as he had taken to staring at Kakashi with wide and starry eyes. "Oh! Well…I'm really not supposed to allow a person in her condition any visitors, but…I'll make an exception. For you. Follow me."

Kakashi immediately fell in line behind the healer, and grimaced at his quickly increasing heart rate. Pull yourself together, he thought, she's alive and that's what is important.

Still, the silver-haired ninja fought the worry that crept up in his chest as he walked through the white-tiled hospital hallways. He prepared himself to see her again, hoping she looked a little better than when she was taken from him. There were parts of her arms where several layers of skin had been completely removed, and he grimaced at the memory. She must have been in so much pain…

"Here we are," the healer motioned to a room at the end of the hall. "She's in here."

Kakashi walked past the healer without so much as a second glance, nervously approaching the only bed in the room.

She was laying on her back, her pink hair spread around her pale face like a halo. She was hooked up to a bunch of medical equipment that Kakashi didn't really understand and she was covered in bandages from nearly head to toe. He reached out to brush a stray piece of hair from her forehead, feeling the familiar tingle against his fingertips as he touched her. He couldn't touch her without that sensation anymore. He couldn't ignore the burning.

"Lord Kazekage!" Kakashi heard the healer splutter from the doorway. "I'm sorry, I know he shouldn't be in here but he saved her life and I-"

Kakashi looked over to see Gaara raise a hand to stop the healer from speaking. "It's alright, these are friends of mine." The redhead nodded towards Kakashi.

"Lord Kazekage," Kakashi bowed slightly in greeting.

The Sand's Kazekage laughed a little, but without any mirth. "You know you can still call me Gaara."

Kakashi tried to smile. "I know."

Gaara turned to the healer who was still standing in the room, obviously in awe of the two great ninja before him. "You are dismissed."

After a flurry of bows in both Gaara's and Kakashi's directions, the healer sped out of the room.

"Sorry, he can be a little…over-eager at times," Gaara apologized. "How's Sakura? What the hell happened?"

Kakashi recounted the whole tale to the young Kazekage, explaining how they had been attacked by Mist ninja and how an explosion had injured Sakura so badly. "I feel responsible. Those ninja were after me. I don't know why she took so much damage from the blast and why I got away almost perfectly unscathed. We were both standing there. Neither of us jumped in time."

"Hm," Gaara rubbed his chin in thought. "That is strange. But don't feel responsible, Kakashi, you did everything you could to protect your comrades, I'm sure. Also, I've sent out some help to Naruto, though I doubt he'll need it. I expect that they'll arrive here in another day or two, depending on their pace."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "Thank you."

The copy-nin watch as Gaara laid his hand over Sakura's, squeezing it gently, and couldn't help the bubble of irritation that rose in his throat at the Kazekage's small gesture. He knew that Gaara's intentions were completely honorable, but it still made Kakashi uncomfortable to see a man's hands on Sakura in any way, even if just in friendship. Shaking his head quickly, he mentally scolded himself for his line of thought. Sakura's health was in danger and here he was getting jealous that a friend was holding her hand. He was getting ridiculous…

"Well, I have some things to see to," Gaara said to Kakashi, releasing Sakura's hand, "I can see that you are distressed. I can arrange for you to have a room here in the medical building if you wish to be near her?"

Kakashi suddenly regretted feeling anger towards the Kazekage. "That would be great. Thank you…Gaara."

The redheaded ninja simply smiled at him and bowed slightly, leaving the room and promising that a room would be ready for him soon.

Kakashi took a moment to realize he was now alone with Sakura. He sat down in the chair next to her bed and gingerly took hold of her hand as Gaara had done before him. "Sakura, I don't know if you can hear me, but please…be okay."

The tired shinobi laid his head down on the side of her bed, and began to drift to sleep as the summer sun peaked its head over the horizon.

Sakura woke with a start this time. She coughed and water flew from her lips, she quickly realized she was caught in a strong river current. Doing her best to swim for the shore, Sakura struggled against the strong flow of the water. She growled in frustration, because no matter how hard she swam, the shore seemed to grow farther and farther away from her.

She felt as though she was trapped in a nightmare. She had been swimming for hours, she would swear to it, but still the shore was farther away than when she had started. To make things worse, rain had begun to pour from the sky above and Sakura was now being soaked from above and below. The chill began to seep into her bones and she was sure she couldn't keep up much longer.

As her arms and legs began to grow numb with cold and overuse, she felt herself begin to sink beneath the water, and she found she hadn't even the strength to attempt to save her own life. Instead she watched with open eyes as she sank…down, down, down, the light quickly fading as she fell deeper; a stark contrast to the light that had overwhelmed her the last time she had been awake.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her shirt, and she felt herself being dragged back up through the water. When she finally felt her savior and herself break the surface, she sucked in the deepest breath her lungs could hold. The next thing she knew she was on her back, and she blinked up at the blurry face hovering above her own. She could just make out a head of thick, silver hair…

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi sprang to attention. Sakura had just said his name again, although this time it sounded like a question.

"Sakura? Sakura, can you hear me?" Kakashi asked, running his fingers lightly over her face, watching for any reaction.

Nothing.

Kakashi sat back down, disheartened. Hearing her speak had given him hope…hope that was destroyed almost as quickly as it was received. He reached back out for the pink girl's hand, this time entwining her fingers with his own. It wasn't the first time they had held hands…

Kakashi sat by his tree, as he usually did on weekday evenings, and she was sitting beside him as she so often did a few times a week. Neither one of them had said anything to the other and neither one had so much as acknowledged the other's presence. This wasn't abnormal for them, they often sat in total silence without as much as a glance in the other's direction. Yet, on other occasions, they would talk for four or five hours without noticing the time slipping away. He had begun to consider her his best friend, although he probably wouldn't voice that to anyone. Not even her.

She was able to appreciate his lack of visible emotion and he was able to listen when her emotions took over. Without passing judgement, he helped her sort things out and understand them better, and she did the same for him. They balanced each other in their extremes. He was the calm and she was his storm.

He had just returned from a particularly grueling mission. One of his teammates had died and he was taking it very hard. He hadn't told Sakura about it, but most of the ninja in the village knew. She had sought him out by the tree and sat down beside him without a word. He was grateful for her presence and for her silence. She knew he wouldn't want to talk about it…not yet.

He felt cool fingers around his own and it was difficult not to pull back from the sensation. A pleasant tingly feeling shot up his arm from where her fingers made contact and he shuddered lightly, unsure about his body's reactions. Sakura had been affecting him more and more lately and he was beginning to feel…confused.

"I…" Kakashi began, "You…I just wanted to say that…"

Sakura smiled sweetly at him, and he swore his heart skipped a beat. "I know."

"Kakashi!"

A loud, mildly obnoxious voice woke Kakashi from his fitful sleep. He woke to find himself still clutching Sakura's hand and he released it quickly. He had been informed that a room was ready for him, but he just couldn't bring himself to walk away from Sakura. He felt so guilty about it all it just didn't feel right to leave her by herself. He guessed he must have fallen asleep by her bedside.

"Naruto," Kakashi nodded at the blond ninja.

"How's she doing?" Naruto asked, concern written clearly all over his face.

"They say she's stable for now, but she hasn't woken up yet," Kakashi frowned slightly, though it was probably not obvious due to his mask. "I'm worried about that head wound that she had. It was pretty bad. Looks like they've healed it up nicely, though."

"Ugh, I hate that she has to be a stupid ninja," Naruto whined in his raspy tones. "Why couldn't she just settle down with Sasuke and have some kids and stay home with them? I'd feel a whole lot better."

Kakashi felt some ire rise in his throat at the mention of Sasuke and Sakura together. "That doesn't seem likely. It's been quite some time since there was a relationship there, I think."

Naruto gazed at Kakashi, eyebrows knit together. "Did she not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Kakashi asked slowly, trying to hide his intense curiosity behind dull tones.

Naruto looked around conspiratorially even though there was no one around to hear and Sakura was still out cold. Motioning for Kakashi to come closer, Naruto whispered, "Sasuke proposed to her like, two weeks ago - completely out of the blue. Sakura said no, which I can't really blame her there, and Sasuke's been pouting ever since. I think he thought she would say yes, given their history and all. I don't think he's done trying."

Kakashi's head spun for a few moments. Sasuke had proposed to her? And she hadn't bothered to tell him? That seemed like the kind of thing she would have sought him out for. Usually, when she was truly distressed about something, she would just appear in his apartment, unable to wait for him to show up at their tree. He often walked out of his kitchen or bedroom to find the pink-haired kunoichi sitting on his couch, legs tucked under her body and arms hugging a lose cushion. Every time he would pretend to be startled, and warn her that one of these days she was going to get an eyeful of something she hadn't bargained for. He did it partly to make her laugh, and partly to see the blush that stained her cheeks so prettily.

The fact that she hadn't told him bothered him more than it should have, and the fact that Naruto knew all about it just added insult to injury. Now that he thought about it, Sakura had been a little more distant than usual over the past couple of weeks...had he upset her in some way? He hadn't seen much of her since she had blown him off at the pub a few Fridays ago, although she had still somehow managed to pay for his drinks.

"I think she's keeping something from me, though," Naruto continued in a low voice. "I only found out about it when Sasuke told me, and when I confronted her it seemed like she was hiding something. She was pretty quiet about the whole deal which I thought was weird for her. She seemed upset and like she didn't want to talk about it so I didn't push her and just dropped it. Sasuke told me he thinks there is someone else, although I have no idea who that could be. I've never seen her interested in anybody but Sasuke, have you?"

A slight moan from Sakura grabbed both ninjas' attention, saving Kakshi from answering Naruto's question. Not saying a word but just leaning over the damaged kunoichi, Kakashi and Naruto held their breath, listening for a word from Sakura.

The girl sighed again, and mumbled sleepily, "Kakashi."

"Kakashi?" Naruto looked over at the silver-haired shinobi. "Why is she saying your name?"

"I wish I knew, Naruto," Kakashi sighed, "I wish I knew."

This time, Sakura knew she was dreaming. She was sitting high up on a tree branch…a branch on their tree. Playing out below her was a memory from about two weeks ago…

They sat with their backs to each other, as they so often did. Kakashi reading his book in the dying light of the evening and Sakura gazing up at the stars that were just beginning to make an appearance. Her head was leaning slightly back on Kakashi's shoulder. This was their Friday night routine, as they both usually had a mission on Saturday. They liked to relax the night before, if only for a few hours.

"Kakashi?" Sakura asked quietly, so as not to disturb the mood.

"Hm?"

"I wanted to tell you something," Sakura began slowly, intent on telling him about Sasuke's proposal and why she had turned him down…intent on tell him that it was their relationship with each other that made her realize she didn't want to marry Sasuke anymore.

She felt the silver-haired shinobi turn his head slightly, looking at her out of the corner of his single exposed eye. "Let's hear it."

"I, well, I thought," Sakura swallowed audibly, all the courage she had had about her confession quickly draining from her body. "I thought you should know that…I think you're too slow to beat me to the pub for a drink. Loser buys."

And with that, Sakura was gone in a flash, running away from Kakashi as she ran away from her fears, knowing without a doubt that Kakashi would beat her there.

He always did.

When she got to the pub, she saw that Kakashi had indeed beaten her, but the situation she found him in caused her to stop silently in her tracks. A woman was leaned up against him, her hands around his neck and playing with the ends of his hair gently. She was blond and beautiful, and probably seven or eight years older than Sakura, much closer to Kakashi's own age.

Everything inside of Sakura told her to run up to Kakashi and rip them apart, to tell him that lately she had started to feel something more than friendship for him, and to banish that woman from the arms of her shinobi. But as she waited to see if Kakashi would push the woman away on his own, her resolve was broken. He didn't push her away, he simply stood there and let it happen. Kakashi had always been popular with the girls, but it had been quite some time since Sakura had actually seen him flirting. Usually he sat, perched at the counter, waiting for her to arrive and reminding her that drinks were on her…although he usually paid anyway. But now, he was at the back of the room with his back to her and his eyes obviously on the woman in front of him.

With drooping shoulders, Sakura handed some money to the bartender. "Kakashi's drinks are on me," Sakura mumbled. "I owe him."

"You're not staying?" the man asked her. He was obviously accustomed to seeing them there together.

"Not this time," Sakura offered him a sad smile, and left without a second look at Kakashi. She truly hoped he would be happy.

Without her.

"Where is Sakura?"

Kakashi was woken by yet another loud and obnoxious voice, for the second time in two days. His eyes opened groggily to see the form of an over-eager, dark-haired ninja, practically bouncing with energy.

Kakashi frowned. "She's right in front of you, Lee."

"My darling, Sakura!" Rock Lee practically gushed, falling to his knees beside Sakura's bed. There were large and dramatic tears forming in his huge eyes. "How has this happened to you?" The young shinobi wailed.

"Don't worry, young Lee!" Kakashi turned to see Gai standing in the door way. "Sakura has the power of youth on her side! She will prevail!"

"You are right!" Lee said, standing up and pumping his fist into the air. "I have faith in Sakura's abilities, she will be alright!"

Kakashi frowned, yet again. "Why are you two here?"

Rock Lee immediately turned to face Kakashi. "When we received news of Sakura's terrible injury, nothing could stop me from coming to be at her side! Gai-sensei accompanied me to offer his undying support!

Also, I have decided it is time to remind Sakura of my unending love for her! Perhaps now that she has escaped death she will finally realize her true feelings for me!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed at this. He was never one to put much stock into Lee's antics, but now that Sakura was involved, he was a little uncomfortable. She couldn't actually be interested in Lee, could she?

"Come on, Lee!" Gai cried out suddenly, "Let's go run a few laps around the village, what do you say?"

"I say yes, Gai-sensei! Let's go!"

Quicker than a flash, Kakashi was left alone with Sakura. He glanced out the window to see two green flashes headed towards the outskirts of the Sand Village, and he shook his head at their wild behavior.

"As if I could ever love him," Sakura snorted.

Kakashi sprang to his feet and was at Sakura's side in less than a second. "Sakura! Are you alright? You've been out for days."

"Well," Sakura grumbled, "aside from feeling like I've just been crushed by the Chief Toad, I guess I'm okay." Her gaze shifted to meet Kakashi's. "Are you okay? You were standing right next to me when that blast went off…"

"I'm fine, Sakura," Kakashi assured her, standing as close to her as he could without physically being on the bed. "I was barely injured at all."

Sakura closed her eyes and tilted her head back deeper into her pillow. "I'm pathetic."

"What?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows, he hadn't been expecting that. "No you're not. What do you mean?"

Sakura eyed him warily. She had been avoiding him lately and she wondered if he had noticed. She was usually so comfortable with him, but now she found her words caught in her throat.

She swallowed heavily. "I'm a medical-nin, Kakashi. I may not be as fast as you, but it's still my primary duty to dodge enemy attacks so that I am always available to heal my team. But still, I was unable to dodge that explosion, and you got away so easily. I failed at the one thing that I am supposed to be able to do. What if you had been hurt? Or Naruto? I wouldn't have been able to do anything because I was knocked out cold due to my inability to get out of the way fast enough. I'm useless. Just like I used to be."

"Sakura," she felt Kakashi take hold of her hand firmly, not letting go when she pulled away half-heartedly. "Listen to me. I have no idea why I wasn't hurt by that explosion, but I didn't see it coming either. I was just as close to it as you were and I was thrown away just as hard. I think there may have been something else at play there…maybe a jutsu that had been targeted at you and not me."

"You don't have to say that, Kakashi," Sakura sighed, hating how weak she sounded. At least it was just Kakashi in the room. He had seen her at her worst. "I know I failed. Tsunade will probably kill me for being so foolish."

"Sakura," Kakashi began slowly, "I-

The copy-nin was cut off by a scream from his pink-haired companion. "Sakura!" he exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders and attempting to look into her eyes.

Immediately, the room was filled with healer-nin of the Sand, and Kakashi felt himself being pushed from the room by many sets of hands. He struggled to see around the sea of healers circling Sakura's bed. One of them had his hands on Sakura's chest, green light pulsing around the point of contact. The man looked up in a panic at his fellow healers. "I'm losing her!"

Kakashi's world stopped turning.

Woahhh sorry for the cliffy ;) Even reading over my own story and knowing that it is 100% fictional, I can't get over how cute the relationship between Kakashi and Sakura is. Just yum. It's at times like this I wish I could draw so I could make all the fan art I imagine about these two. xD

Please, leave a review if you would. Let me know if you'd like to see more of this story! What are your thoughts on KakaSaku?

Love, loony