When Mothers Meddle

Chapter 15- How Will I Live Without You?

Sakura

Sakura bumped into Kakashi as she stumbled out of the bar. For a moment she was confused because both his eyes were visible, and then she blinked and he had only one again. She blinked hard trying to figure out why he'd had two and now had one again.

"You okay?" The concern in his voice irritated her to no end.

Her fist tightened at her side, gathering chakra in it. She met his gaze, only vaguely aware of the threat gathering at her hip.

"Whoa, Sakura. It's me. Your favorite sensei." Kakashi gripped her shoulders and pushed her back a step, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

"Is she going to attack you?" The voice came from the shadows behind him, familiar, but not familiar enough to identify in the fog that enveloped her mind.

It was a well-deserved fog. When the bartender had cut her off she'd managed to get Ino to buy her a few more before he'd caught on and asked her to leave.

"She's fine. And I can handle anything she throws at me." Kakashi's voice wavered. "I think."

Sakura grinned at him, raising one eyebrow. "Want to test that theory?"

A spar might be fun. She peered over his shoulder but the shadows enveloped his companion. "Your date can join us too. If she's a jonin of course. I'm not allowed to spar with anyone else."

A chuckle sounded from behind Kakashi, deeper than it should have been and Shisui emerged from the shadow. "I'll pass. But given your condition, I'm thinking I should check on my cousin."

Kakashi nodded at the only Uchiha Sakura couldn't bring herself to hate. "That's a good idea. I have a former student that needs some attention anyway. Thanks for the practice and the offer of a drink. It's been a while since my Sharingan hasn't saved my sorry ass."

Sakura tried to flick Kakashi's grip off her while he watched Shisui disappear and failed. When he turned back to her she was growling and gathering chakra in both fists.

"Now, now, I do believe Tsunade has a rule against drunk chakra punches, usually." He wrinkled his forehead and scratched his head with a free hand. "And we're friends Sakura. I'm here to help."

His teasing tone seemed to calm her, though she couldn't say why.

She stared up at him, her growl shifting to a hiccup. Her lip quivered and she blinked back the tears she'd been fighting all night. She didn't even fight him when he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her to his chest. She just let go and cried.

Kakashi let her cry herself out and when she'd finished he led her to the memorial explaining it was private and quiet, especially in the middle of the night.

"I think I know the answer, but why don't you tell me what happened."

His no-nonsense tone bolstered her until she started talking.

"It's over." She let the words hang in the still air of the field covered by the graves of ninja who had given their lives for the village. If she laid down here, would the ground absorb her too?

"I see."

"I don't want to live without him." She whispered the desperate words, immediately wishing she could take them back.

"Sak—" Kakashi sighed and lay back and stared up at the stars. "Do you mean that?"

Did she? The sake haze in her mind clouded her answer. She smacked her lips, her cottony tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. Why had she drunk so much? What did it prove? She shook her head to clear it, sending healing chakra through herself to get rid of the drunkenness and resulting headache.