Help me sleep

KakaSaku Fluff, Angst... Even I'm not sure, but no worries, no one dies!

Warnings: bad, bad thoughts, mentions of torture (nothing too explicit, but I rated for caution)

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Kakashi was worried.

He was worried, because between their missions she worked until late in the night in the hospital, sacrificing her last bit of chakra to heal every one of her patients. He was worried, because sfter her shift ended and she was back in her appartment, she insisted on learning until the early morning hours for her medical exam. He was worried, because she didn't go out with her friends anymore and kept herself absorbed in her scrolls every free minute. He was worried, because every day he saw her, she seemed to have gotten a little thinner, the bags under her eyes seemed to become more prominent and her emerald orbs loosed more of their sparkle.

He was worried, because he was her sensei- well former anyway. He was worried, because he was her captain. He was worried, because he was her comrade. He was worried, because he was her partner and her senior- he was supposed to look after her, wasn't he? He was worried, because he was her friend.

But most of all he was worried, because she was everything that he had left!

Rin, Obito and Sensei were dead. Hell, most of his acquaintances were deceased and with the upcoming war with Mist and not to mention the Akatsuki out and around his friends were almost always out on missions- not that he wasn't. They never got their table at the bar full in these times.

Naruto, finally realizing the Hyuuga heiress' feelings for him went for it, but came to late. She had already been engaged to her cousin and the genius of their clan. Both hadn't been particullary happy about this development, but they had agreed without any protest. They had seen it coming the moment, they reconciled their old friendship- not to mention that Hiashi had been tired of dealing with the Hyuuga clan politics for a while now and wanted to step down from the position as leader as soon as possible. Therefore the date had been set into the near future, only a few month from now Hinata and Neji would be lawfully wedded. Naruto had promised to be there for the wedding, but had declined Neji's offer to be the best man. Assuring that he was fine and that he just needed some time, he had accompanied Jiraya on his latest journey.

Sasuke…

Sasuke didn't even need to come back to konoha anytime. For what he did to her during their last encounter, the silver-haired man would rip out his heart the moment the Uchiha put a foot back into the village. If he got the chance, that is, seeing as Tsunade herself wanted to tear the little traitor apart!

That was exactly what led him to the here and now.

Sasuke.

He and Sakura had met him on their last mission. They were supposed to steal a scroll. Turned out it was Sasuke's. He captured Sakura and tortured her. What he did to her not only with his Sharingan, but also with his body was… just cruel, born out of the mere wish to harm! After Kakashi rescued her, unfortunately having to let the bastard get away, the poor girl remained in hospital for over two weeks.

And it had been after that she was released, that her behaviour changed so drastically.

Something he was going to inquire about now.

Sitting on the window sill of her bedroom window, he took a quick glance at the inside. Sakura was lying on her belly on the hard floor infront of her bed, which he found to be quite odd. Dangling her feet in the air and holding her chin in her hands, she was reading through a medical scroll for advanced jutsu. As she was lying there, it became more apparent than ever, how awfully thin she was. The tank top and loose pants she wore were too wide for her petite frame. She looked like a ghost.

Kakashi knocked gently on her window.

Sakura jumped at the sound. Her eyes were wide and a kunai lay in her hand as her frightened gaze fell onto the figure at the window.

'Odd…' Kakashi thought.

Realizing just who was visiting her, she lowered the kunia, a slight blush tainting her cheeks. Walking over, she opened the window and let him in. Slowly sliding off the window sill, he came to stand in her bedroom. Taking off his shoes, he put them aside the heating, so that they wouldn't stand in the way.

"Yo!" he chirped.

"Hello, sensei!" the pink-haired medic responded with a smile, that never reached her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Does a sensei need a reason to visit his favorite little kunoichi?"

Smiling again, this time a real smile, she shook her head and returned to her studies. By the way her facial expression had lit up, the silver-haired male knew, she was truly happy to see him, but he still missed that sparkle, that was normally in her eyes, when she smiled. It had been gone ever since their latest mission. What had been done to her, had made it fade away into nothingness.

"So Sakura, how are you doing?"

"Fine." Came the not-so-convincing answer.

"How is the studying going?" he tried again.

"Slow. I'm kinda nervous, but that's normal I guess."

He chuckled.

"I mean, this exam is going to influence my whole future not only as a medic, but also as a shinobi. If I pass, I'll become a jounin like you Kakashi-sensei. And if I fail…"

"You won't."

"Easier said than done."

"You're the top medic of Konoha, second only to Tsunade herself. If you can't pass the test, then no one can. I'm sure, you'll pass with flying colours."

"Thank you, sensei…" she mumbled, another blush spreading on her sunken cheeks. She walked over to her scroll again, groaning. "I just can't seem to get this right. I must be messing something up, because it just won't work."

Kakashi chuckled again and walked over to where she was standing, scroll in hand. He took a look at it over her shoulder, lifting his headband to reveal his sharingan. He had been able to develop it to such a degree, that he could copy jutsu now by just reading about them, too. Quickly memorizing everything with his blood-red eye, he showed Sakura, what was to be done. The pink-haired teen tried… and failed. Kakashi immediately noticed, what was wrong: She wasn't directing enough chakra into her hands, while making the seals. Explaining Sakura, what went wrong, he guided her through it until she got it right.

"Yay! I did it! Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" she cheered, giving him a short, but almost- deadly hug. After a short time of silence, he said, what had been lying on his toungue for the whole time.

"Are you really alright? You look tired, you know."

With those two simple sentences, Sakura's façade fell. She closed her eyes as if in pain and her body started trembling with surpressed sobs. He was never able to see her like this. With a quick step, he closed the gap between them and enveloped her in his strong arms. Normally, she would protest, saying she wasn't the same weak little girl, that needed protection and comfort that she had been four years ago, he knew. Tonight however, she didn't seem to care or maybe she knew, that he wouldn't think any less of her. She had proven herself to him and to everyone time and again and this wouldn't change anything between them. So, she let him hold her and caress her back softly and whispering soothing words into her ear. And she clutched onto his vest and cried into his chest until all the tears had left her eyes and even then she didn't let go of him as he didn't let go of her.

Then she began talking:

"I couldn't go to sleep, because… he will be there, he's always there. Tormenting me. Haunting me. He won't go away. I told him to go away… He won't go away. He's doing all those things again… but I don't want him to… I tell him to stop… but he… I don't want that… he keeps saying all these things to me and I shake my head no and I don't want to hear… I try not to, but his voice is in my head and then I look up and there… there… I see red!"

She choked.

"Why wouldn't he stop? I can't sleep, he will…. Do everything again… I can't… leave… tell him to leave, Kakashi."

"Shh, it's okay. It's over now. He's nowhere near. You're safe. Nothing bad will come to you now." Kakashi said silently as he stroked her hair. His other hand was rubbing slow, comforting circles on her back. He kept whispering sweet nothings into her ear for another few minutes, until her shaking body finally stopped trembling. Then he moved to pry her hands off, that were still tightly clutching his front. Sliding an arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, the silver-haired jounin gently picked her up to carry her through the room.

As soon as Sakura noticed, where he was going, she started struggling, pushing at his chest with her hands and kicking out with her legs, arching her back, everything that would possibly get her away from him. But, of course, nothing helped. Instead, she soon found herself be laid down on the soft covers of her bed. Jumping as soon as he let go of her, Sakura tried to stand up again, but Kakashi had foreseen this and forced her back down onto the covers with his weight, settling his hips between her thighs.

Realizing their position, the young woman blushed to a whole new shade of red, freezing over, because every struggle made her body rub against his. Kakashi was almost sorry as she stopped fighting. He knew about the peculiar position they were in, but it didn't bother him at all. After all, it was half past midnight- no one was gonna see them! And he had to make sure, she would stay in bed!

"What are you doing?" she demanded angrily, forgetting her embarrassment for the time being.

"Putting you to sleep." Kakashi dead-panned.

"But… I can't…He…"

"…isn't here now, Sakura. Do you plan on never going to sleep again, because of that bastard?!"

Sakura flinched. Kakashi sounded angry and… something else, something almost jealous… But that couldn't be, right? He would never want her, would he? Sure, they had spent a lot of time together in the past few years, in and out of missions. And she'd come to realize, just how much she enjoyed being with him and how much she would miss him and worry for him, when he went on one of his solo S-ranked missions again. She had slowly fallen for this man, that was a mystery to her, but she'd never told anyone- not even Ino or Hinata. It was too embarrassing, not to mention ridiculous! What would the great Hatake Kakashi, Son of the White Fang and bearer of the Sharingan want with some little, pink-haired girl, that hardly knew anything about life. No, she decided not to confess and risk their friendship for such a stupid little girl's crush. Yet, the way he looked at her right now, full of anger and hurt, carried something strange- something soft and caring.

Could it be…?

She was looking up at him with a scared expression and Kakashi could've bitten his tongue out. He hadn't meant to frighten her. She should never be afraid- and especially not of him! But what was done, was done and it got his point through, it seemed. Her anger was gone and she was biting her lower lip, while searching her mind for an answer. The way she was chewing her lip, a dazed look on her still prettily flushed face, while her thoughts were far away, made him want to run his hand up her arms, caress her neck and cleavage until his hand reached the zipper of her shirt. He would pull it down slowly to reveal more of her alabaster skin, low enough to see if her bra was as pink as her soft locks or as red as her dress…

"I can't sleep… yet." She concluded lamely, throwing him back into reality. "Ican't face those… nightmares. I… I'm scared."

"I will put you to sleep, Sakura." He stated with a voice that didn't leave room for discussion. She was ruining her life by and he wouldn't stand by to watch. "With my sharingan:"

Sakura whimpered and Kakashi wanted to drink that very sound from her lips with his own. He wanted nothing more than to yank down his mask and take her mouth into possesion, delving his tongue into her orifice to taste the sweetness that was this pink-haired girl beneath him.

He was her former sensei, he was still her superior- her captain even-, though their professional relationship was more of a democracy anyway. And most of all, she wasn't of age yet. All those were very good reasons, why he shouldn't even being considering these urges he felt. Because of all those reason their relationship, if it ever crossed the line of friendship, would be considered immoral, taboo even. He would be the pedophilic sensei, that seduced his own student and she would be the little whore, that slept with her teacher for grades. People would look down on both of them, but nothing of that would stop him from claiming her.

One day, he had vowed, she would be his, if she would have him!!!

For now, however, she couldn't need anyone, that would be so bold. For now, she didn't need a lover, she needed a friend. And he was more than willing to be that friend for as long as she needed to get over what happened. So, instead of claiming her moist lips, he moved his head a little to tenderly kiss her forehead, touching it with his own afterwards.

"I'll put you to sleep with my sharingan. " He repeated. "A dreamless sleep."

"You can do that?" she asked a little hesitantly.

"Yes."

"And you'd do it for me?"

Kakashi frowned. Had he been that bad of a sensei and friend, that she really had to ask that question.

"Whenever you need me to. I'll be there for you, Sakura. Always." He finally stated, looking her straight into the eye as the three dark dots in the pool of red that was his sharingan began to spin lazily. For a moment, the young girl seemed to fight it still, but soon enough her eyes drifted shut and a light snoring sound could be heard throughout the room. Sliding his headband back over his left eye, he smiled gently at the sleeping figure, before laying down beside her to watch over her sleep. He had told the truth, when he said, there wouldn't be any nightmares in her dreams tonight. His sharingan had made sure of that, not only wiping away all faces that could haunt her in the night, but doing much more. He had sent her to a beautiful garden with flowers in full bloom. She would have a pleasant dream tonight, she deserved one after all those nightmares, that kept her awake. Yet, Kakashi couldn't just go away. She looked so pretty just lying there, sleeping. A smile slwoly grew on her lips. He would stay here and watch over her until morning came.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her!

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A/N: Well, my first attempt at a KakaSaku. What do you say? Please review. But no flames, okay?! Thank you very much!