Answers
Kakashi unwrapped his arms from Sakura, an action alone that caused her to cry. He pushed against her shoulders but she used her brute strength to keep her body in place. Kakashi didn’t try again, he leaned his head down so his forehead was touching Sakura’s cheek. “Why would you do that?”
Sakura leaned her head back so she could meet Kakashi’s gaze. “What?” She sniffled.
“Why would you stay away from Sasuke?” His tone of voice was hushed and genuinely confused.
“If it will keep you from leaving…” Sakura began.
“But…” Kakashi bowed his head. “But you love him.”
Sakura’s skin glazed over with goose bumps at the phrase. “I already told you that I don’t.”
“I know, but I don’t believe you. I think you’re kidding yourself.” His tone switched to one of pure sadness.
Sakura’s mind and heart raced frantically as they searched for the reason. “Kakashi.” Kakashi glanced up into Sakura’s green eyes, puffy from crying. “I’m not.” Her voice was resolved.
“That's ridiculous. No one is in love with someone for ten plus years, and then just isn't one day.”
“That's not exactly how it happened but I am over him.” When did he become so concerned about me being in love with him specifically?
“I don't believe you.” He’s not the one I’m in love with…
“Why not? People get over first loves all the time.”
“Because you still spend so much time with him; every chance you get. And the way you smile at him is different from how you smile at anyone else. You share secrets with him, secrets you haven't even shared with me. Even after everything he's done to you he still gets a side of you that no one else gets. That's why I don't believe you. You may be trying to trick yourself into believing you aren't still in love with him, but I'm not so easily fooled.”
Sakura’s heart pounded furiously. Is he…? “I don't share secrets with him.” Kakashi closed his eyes, clearly repugnant at the comment. “What? I don't.” He’s jealous.
“Then what secret did you share with him in your clinic?”
Her heart beat a bit faster. “What?”
“You two were walking out of the clinic the other day and I heard you thanking him for keeping your secret.”
“Um…”
“Or what were you doing alone in his apartment last night?”
Sasuke was right, you were following us. “Are you stalking me?”
“No, both times I happened upon you.”
“Liar.”
“I'm not.”
“Sasuke has a rinnegan Kakashi, he could see you.” Despite the intensity of the subject material, the conversation was beginning to settle into the same rhythm as one of their typical friendly arguments.
“I… forgot he could do that.”
“I was in Sasuke’s apartment helping him cook dinner for Naruto.”
“Who cooks dinner and doesn't stay to eat it?”
Easing Kakashi’s suspicions took precedence over keeping Sasuke’s secret. “I wasn't invited to eat it. It was a private meal.”
“A private meal? Between Sasuke and Naruto?”
Sakura raised her eyebrows. “Yep.”
Kakashi was silent as he put all the pieces together. “Sasuke and… Naruto?”
Sakura sighed deeply. “Yes. Sasuke and Naruto.”
“Oh…”
A torrent of wind whipped around them, rustling the trees and disrupting the shadows the leaves cast on the ground in the process.
“I'm not in love with Sasuke, Kakashi. He doesn't get any special parts of me; no special secrets.”
“What about the secret you shared at their clinic?”
Sakura blushed. “D-don't you have any shame in following me?”
“Well you know now; no additional shame in clarifying.”
“I'm sorry, I can't tell you that.”
“Why?”
“Because I just can't.”
“Because it's only something you feel comfortable with Sasuke.”
“No… Well, I mean, I won't tell anyone else so technically yes, but it's circumstantial.”
“Why can you tell him but not me?”
“Kakashi! Just-- trust me. I can't tell you.” Sakura put more emphasis on the word ‘you’ than she intended.
The nuance didn't miss the genius ninja. “It's about me.” Sakura could trace the anger as it rose from the pit of Kakashi’s stomach to his face. His demeanor, posture, expression and even his aura changed. “You have a secret with Sasuke, about me.”
This is bad. “It's complicated…”
Kakashi started to stand and Sakura’s fear took over her body. She quickly caught the sides of his flak jacket and pulled him back down. “F-fine.” Sakura sighed. “I’ll tell you but… I’m afraid it’s going to ruin everything.”
“Ruin everything?”
Sakura nodded sadly. “Our friendship. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.”
Sakura’s anger flew to the surface at the words and she used her hold on Kakashi to shove him hard. He flew a few feet away but the look on his face told Sakura he knew he deserved it. “Liar! You were going to leave!”
Kakashi crawled back towards Sakura and sat in front of her. “Sakura, I won’t.” He placed his head in his hands. “It was an empty threat. I don’t think I could ever actually…” His voice trailed off.
“I’m just…” Sakura couldn’t complete her sentence either.
Kakashi put a hand over Sakura’s balled into fists in the grass. “I broke my promise. I’m sorry, but please believe me. I won’t leave. Nothing could ruin our friendship.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
“I am sure.” He sounded so certain, even more than he did when he promised not to leave.
Sakura used Kakashi’s resolve to give her confidence. “I’m…” She breathed in and then out. “I’m… in love with you.” It was near inaudible.
Kakashi’s hand tensed over hers. “What?”
“I’m in love with you, Kakashi.” Tears made their way to Sakura’s eyes again.
“Sakura…” Kakashi crawled forward and wrapped his arms around her back, grasping her tightly. “I’m in love with you too.” He chuckled. “I have been for a while now.”
Sakura’s heart raced wildly, and she could feel Kakashi’s running too. He’s in love with me too? He has been for a while? Anger rushed back and she shoved him off of her.
“What the hell was that for!?” He barked.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER?” Sakura shouted at him.
“You didn’t tell me!” Kakashi shouted as he crawled back towards Sakura again.
“I just figured it out a couple weeks ago!”
“What!? What happened a couple weeks ago?”
Sakura calmed quickly, blushing as the answer danced through her brain. “Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“No…”
“You’re bright red.”
You don’t have to tell me. “I can’t… It’s embarrassing.”
“Tell me anyway.” Kakashi asked brazenly.
He was keeping a safe buffer between them now, which Sakura was grateful for as she prepared to tell Kakashi her great secret. “Um… I've been having dreams…”
“Dreams?”
“Yeah…”
“About me?” Sakura’s cheeks tinted deeply, answering for her. “What kind of dreams?”
“Well… Um...” Sakura whispered.
A light color, covered almost completely by Kakashi’s mask, stained his cheeks as he understood. “Naughty dreams?”
Sakura’s blush intensified, covering the tip of her nose in the same bright red color. “... Yeah, ever since you lost your mask and I saw your whole face.”
Kakashi made a sound of audible disdain. “My face?”
“Huh?”
“You've only been having naughty dreams about me since you saw my face, not before then?”
“What? No!”
“You only care about my face?” Sakura looked up and Kakashi’s eyes were closed in irritation.
Is he kidding? “Don't take it that way.”
He opened his eyes. “How am I to take it?”
“You can fall in love with a person’s personality or your relationship with them but when they're so covered all the time you have nothing to base a physical dream on. When I saw your face, it was handsome, but that wasn't what caused the dreams. It was like you showed me this part of you that I hadn't seen before. I guess I started subconsciously wondering about… Other parts of you I haven't seen before…”
“I guess that makes sense.” Kakashi reached up and pulled his mask down over his face. “Even if it was inadvertent, I was happy to let you see this side of me.”
Sakura could feel her face warming more in response to Kakashi’s revealed face. It pushed all her dreams back to the forefront of her mind. As she sat and stared at him, his face unhidden, she realized how real it was. If she wanted to kiss him, she could; touch him, she could. She had to put a lot of energy into not initiating. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to wait long. Kakashi wrapped one hand behind her head, and grabbed her hand with the other, and after taking a few seconds to fully admire her face, he pulled her into a kiss.
Sights and sounds faded away; there was only she and Kakashi. She was blown away by how little her dreams had done to prepare her for the actual sensation of kissing him. She wrapped her hands around his back and pulled, suddenly feeling very agitated with her inability to get closer than she already was. Though she hated the thought of it, for this, she could give up Sasuke. For this, she could give up anything. To be wrapped in his arms; to kiss his lips. I’d give my own life. The passion of their love for one another was tornadic inside the kiss, so much so, that they pressed on even through short breaths to extend the moment. Despite having no desire to, it was Sakura that finally parted them. They were breathing heavily, but both had warm smiles.
Sakura moved her arms around behind Kakashi’s head and pulled herself into a hug, which Kakashi was happy to give. “I”ll kill you if you ever threaten to leave again.” She whispered.
Kakashi chuckled. “Duly noted.”
***
“I’m happy.” Sasuke said sweetly. Huh? That’s Sasuke’s voice…
“Me too. Thanks for everything, Sasuke.” And Sakura.
“Would you really have never seen me again?” Sasuke mused.
“Honestly…?” Sakura replied. Sasuke waved his hands, brushing off the answer. “Well it’s fine anyway, I’m glad it never came to that.”
“Yeah. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you Sakura.” I knew it…
“You’d be okay. You always have been.” Sakura responded. “Don’t go thinking I would have been okay. That would have been a hefty sacrifice; not being able to see you would have made me really sad.”
“Well it’s like you said, it’s a good thing it never came to that.” Sasuke stated with a rare elated tone of voice. He sounds so happy…
“Yeah, now I can bug you every day for the rest of our lives!”
Sasuke laughed. He’s laughing? “I’m an Uchiha and you have the 100 Signs, so we’re both going to live a long time too.”
Sakura replied with laughter, before dulling her voice a bit. “Do you think we’ll come up with a way to restore your clan in all that time?”
“I hope so.” Sasuke said honestly.
Naruto couldn’t listen anymore. He stood sadly from his hiding spot amidst the trees and evaporated from sight.
To Be Continued…