Sakura couldn't look away from the woman beside her, she hardly ever could anymore. Even in her jounin uniform and with her face half covered, she was beautiful. Her hair was silver spikes and Sakura wondered if she kept it short with a kunai, the way it was chopped and uneven. But it worked for her, either way. She remembered Naruto saying when they were younger that it made it hard to tell if Kakashi was a woman or not, but even he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her anyway.

Kakashi was an interesting woman to say nonetheless. She was quiet and if anything came out of her mouth it was usually sarcastic or teasing. She was goofy the way she did those ridiculous challenges with Gai. The way she had hidden behind a mask and then another mask when they were children and tried to see her face. How she had a clone following them around and helping them demask her. She was fierce and deadly. Silent and then loud, like how lightning struck the ground leaving nothing in its wake. She was intelligent and crafty, defeating Shikamaru in a game of shogi with a bored sigh. But she was also sincere and caring, a side not many people saw or even noticed. How she would skip out on a bill with Naruto, but then go and stock his apartment full of groceries. The way even after everything he did to them, she still cared about Sasuke. How she always stayed by their sides if they were ever injured, though she hated the hospital.

She was amazing and Sakura had fallen in love with Kakashi, like how you fall in love with a mystery as you unravel its threads to see what was underneath. Her love was like a tree planted firmly in the ground, growing more beautiful by the day. As long as the tree was taken care of, its roots would run deeper by the day and even the deadliest of storms couldn't tear it down. Sakura loved Kakashi unconditionally. Even if she never returned her feelings, Sakura's would stay strong and she would be there for her, emotionally and physically. She'd support her and protect her, shower her with love and affection whenever the need arises.

But there was also hope there. Hope that Kakashi might love her back and want to pick the fruit off the ground that fell from Sakura's tree.

Sakura's eyes landed on the orange cover of Icha Icha in Kakashi's hands, feeling her hope twist into something uncertain. Kakashi always had one of the novels on her. She was quoted to being Jiraiya's biggest fan. Despite lingering touches and longing gazes, it was this that made Sakura hesitate. She knew what the books were about. She also knew there weren't any characters that were gay.

"Kakashi?" Sakura broke the comfortable silence between them. They had just finished training and were resting against a big oak tree.

"Hm?" Kakashi didn't look up from her book, but Sakura knew that didn't mean she wasn't listening.

"Why do you read those books?" Sakura asked her.

"Mah, for the romance, Sakura-chan," Kakashi replied with the same old tale answer.

Sakura sighed, biting her lip before deciding she was going to go for it. "Do you read any other books?"

"I have more books. I just don't carry them around with me like Icha Icha."

Sakura nodded, feeling her heart race in her chest. "More romances?"

Kakashi glanced at her with a small smile. "Among other things."

"Do you…" Sakura started and then decided to go a different route. "I have a book I think you might like."

Kakashi looked up from her book. "Oh?"

Sakura couldn't meet her eyes though so she turned away from her and looked out at the tree line. "It's about these two shinobis who fall in love. They fight together, eat together, live together. They're inseparable and so in love with each other. Both are woman, though, and they have to deal with society telling them it's wrong." Sakura finished with a shaky breath and then heard Kakashi's book close comically loud, but she didn't look her way.

"Sakura." Kakashi said her name softly and it sent shivers down her spine.

"Hm?" Sakura parroted back, her eyes still set on the trees in front of her. She could feel her cheeks warming.

A hand grabbed her arm gently and the way Kakashi stroked her thumb against her skin was maddening. Kakashi had moved closer to her and she could feel her breath against her skin as she asked her in a voice made of silk, "What did you really want to ask me?"

Sakura finally turned and met her eyes, surprised by how close they were though she had felt it. She stammered out, her voice shaky, "Do you have a preference?"

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at her and Sakura could see the outline of her lips through her mask. She just knew it was a smirk. "For books?"

Sakura swallowed and simply nodded, forcing herself to say, "Among other things."

Kakashi chuckled and turned away from her to Sakura's disappointment. Sakura was sure if you so much as grazed your finger against her wrist you could feel her heart beating erratically underneath her skin. "If you wanted to know if I was interested in women, all you had to do was ask, Sakura-chan."

Sakura felt her blush deepen. "Kakashi, I –"

Plump lips pressing to her mouth cut her off. Sakura got over her surprise quickly and sighed against her. She could feel how Kakashi smiled in response and then Sakura realized rather slowly that she had taken off her mask. She kissed her back, her hands coming up to hold her face, finally feeling the soft skin there.

Her kisses were addicting and Sakura felt like she was melting. To finally have something she'd wanted for years felt like seeing the sun for the first time. It was overwhelming in its brightness, but when you took a step back, the colors were so beautiful and mesmerizing. There was a warmth inside her that was curling itself around her heart like a cat. The way Kakashi's fingertips moved across her skin to the back of her head sent goosebumps across her skin.

When Kakashi eventually broke the kiss, Sakura could finally see the way her lips curved into a smile. It was soft and sincere, but she could also see the cockiness trying to shine through. Sakura thought she could stare at it for hours, but at the moment she only wanted to feel her smile against her lips again. She pulled her back down, her fingers tangling in her soft short hair.

When Sakura tasted the smile on her lips, she felt like the fruit was finally falling from her tree and Kakashi was eagerly picking them up.