Tan Lines

by thekatthatbarks

Kakashi and Sakura go on a little vacation at a beach.

"Sakura-chan," – Kakashi casually strolled beside her as she walked to her office in the hospital – "Let's go on vacation."

She almost stopped in her tracks and looked at him bemused. "What?"

"Mah, I just passed the hat over to Naruto. Don't you think I deserve a vacation?" he asked her as they stepped into her office.

She stepped towards her desk and dropped a folder on it, then leaned against it looking back to Kakashi. "Well, yeah, but why do you want me to go with you?"

Kakashi smiled at her with a shrug and leaned against her door. "You haven't taken any sort of vacation since the war. You run the hospital every day and still take missions. Don't you think you deserve one too?"

Sakura hesitated, the offer was so tempting. But there was still something – someone that nagged at the back of her mind. Before she could respond, Kakashi sighed and met her eyes seriously. "Sakura, you can't just keep waiting for him."

She blushed and denied it, "I'm not –"

"You are." Kakashi stepped towards her. "You never leave the village unless it's for a mission even if you have time off to go to a nearby hot springs. You're waiting for him."

Sakura didn't argue this time and looked down at her feet. He was right.

Then, she felt his hand come up to pinch her chin and when she looked up he was back to smiling at her. "Think about it. It'll only be for a couple weeks. I'm leaving tomorrow at eight, so I hope I see you at the gates."

She nodded and a second later he was gone.

Sakura stared at her open suitcase, half packed and staring back at her intimidatingly. She was still on the fence about it even if she had already arranged for her top medic to cover for her. She'd toss something inside it then leave the room and come back to continue packing. It was hard for her. Like Kakashi had pointed out, she hadn't left the village for anything but missions in years.

What if he came back when she was away? No. Sakura shook her head in frustration with a newfound determination and quickly finished packing everything she needed. The sound of her zipping the suitcase up was deafening in her apartment. But Sakura felt a strange relief as she did so. You can't keep waiting for him.

Kakashi's relieved smile and the relaxed tension in his shoulders when she met him at the gates the next day made her feel even better about her decision.

Kakashi took her to a beach, which was somewhere Sakura had actually never been – she was not counting the war. It was nice. Okay, nice was an understatement. It was beautiful. Konoha had always been luscious and green, with flowers and towering trees. She'd always thought her home was beautiful. But this place had a different type of beauty to it. They'd arrived in the evening and the way the waves crashed against the sand with the sunset was breathtaking. There was greenery everywhere and gorgeous flowers Ino would die to be able to grow in her greenhouse.

Kakashi noticed her smile and curious eyes that were still taking everything in as they checked in. He chuckled and asked her with a raised eyebrow, "Do you regret coming now?"

She turned to him with a wide smile as the resort worker handed him keys to their room. She laughed lightly. "Of course not." Then, she wrapped her arm around his and told him sincerely, "Thank you for bringing me, Kakashi."

He smiled back at her warmly before leading the way, her arm still hooked with his. "Wouldn't have brought anyone else."

The room Kakashi had got them was beautiful just like the rest of the resort. It was grand with two queen sized beds and the largest bathroom Sakura had ever seen. Sakura had wanted to scold him or at least offer to help pay, but Kakashi had shrugged her concerns off. People are very generous to past Kages, Sakura-chan. Don't worry about it. She supposed he had a point considering they hadn't even left the Land of Fire.

They were tired from travelling so they just ordered room service for the night. They ate on Kakashi's bed facing each other with their legs crossed, something they used to do on missions before Kakashi became Hokage. Sakura kept her head down as they ate, a habit she'd gotten into so Kakashi could keep his mask down and not feel like he had to eat so fast. She knew he appreciated the gesture even if hadn't ever directly said so.

She picked at the seafood that was all new to her. She'd tried some of it before, but there were some dishes they'd brought that she had no idea what they were. But Sakura didn't shy away from new things and she nibbled at her food curiously. She asked Kakashi as they ate, "Have you been here before?"

"On a mission when I was younger." It was slight, but his voice sounded different without the blue fabric muffling it. "My stay hadn't been exactly pleasant, but I figured it would be nicer if I wasn't taking out a syndicate."

Sakura snorted with a nod. "I think that'll help. It's really beautiful here." Sakura paused as she reached for the next plate, staring disgustedly at it.

Kakashi chuckled. "What's wrong?"

She pointed at it. "Is that a slug?"

"Ah, yes, it is a delicacy around here I think," he answered simply and Sakura fought down a shiver as she stared at the poor slug.

Sakura grabbed the plate and put it on the floor out of sight. "We are not eating that. I can't eat something that's a cousin of Katsuyu."

She could hear the smile in Kakashi's voice as he replied, "Sakura-chan, I don't think they're cousins."

She rolled her eyes at him as she picked at something else. "Like you could ever eat dog meat."

Kakashi laughed. "Point taken."

Sakura had set up a spot on the beach for her and Kakashi in the morning while she waited for him to eventually wake up. She'd been too excited to wait for him and since it was a vacation, she let him sleep in and just left a note of where she was. She had to stop by the resort's small shop to buy a few things anyway. She laid out two beach towels and lounging chairs, then put up a couple of umbrellas to shield from the sun.

She was surprised the beach wasn't covered in more people, but guessed the resort's beach must be privately owned. She liked it better this way, though. She wasn't as reclusive as Kakashi was, but when she was relaxing she didn't really want to be bothered by other people.

It was still the early morning but the sun was already beating down. The sand was hot and Sakura could feel the heat on her skin even as she hid underneath her umbrella. She was thankful she'd went ahead and bought a bikini to wear instead of wearing shorts and a tank out there. She was sure it was much cooler to wear.

As much as she knew she'd be able to simply relax there doing nothing, she snatched one of Kakashi's Icha Icha books in case she got bored. She started reading it curiously and was probably halfway through it by the time Kakashi joined her.

"You know, not many people can steal my Icha Icha and get away with it, Sakura-chan," he teased her and she could feel him leaning over her chair.

"I was just borrowing – " She looked up as she spoke and her sentence died on her tongue.

She stared up at him in shock at a lost for what to say as her eyes landed on that cocky grin of his that she could now see clearly. "K-Kakashi!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, smiling wider and – oh, he had a dimple – and asked her innocently, "Something got your tongue?"

She dropped his book and it landed with a soft thud in the sand as she turned on to her knees and leaned over the back of her chair. She reached out for his face, feeling the smooth skin of his jaw for the first time. Then, noticed the cutest mole just below the corner of his lip. She met his eyes confused, still not able to shake her surprise. "Why aren't you wearing your mask? And don't tell me it's because of the heat or the water, you've never been bothered by either before."

Kakashi shrugged, his hand coming up to cover hers. He told her with mirth in his eyes, "I trust you enough to show you my face, Sakura." He squeezed her hand before moving to sit in the chair beside her. He leaned back and closed his eyes like he had simply shown her a nice eggplant he'd found at the market.

Sakura stared at him in disbelief, unable to look away from him. "But you've never showed it to me before?"

Kakashi peeked an eye at her before closing it again and smiling. "Maybe I have and you've just never looked."'

Wasn't it her that had started to look down so Kakashi could eat without his mask? Or had he stopped pulling it back up and she had looked away because she thought that was what he wanted? Sakura laid back in her chair and stared off into the ocean. "Huh."

Kakashi chuckled beside her and her eyes were drawn to him again, just now noticing he'd also foregone a shirt and was only wearing a pair of black shorts. He opened his eyes and leaned over to grab his book out of the sand. He pointed it at her and cocked a grin, making Sakura's heart skip a beat. "Don't mistreat the books, Sakura, or I won't let you borrow them."

Sakura ignored the strange feeling coiling in her stomach and pouted at him as she fought a smile. "Aw, but, Kakashi, I didn't get to finish it."

He sighed before handing her the book and then crossed his arms behind his head. "Alright, just don't get any more sand on it."

She took the book with a smile and nod in his direction before he closed his eyes again. She tried to pick back up where she left off but couldn't help stealing glances Kakashi's way. But could anyone blame her? She'd been wondering about his face for around fifteen years now.

He must have felt her eyes on him, because after a while he smirked and asked her, "Am I so beautiful that you can't stop staring at me?"

She blushed, thankful his eyes were still closed. He was. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him so. "Never took you for a man who fished for compliments, Kakashi."

"Mah, well we are at a beach, aren't we?" Kakashi opened his eyes and looked over at her.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him and offered, "You have an adorable tan line."

He chuckled and gave her a nod. "Why, thank you, Sakura-chan. I work very hard on it."

She was just being stupid. Sakura tried to get a grip on herself as she laid awake in bed. It was just a face, she told herself. A very stupidly attractive face, but still just a face. She shouldn't have to fight down blushes when she looked at him and feel her heart skip a beat when he smiled at her. It was Kakashi. Sure, they'd always had this playful banter that Ino liked to point out as flirting, but it never meant anything. At least, she didn't think it did.

Sakura wasn't shallow enough to just be attracted to someone based on looks alone. She was still sure of this, despite the turmoil going on inside her. Maybe it was just finally seeing his smile. It was so different from imagining it or seeing the faint outline through his mask. To see how it stretched across his face when he was happy, when he was laughing. How soft it made him look when he was just lying there in the shade. His playful smirk gave her butterflies and his warm smile made her feel like goo. Could a smile really mean that much?

Sakura wanted to scream into her pillow out of frustration, but knew it would wake Kakashi up. She also knew that if she did, he would somehow just know why. He was one of her best friends – probably the best friend with how busy Naruto always was and Ino always being out on dates – and she needed to get over whatever this was. She was just seeing her best friend's emotions played out clearly on his face for the first time and it was throwing her a little off guard. That's all.

But if she was being honest with herself, there had always been a slight something there between her and Kakashi that had just grown over the years. None of this was really new, it had just been easier to ignore without his stupid face getting in the way. He'd made her blush before with his teasing. Her heart had raced a few times when he had her pinned down in a spar that had nothing to do with the exercise. She had just done her best to ignore it and tried not to water it. She was scared of it and she didn't know where it would go. It had all just made her a bundle of nerves and she had lied to herself that it didn't feel good.

She really wanted to scream into her pillow because she knew why she had lied to herself all these years. She had never been able to let go of that string of hope that was still waiting for Sasuke. Whenever she thought about it cutting it, she could never find the scissors.

"Sakura?" Kakashi pulled her out of her thoughts as they laid on the beach the next day.

She looked over at him in question and he gestured at her body. "That's a nice swimsuit you got there."

Sakura couldn't stop the faint blush that rose to her cheeks and glanced down at herself. It was a simple bikini, just red with pink flowers. It was just because he had said it so casually. She looked at him oddly, not that he had never complimented her before, but it was so out of nowhere. "Thank you?"

He laughed and gave her a lopsided smile. He nodded towards the water. "Think you'll ever use it?"

Oh. Sakura looked away from him and closed her eyes, crossing her arms behind her head. She shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I will later."

After they had gone out to lunch and came back to their spot, Kakashi watched as Sakura simply laid back down making herself comfortable on her chair. He hovered beside her chair and when she looked up at him curiously, he had a frown. She hadn't really seen him frown since he stopped wearing his mask around her and was surprised by how off it put her. Almost sad. "What's the matter, Kakashi?"

He looked at her for a minute then back to the water. He told her quietly, "Sakura, if you had told me you were scared of the water, I would've taken you somewhere else."

Sakura felt her heart stop and she avoided his eyes. She put a smile on her face and laughed it off. "Don't be silly, Kakashi. I'm not scared of the water."

"Sakura."

"I'm not," she denied it and looked up at him, seeing only concern there. "I-I swim in the rivers and lakes back home all the time."

Kakashi was quiet for a moment and she wondered if he was going to drop it. He moved to his own chair and dragged a few inches closer to hers. He sat down and said softly, "I didn't think the war would have that kind of effect on you."

There was no judgement in his voice, just slight surprise and a bit of guilt that he didn't deserve. Sakura sighed. She was being silly, trying to deny it. Her and Kakashi had gotten to a point where they told each other almost everything. She knew about his past and he was the first person she went to when she was upset about something. This wasn't any different.

"I'm not…I'm not scared of the ocean. It just reminds me, you know? Makes me a bit…wary. I had barely even been on the beach during the war, but I remember seeing them all just…crawl out of it." Sakura's stare had turned distant as memories flashed through her mind like a horrible movie. After a few seconds, she shook her head along with those thoughts and turned to Kakashi with a small smile. "I know it's irrational."

Kakashi smiled back at her and reached a hand out to hold hers. "It's not."

She felt a warmth bubble in her chest and she squeezed his hand. They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Kakashi stood up, taking her arm with him. She looked up at him confused as he pulled her to her feet and started walking backwards. "Kakashi, what are you doing?"

He cocked a grin at her, interlocking his fingers with hers. "Sakura, it's fine."

She tried to tug back as they got closer to the water. She knew she wasn't scared, but it didn't mean she wanted to go in. But Kakashi didn't let her pull away, though he did stop at the edge of the water. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Trust me?"

She felt herself relax at his smile and she squeezed his hand. She nodded and took a step towards him. "Of course."

He smiled down at her warmly and she felt her heart race as he grabbed her other hand and slowly pulled them into the water as he walked backwards. The water was nice she had to admit, it felt cold against her warm skin. She had always found the waves soothing and now wasn't any different. No matter how dark the water got the further away from the shore.

Kakashi stopped them when the water was up to Sakura's breast, the sand at a slope beneath her feet. Kakashi's hands had moved to her waist at some point and her hands were on his arms. When she finally took her eyes off the water and looked up at him, she realized how close they were and blushed before stepping back slightly. She gave him a shrug. "See? I told you I wasn't scared."

Kakashi was a good man, because he didn't comment as her eyes slid over to her right where the reef dropped off and the water was considerably darker. He also didn't comment as her fingers gripped tighter on his arm. "You're right, you're not because you know I wouldn't let anything get you."

She snorted, despite how comforting the thought was, and met his eyes. "Kakashi, I'm not five. I know nothing's going to get me."

He hummed in response and when her eyes started to drift again, he said, "Sakura."

She looked back to him and he sighed. "You may not be five, but…sometimes I am."

She only had a second to look at him confused before he splashed her. She blinked the water away and combed her now wet hair back. He wisely took a step back biting back a smile. She knew exactly what he was doing. He was distracting her. She playfully glared at him with a wide smile. "Oh, Kakashi, it is so on."

She didn't know what he expected, but from his expression he certainly didn't expect the massive wave she created when she splashed him back.

A couple nights later, Sakura woke up blearily in the middle of the night. She glanced around the room cautiously trying to figure out what had woken her up. She didn't see any threat and her eyes landed on Kakashi, finding her answer. She sighed, feeling a sadness rush over her as she watched him twist in his bedsheets. The sheets were tangled around his legs and his breathing was uneven. In the dark, she could barely make out beads of sweat on his forehead.

She'd seen Kakashi have nightmares before – hell how could she not have with them sharing a room so constantly over the years? Sakura sat up and slipped out of her bed, making sure the sound of her feet hitting the floor was silent. It was never a good idea to startle Kakashi out of a nightmare. She stepped over to his bed and looked down at him, now able to see how his face scrunched up as if he was in pain. It was the first instance where she missed his mask. She took a deep breath, before calling out to him in a soft voice, "Kakashi."

It took a couple more tries, but then his eyes shot open and she easily caught the hand that came towards her throat. She'd done it so many times, Kakashi had finally got over his fear that he'd hurt her if she tried to wake him up.

He looked up at her breathless when he realized it was her and his hand relaxed in hers. "Sakura."

She smiled warmly at him as she let go of his hand and it fell back to the bed. "You had a nightmare."

Kakashi nodded and gave her a weak smile. This was usually the part where she went back to her own bed, but she felt herself hesitating as she looked down at him. She couldn't even explain to herself why she did it, she barely thought it through before she was picking up the corner of his sheets and sliding in to the bed beside him. He looked at her confused, but made room for her without thinking. "Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked her as she made herself comfortable against his pillows.

She shrugged, trying to not make it seem like a big deal though she could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest. She probably had a blush on her cheeks, but she liked to believe the room was too dark for him to notice. She reached an arm around him and tried to coax him to lay against her. "It'll be easier to sleep with me here, won't it?" she asked him, her voice soft but nervous.

She could see the questions in his eyes, the hesitance, but he smiled at her before resting his head in the crook of her neck. Then, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, sending butterflies stirring in her stomach. He answered her with an obvious smile in his voice, "I suppose it would."

She felt the nervous tension in her body disappear and she smiled though he couldn't see it. Her hand came up to comb soothingly through his hair as she leaned her head against his. She counted his breaths as he slowly went back to sleep, not closing her eyes until she was sure he wasn't faking it.

She woke up in the morning alone, but didn't let it dampen her mood as she spotted a note on the bedside table. Went to get breakfast. There was his little henohenomoheji drawn in the corner, making her smile. She was sure it had been some of the best sleep she'd ever had.

Sakura was pretty sure these weeks were turning out to be some of the best weeks of her life. She was having the most fun she'd had in years. They really needed to do this more often. She was enjoying herself so much with Kakashi. He didn't complain when she dragged him out to the boutiques to go shopping, simply trying on gaudy hats and sunglasses to make her laugh. He was patient with her about the ocean, letting her climb on his back one day when he wanted to swim further out – really, she just suspected it was to help her get over her fear. They played card games on the beach and it was so much easier now that she could read his face – Kakashi had the worst poker face and she joked that it was the reason he had a mask. Which had just turned into a game of who could keep their face straight the longest. Kakashi lost, surprisingly.

They'd been lounging on the beach when someone from the resort came down to them and held a scroll out to Sakura. "Haruno-san, a letter came for you."

Sakura nodded at her with thanks and went to open the letter curiously. It was from Naruto like she would have guessed. He was pouting about her not giving him enough warning about going on vacation. She knew he was just joking as he went on to tell her how excited he was for an upcoming trip to Suna for Kage business. She could tell he wasn't trying to outright say it, but he was happy she was able to get some time off to relax. She smiled the whole way through until he ended with a hopeful question of if she would catch him before he left.

Kakashi silently watched her and when she finished she met his curious eyes, telling him, "Naruto's already planning when he can get away with a vacation. He says hello by the way." Kakashi rolled his eyes affectionately and took the scroll she offered to him.

Sakura laid back crossing her arms behind her head. She had this itching anxiety in the back of her head and was trying to shrug it off but even after Kakashi handed the scroll back to her, she could still feel it. She guessed it must be because of the letter from Naruto. It was like a reminder that she had a life waiting for her back home, a certain routine to get back to. She felt a little – okay, more than a little – sad at the thought that her time with Kakashi was over. It wasn't even just the idea of vacation and relaxation anymore, it was just him. It would be hard adjusting back to the way things were before. Sure, they'd always spent time together when they could, but she'd miss waking up and seeing him just a few feet away. He'd always been within arm's reach here, but that would change. She'd miss how comfortable he was here, alone with her. He'd always been laid back around her, but maybe it was something about being away from the call of duty that let him fully relax. He'd even taken off his mask, the vision of his face something she'd seriously miss. In the end, though, what she would miss the most was Kakashi.

They'd go back to their lives, the way they were before. Sakura wondered how easily it would be to slip back into herself. She felt like that small part of her – that thread had finally been snipped away these past weeks. A part of her feared that she might try to tie it back together when she got home, just out of habit. But maybe this is what she had needed to find those scissors, time away to clear her mind. A voice in the back of her mind told her she was lying to herself as she looked over at Kakashi. No, it wasn't time away that she had needed.

Kakashi smiled at her when he caught her eye and she felt this fuzzy feeling as she looked at him. His brow furrowed when she didn't say anything and he asked her, "Are you alright?"

She tore her eyes away from him, his voice bringing her back to the reality they were in. On a beach on the best vacation she'd ever had with the perfect person to spend it with. As the thought crossed her mind, she felt relieved. She really wouldn't want to be there with anyone besides Kakashi. It was a freeing feeling, even if it left her breath shaky.

She had a nagging worry in the back of her mind, if the thread was really cut or if she had just rubbed her kunai against it long enough for it to almost disappear. She could live with never knowing if it was, only if there wasn't a possibility for a light to come in and find it again. She let out a deep breath and asked Kakashi, "Do you think Sasuke will ever come back?"

He was quiet for a moment and Sakura looked over at him nervously. He glanced at her and she could see in his eyes that she had surprised him by the question. He frowned before looking away from her and back to the ocean. He answered her honestly, "No."

The thread snapped and the twelve-year-old inside Sakura mourned it, but it wasn't a big enough a part of her anymore to affect the rest of her. Sakura felt that same freeing feeling again as she realized she wasn't disappointed by his answer. She had always known, even if she had been denying it for years.

"Sakura…" Kakashi's voice was hesitant when he spoke again and she could hear a slight nervousness in it. She raised an eyebrow at him to continue when he didn't, but he wasn't even looking in her direction to see it. "If you keep waiting around for him, you'll never move on. You'll…never see what's right in front of you."

Sakura felt her whole body go still even as her heart beat out of rhythm in her chest. She knew what – who he was alluding to. The longer she stared at him, slowly something occurred to her as she laid beside him in the sand. He stubbornly didn't look at her, acting casual as he closed his eyes and leaned back on his folded arms like he had just said her hair was nice.

It was a subtle line and so Kakashi, she should have seen it coming. But Sakura knew an opening when she saw one and she wasn't going to waste this one. "Kakashi."

He didn't open his eyes and simply hummed at her, "Hm?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, wondering if he was toying with her or if he was actually nervous for her response. She decided a bit of both. She moved from her own spot and pivoted to throw a leg over Kakashi to straddle him. "Kakashi."

Now, he opened his eyes and they went slightly wide at the sight of her straddling him. But he acted as cool and collected as always, giving her a small smile and bringing a hand up to rest at the back of her knee. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

She tried to ignore the heat from his hand and how it made her want to melt against him. She leaned forward bracing herself with her hands on either side of his head. Her hair fell forward as she looked down at him and his eyes flickered to the movement and back to her eyes. She made sure to not look away as she asked him, "Did you…did you have a plan in mind when you brought me here?"

But Kakashi feigned innocence. "Mah, I don't know what you're talking about."

Sakura laughed lightly and shook her head. "You did, didn't you?" She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course, you did. You made me think this was all about relaxing, but it wasn't. At least not all of it. You had something in mind with us coming here. I don't know if it was to tell me something or what. But there's been all these little things you've been doing. The touches. The looks. Kakashi, you even took off your mask!" She wasn't actually upset about any of it, well maybe just a little because she hadn't caught on to what he was doing.

Kakashi was apparently amused by her ramblings if his smile was anything to go by as he looked up at her. Sakura hadn't even noticed when his thumb started stroking against her skin in a maddening way. He teased her, "Don't think you're so clever. That wasn't all of it."

She raised an eyebrow at him to continue and he glanced away from her. He was quiet for a moment like he was trying to piece his words together in his head. When he looked back to her, he let out a deep breath and she could see that same nervousness from earlier there again, no matter how subtle it was. "I – it was good for you to get away for a while. Even if you were to reject me, it would still all be worth it to see you relaxed and happy."

Sakura's heart was pounding against her chest with hard thuds now. There was this bubbly feeling rising up inside of her and she bit back the wide grin that wanted to break through. She leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of his head like she had earlier. "Reject you?" She asked him, her voice lower than before. "Kakashi, you haven't even said anything."

She saw something flash across his face, but it was too quick for her to catch. Whatever it was, made him relax beneath her and he gave her a smile that made her feel weak. It was warm and affectionate, loving. He brought his other hand up to hold her cheek. "Fine." He spoke in a soft voice. "Sakura, I've been in love with you for years."

She'd expected something along the same lines, but to hear him actually say it sent waves of feelings over her. She felt so much from those words, a dozen emotions crashing around her and blending into this one overwhelming feeling. Her previous butterflies had nothing on the way this warmth coiled at the bottom of her stomach and up to her chest.

Kakashi's hand trailed down to a lock of her hair before moving it to the back of her head and bringing her closer just by an inch. She could feel his breath on her face and it sent shivers down her spine. "I fell in love with the way you gave," he told her, his smile becoming a tad crooked. "Again and again, you gave and I worried there'd be nothing left of you. You gave pieces of your heart to so many people, including those who didn't deserve it like me. Your smile and your laugh. The touch of your healing hands. Your time. Every time you'd reach out for me to give me another little piece of yourself, I could feel myself falling deeper."

Sakura felt like tears might start prickling at the corner of her eyes and she hoped Kakashi didn't notice. It was just no one had ever talked about her with such…adoration. He'd always looked at her this way? For years? She suddenly felt like she'd missed out on something and the regret sunk deep inside her skin. She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes. She whispered with a deprecating laugh, "I'm such an idiot."

Kakashi just chuckled in response. "Don't say that." Then, pulled her down the remaining inch to meet her lips with his. The kiss was filled with affection and love, so gentle it drove her crazy. This time, she did melt against him, her body falling to lie on top of him. His hand buried in her hair as she kissed him back and his other hand moved from her leg to wrap around her waist and hold her close.

Sakura smiled against his lips unable to stop herself. She had never felt so content, so like this is where I belong than there with Kakashi. She pulled away from him slightly and told him, "I'm sorry I made you wait for me."

He kissed her again and told her sincerely, "Mah, you were well worth the wait."