Well, this was supposed to be a drabble, but apparently once I start I can't stop.
This chapter is from Kakashi's point-of-view, centering around our favourite pink-hairing kunoichi, of course. All chapters will be Sakura-centric, written from the point-of-view of another character.
Disclaimer: Naruto is not, and will never be, mine. :'(
Part I: Kakashi
Icha Icha
I catch her peeking over my shoulder. She thinks I haven't noticed, but I do. There's a lot I notice about her.
She shouldn't be reading this. Riveting as it is, her tastes are more… "dignified", as I'm sure she'd put it. I sometimes try to get her to give it a shot - even going so far as to lend her my signed copy of Icha Icha Paradise, one of the classics - but she only got through a couple paragraphs before squealing and hurling the book back at me. I believe she shouted something along the lines of me being more perverted than she ever thought possible before she stormed off.
Despite certain lapses in maturity, she's better than me these days. Just a better person, plain and simple. The harshness of the shinobi world chipped away at her, and for a while I thought she just wasn't cut out for her job - especially after Sasuke's abandonment. No one thought she'd bounce back from that. I worried she'd do something stupid, or even worse, train less and less often until she stopped altogether and just gave up on being a kunoichi. But she's pulled herself together since then and turned her biggest weakness - her compassion - into her biggest asset. She doesn't know it, but she's stronger than me. Mentally, I mean. She can get through anything. She'll realise that when life hits her with another curveball.
My lazy onyx eyeball slides to the side of my face and graces her with an appraising look. The corner of my mouth quirks up, which I'm sure she can't see. "I take it you're having second thoughts about my choice of reading material?" I drawl, and her heated cheeks betray her. Caught red-handed.
She whips her head to the side, rosette locks flying, and mutters something about having somewhere else to be. I watch her back as she makes a hasty retreat. Dusk's dying rays of light bathe the edges of her skin, making her glow. Like an angel. A little pink angel who'd rip your intestines out through your belly button for getting on her bad side. Ah yes, that's her. Sakura, the first of my students to surpass her teacher. She's always been my favourite.
Thanks very much for reading! Please let me know your thoughts on this.
Next chapter: Sasuke.