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"I love you."

"I know."

They stared at each other, unblinking, her eyes never leaving his. She waited, breathless, hoping he would say what she wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry."

She blinked. Her heart cracked and suddenly she couldn't bear to look at him. She saw her love and adoration reflected in his eyes. Love and adoration for her, just they way her eyes were shining with emotions for him. But she also saw uncertainty, and then finally, regret. And in that instant, she understood. She knew that he would not allow himself to love her the way that he wanted to.

What could she say now? Now that she had bared her soul to him, now that she had said the words that made the feelings in her heart almost, tangible. Now that there was no way to pretend that she only felt friendship for him. No way or place to hide. She couldn't blame the alcohol, she knew as well as he did that they were never able to become intoxicated senseless. They were always too aware, too logical, too serious. They thought too much, and understood each other too well.

"But some things have to be said." Ino's voice came drifting into her mind. You've been hiding your feelings ever since things between you and Sasuke fell apart. You can't keep lying to yourself Sakura. Don't be afraid. It's so obvious he loves you. It's in the way he looks at you, the way you interact. He's not looking for anyone else, all he can see is you."

How ironic things were. She felt like she was always chasing after the unattainable men. Always waiting, always watching their backs as they left her behind. She had waited four years before Sasuke had returned. Despite their years apart and all that had happened, things had finally worked for them. They had spent the next four years together before realizing in the end that somehow, the love they had had for each other had changed. It had become the strongest of friendships, but that had also been the curse of their relationship. They had planned their future with each other, but in the end, she was forced to admit, as he had, that their relationship was simply not enough for them to actually be able to make their planned future a reality. Their love just wasn't that type of love anymore. They were best friends, but they weren't each other's soul mates. That elusive but essential element had diminished over time, and its absence had grown more noticeable every day until neither of them could deny it. They were still best friends, for which she was thankful, but despite the relief that had come with their parting, there was a grief which she kept hidden under a façade of smiles and meaningless flirtations. It had taken her a long time to fully let go of Sasuke, but her faith in eternal love had been shaken, and she didn't want to feel the pain that comes with a break up ever again. Hence, she refused to open her heart to anyone and those who ventured too close were soon met with an icy barrier.

Except him. Despite her refusal to date anyone more than twice and her unwillingness to allow herself to be vulnerable, he had snuck into her heart and before she knew it, all she could think about was him. His kindness and warmth, his gentleness tinged with authoritive strength, his intelligence and humour. She loved that she could read him even though his face was always covered with that ridiculous, yet oddly stylish, mask. She loved that Naruto and their friends could be staggeringly, boisterously and drunkenly loud beside them while they conducted their own silent conversation. She loved that she didn't need to spell out everything for him, he completely and utterly understood her. He understood who she was and why she was the way she was. Sometimes, it even felt like he knew her better than she knew herself.

Aren't you forgetting something? Inner Sakura decided to announce her presence.

What?

He's bloody HOT! You can only see one eye and messy grey hair but that man is undeniably…

Oh shut up! Sakura stopped inner Sakura from proceeding down the gutter. After all, no matter what she hoped and dreamed, he was standing in front of her now, rejecting her. She didn't need to be reminded by memories of countless nights lying awake unable to stop thinking about him.

"Do you love me?" The words slipped from her mouth before she was even aware that she had spoken aloud. The question that had been turned over and over in her head had finally been asked.

"Yes." He replied without hesitation. He didn't need to lie to her and he didn't want to lie to her. He knew she knew exactly what he was thinking, and the reason why he was refusing her. But he had to tell her anyway, certain things had been understood but unspoken for far too long.

"I'm a lot older than you Sakura. I don't want you to spend the best years of your life with an old man who's been through too much to offer you the dreams and energy of guys your age. And conversely, I don't want to play around anymore. If I let myself be with someone, it'll be for the rest of my life. I can't lock you into something so permanent when you're so young. For you, there's an abundance of chances out there, and you still have time to date around and finally find the one you should really be with. But I'm too old for that."

"I know that! But no-one knows what the future holds! How can you be so sure we won't work out? How can you know that we're not meant to be together?" Sakura felt absurd. There was passion and conviction in her words but she knew that Kakashi knew of her lack of faith in eternal love, and trying to convince him of forever when she didn't even believe in it herself? It was almost hypocritical. She knew the truth of his words, but she also knew that she, at this very moment, loved him. She loved him in a way that she had never loved anyone else, and had finally grasped the courage to tell him, when she had never done so to anyone before.

Once again, she stared at him, and he was caught by her eyes blazing with emotions. He stared back at her helplessly, his conflicting emotions evident in his one visible eye.