A/N: Because I love you guys. It's been a while, but while some things change, some things never will.
Sakura watched a leaf flutter down.
It was bright red with a golden edge; falling gracefully as it sliced through the air, swerving from one end to the other, until the stem turned about a majestic spin and bumped her in the nose. She sneezed.
If there was one downside to living in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, it would only be this: the sheer volume of foliage dropped during the harvest season, washing the villagers out in a haze of organic waste and allergy fog, that was both awe-inspiring for the colorful beauty and miserable for the sneezing backlash.
If tourists or villagers were ever found frozen by the roadside, choked up by tears and snot from the overwhelming beauty of the trees and confusing mixture of allergies… well, it certainly was not a rare occurrence. And it was common courtesy to either overt your gaze as you walked by, or stop and offer a handkerchief until the sobbing and sneezing stopped.
Sakura was experiencing one of those un-rare moments now. While she stood on the training ground, she thought of how the trees raged like fire as their branches swayed in the wind. Just like the Will of Fire—and that thought alone usually would have been enough to break her and send her into crippling sobs if it weren't for the fact that she had lived in the village all her life, and thus built up a small immunity to these great emotional outbursts of patriotism over the years.
Rather than alarming her teammates with hysterical tears, Sakura decided she would keep those special feelings to herself, and instead, stood back and admired how the bright shades of red, orange, and yellow glistened in the skyline and fell over the training ground in golden rain. It was a gorgeous sea of color.
A playful wind swept over the leaves. They rose and swirled around in a long, intimate dance, touching the ground with a gentle caress before being blasted away by the cold harsh wind. A dry death-rattle sounded off as they rustled past.
Sakura held one arm to her face, blocking the sudden blast of leaves and cold air. A silver puff left her mouth. The swirl of colors blazed in her vision until she shut her eyes, and they extinguished. Like bright sparks flickering out against the velvet black.
"Sakura, watch out!"
"Idiot… watch your aim!"
The loud sound of clanging metal echoed in her ears, just as the whiz of a sharp kunai flew past her face, missing the tips of her wind-blown hair by mere inches. Sakura snapped to attention and crouched down. She kept one arm held up defensively as she pin-pointed the source of the attack.
From a nearby tree, Naruto fell down in a loud ker-thunk! with a shower of leaves. There was a look of deep concern on his usually carefree face. As Sakura watched, she couldn't help but notice how Naruto's bright orange jumpsuit no longer stuck out. For once in his life time, it worked in his favor and formed the perfect camouflage.
"Sorry, Sakura!" he said. "It was closer than I thought." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Sasuke appeared next to him, also dropping down from a tree, though one that was farther away, and looking extremely irked. He must have prevented Naruto's kunai from making a dead-on hit by throwing out one of his own. For once in her life, Sakura was glad for Naruto's obvious motions and Sasuke's quick reflexes.
Not that she would ever tell them that.
"Cutting it a bit close, don't you think?" she snapped. Leaning forward, she deftly shot back to her feet.
"I just saved your life." Sasuke reminded her in a flat voice. He crossed his arms. "You're welcome for that... by the way."
Naruto was much more apologetic. Within in moments he was on his knees, groveling as his hands gripped the grass. In the next second he threw his head back to the sky in despair.
"I'm sorry, Sakura," Naruto cried. "What have I done? I could have killed you!"
"Yes, you could have," Sakura groused.
She was feeling far too self-righteous in the moment to let Naruto get off easy, or admit the fact that she might have been the one in the wrong, and should have been paying closer attention during their spar.
Sasuke turned away, disgusted by the commotion. It was as if he had seen this scene unfold before.
"You could have been dead!" Naruto wailed. He held up a handful of dead leaves to Sakura. "Dead!"
Sakura quietly fumed to herself. Both embarrassed that she let her guard drop, and yet not willing to ever admit in a million years that she was the one to blame, especially if the whole thing could be pinned on Naruto, and buried under his theatrics.
Sakura idly rubbed her forehead, in the spot the kunai would have hit if it weren't deflected. Her nerves were raw now. As the seconds passed the prickling sensation welled up between her eyes. She rubbed the spot with irritation. "So annoying."
"I could have killed you!" Naruto repeated.
"Yes, you could have," Sakura grunted in response.
"The village would have been down a medic!"
"Seriously," she agreed.
"Tsunade would have killed me!"
"You bet she would."
"Kakashi would have killed me!"
"He can be like that sometimes."
"And your parents! What would I have said to them?"
Well, she didn't think they would be happy, but she didn't think they would be unhappy either. Ever since the village started offering compensation for family members who "died in service" to the country, their complaints about her dangerous profession had gone down considerably.
Should something unfortunate happen to her, Sakura's parents would be able to afford a house on the nicer side of town, and live out a quiet life grieving the death of their daughter. Not that she was saying her parents valued money more than her. But it certainly wouldn't hurt either if they remembered to actually send a card on her birthday, and not on some random date three months later.
Naruto was probably just distraught that he would never be able to ask permission to marry her, which was a goal in life he often liked to remind Sakura.
He was spiraling down to the final stages of deep depression now.
"Gah! How could I ever be Hokage if I killed my teammate? I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy to be Hokage!"
That last statement always sent punch to Sakura's stomach. She examined her fingernails idly—doing her best to act as if guilt wasn't eating her alive, and that Naruto's earnest remorse wasn't ripping her heart into two.
"Yes, well…" her lip only wobbled for the briefest moment, before firming back to steely resolve. "I suppose I could forgive you. This time."
Naruto instantly ended his repentance.
"Are you sure?" he asked. He pinned her down with wide blue eyes. They were deep, Sakura noticed. Deep like the ocean.
"I forgive you."
"Are you… really sure?"
"Yeah. Just make sure you're more careful next time."
Naruto did not drop his gaze. For a moment, those blue eyes held her, as if they could see straight through her and read her thoughts. Nerves still raw, Sakura could feel her throat tightening.
Then he glanced away, exhaling a big sigh—which came out as a silver cloud. He smiled vaguely back at Sakura.
Perhaps, things really were fine.
Suddenly, there was another presence beside them. Even though there was a faint breeze, barely a leaf stirred upon his appearance. It was the arrival of their team leader.
"What's going on?" Kakashi asked. He stood next to the small group, looking at each member with a curious eye. He seemed at ease as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. His tall, lanky form hunched down as he leaned back in that perfectly unassuming way.
Sasuke barely spared the jounin a glance.
"Those two are being idiots again," he said, motioning to Naruto and Sakura.
Naruto leapt up in outraged, prepared to lunge across the field and strangle the boy. Sakura simply folded her arms, feeling very cross at the statement.
"Liar!" Naruto shouted, and pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke.
"How?" Sasuke asked. "This isn't the first time Sakura dropped her guard, you nearly killed her, and then fell apart into a sobbing mess this week. In fact… it's the third time this month."
Sakura didn't like her weaknesses being pointed out in such a blunt manner. If Naruto acknowledged the fact that his apologies were now void, it did not show. Instead, he lowered his hand, realizing the part Sasuke said about the multiple attempts on Sakura's life was right.
"Sensei," Sakura spoke up. "I wasn't paying attention again… sorry." Her eyes dropped in truthful confession.
"What happened" Kakashi asked, intrigued.
"I threw a kunai at Sakura," Naruto blurted out. "But, really, I didn't mean to hit so close!"
"I deflected it…" Sasuke added coolly.
"I was distracted…" Sakura finished.
Kakashi regarded them all with his steady gaze. His arms were crossed and he held an Icha Icha book lazily with one hand. He tapped the bright orange spine of the novel against his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm…" A stretch of calm went by as Kakashi contemplated the situation.
The rest of Team Seven stood about in awkward silence while Kakashi contemplated. He liked to do this before or after a mission—partly because he just enjoyed messing with them, and partly because there were things he actually needed to think about sometimes—leaving the rest of the team with nothing to do until Kakashi finished his thinking.
Ever the same, Sasuke stood off, looking aloof from the group. While Naruto decided to crouch down, feeling slightly winded by the fact that he nearly killed the love of his life… again.
Interestingly enough, Sakura kept her eyes on Kakashi. The long pensive look that crossed their team leader's face reflected on her own. The two boys did not see when Kakashi turned and met Sakura's gaze. For a moment, they shared a quiet look.
Another pregnant pause…
"Well," Kakashi finally said, deciding the awkward suspension had lasted long enough. "Mistakes happen. Let's just make sure we're more careful next time. After all, we don't want our training time to go to waste, now do we?"
Kakashi gave them all his cheery curvy-eyed smile, and Naruto paled slightly at the statement, thinking of how whenever Team Seven had a habit of slacking off, Kakashi had a habit of stepping in and making their training more relevant.
In essence, this meant cajoling them as they went through an intense workout of pushups, crunches, and laps around the village nonstop for a week. Those training days tended to be long and tedious, stretching out past the ramen stand's usual hours of business, and leaving Naruto feeling especially sore and hungry whenever he collapsed to bed at night.
Sasuke made another "Tch" sound before turning away. Perhaps pondering why he even bothered to get up every morning when each day just proved to be stupider than the last.
Sakura was surprisingly demure. Quiet even, as she toed the bright leaves on the ground, letting them crunch and flip away from her foot.
"Sorry, sensei," Sakura said. "I'll pay more attention next time."
"Just don't get lazy," Kakashi said, placing a hand on her head in an indolent manner. "We don't want these habits slipping over into missions."
That was a bit rich coming from the man who brought books along on missions, and made his students carry out most of the grunt work. Regardless, Sakura took his words to heart and thought them light for an admonishment. Especially considering the fact that Kakashi rarely needed to criticize her for sloppiness of any kind.
For a brief moment his fingers ruffled her hair in affection. His fingers stole warmth as they left. Team Seven headed towards the center of the field, with the dead grass crunching beneath their feet. The sound carried over in the wind. Sakura remained in place, slightly dazed by her thoughts.
Kakashi glanced back.
"Sakura," he called.
His smooth voice ran through her like a sharp knife. Gentle and soothing, but so raw on her nerves.
Moving with reluctance, Sakura trotted after them. She knew she needed to focus… there should be no more drifting off. But even so, she couldn't help but notice the way the wind stirred the leaves in the air and how they blew across the training field, and she couldn't stop her eyes from lingering on the tall lanky frame of their team leader.
He was muscled and well-toned for sure, but had had a much leaner frame than the other male shinobi Sakura often saw around the village. Did he eat enough? Did he really take care of himself? Sakura couldn't help but wonder.
Then she wondered why she was even wondering. It wasn't her problem to worry about such things after all. But then again, who else would take notice if she didn't? If left to his own device, Kakashi would never fully take care of himself, she was certain.
Similar thoughts went back and forth and battled for control in her mind as she went through the motions of training. Physically, she might have been on the field, but mentally she was miles away.
All she could concentrate on were Kakashi's powerful, well-controlled actions as he demonstrated techniques. Sometimes he would show the same move several times for Sakura's sake. Then he would speak with that smooth voice… that voice that cut through her and brought her back to cold reality.
It was getting so much harder to focus these days.
"Sakura can we talk for a moment?"
Training time had ended when he called out. Sakura stopped in her tracks and turned around. She noticed how Kakashi had waited for Naruto and Sasuke to leave the field first. The two boys were always quick in packing up and heading out for food, bickering all the while as they circled around the perimeter for the exit.
Meanwhile, their sensei had a habit of staying behind and reading under the trees. He liked to stretch out beneath the shade as he enjoyed the leisurely activity after a good workout, and in recent days, Sakura found herself slower to pack up and leave as well. She was reluctant to go home, as she knew there was nothing waiting for her at her lonely apartment.
The walk home was always the last bright and colorful thing that filled her evening before shutting in for a dark and quiet night. She could always catch one last glance of their sensei lounging around in contentment before leaving the field, which always brought Sakura some level of comfort about the solitary lifestyle. Though there was nothing leisurely or comforting about glancing back tonight. The usual book was propped on Kakashi's knee, and he was looking straight at her. Judging by his demeanor, there was something serious on his mind.
Which for Kakashi, must have meant it was pretty damn serious.
Sakura could feel her pulse speed up. She was about to have a discussion with Kakashi. Alone. He was probably going to question her. Interrogate her. Was she ready for this?
Yes! No, wait… she meant no! She was not ready for this. Not at all. No, no, no, no…
"Yes," Sakura replied. She made sure to look at him straight in the eye.
"It's about your performance lately," Kakashi stood up, brushing the leaves off his pants. "You seem distracted."
That was the nice way of putting it.
There was no denying the situation. Her performance had definitely gone downhill over the past few weeks. At first, Sakura thought the little slip-ups were nothing more than careless mistakes, especially as her private musings became more distracting, but with their increasing frequency it was no longer something she could ignore or hide. Or something that the team could ignore. It was inevitable that the topic would be brought up at some point.
"I'm sorry, sensei," Sakura said, bowing her head. Though, the moment Kakashi glanced away, she let her eyes rake over his form in careful evaluation.
Kakashi waved his hands in quick dismissal. "You don't have to apologize. It's not what I'm looking for."
"If you don't want me to apologize, then what do you want me to say?"
"Nothing. I just want your attention. You can get lost in thought off the field, but on the field it's your job to stay focused."
Kakashi paused for a moment.
Sakura studied his serious expression. When Kakashi's brows pointed down, she could almost see the cogs working in his head. He was so lackadaisical at times that it was nice to see this other side of him that exerted effort. It was nice thinking he was willing to become worried about something for her. Or even take time out for her, or even be worried about her. Because that meant he was at least worried enough to care.
Sakura realized how twisted her thoughts seemed.
"You're not even listening right now."
Kakashi waved a hand in front of her face. Sakura blushed, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious.
"I want to know what's going on, Sakura," he said.
The jounin's voice was low and calm with no sharp edges. It was the sort of voice that could sooth a raging beast, and yet somehow bring up a thousand emotions inside of her. They clawed out her chest just waiting to spring out.
It made Sakura nervous. And sick.
"Something must be on your mind," Kakashi said, "And taking your attention away from training. Losing focus this much isn't typical of you."
"I'm not sure what to tell say," Sakura admitted honestly, and it was honest, because Sakura didn't quite know what to make of the situation herself. Usually she was the one with the best focus and chakra control in the group—possibly even the village.
"Is it trouble at home?" Kakashi guessed. He always knew Sakura lived on her own and apart from her parents, but assuming family problems was never a bad guess for shinobi who were lucky enough to have families.
Sakura merely shook her head.
"Trouble with friends?"
Again, Sakura shook her head. Sometimes she had falling outs with Ino, but no matter how nasty or downright brutal their rivalry could become at times, it was never enough to really shake the foundations of their friendship, or break Sakura's hard focus from training.
Kakashi crossed his arms and tapped his fingers thoughtfully.
"I don't know… something emotional? Something physical?" Kakashi mulled over for more answers. Then a strange thought crossed his mind and he made an interesting face. "Is it… uhh… some sort of female thing?"
Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. It certainly was a female thing, but not the same thing Kakashi was referring to, and the problem was definitely something emotional and physical. Except Sakura would argue that the physical part of the problem was Kakashi himself.
"It's somewhat complicated," Sakura responded, shoulders drooping in defeat.
Kakashi could only assume the worst. "Oh sweet Jashin… you have a terminal illness. You had that check-up with Tsunade, and she diagnosed you have a terminal illness."
"What? No!" Sakura sputtered outraged. "I'm not dying!"
Though, sometimes she certainly felt like it.
"Oh, good." Kakashi said simply.
Sakura figured it must have been a relief for him, because now the jounin wouldn't have to expend effort scouting for another student. There weren't that many female students in the village in the first place, and definitely none who had hair as bright and vivid as her own. She would have been hard to replace in that respect.
At this, the questioning stopped. Sakura waited in anticipation, feeling anxious and restless. Here stood the great Copy Nin. The man who could see through a thousand jutsus and predict an enemy's movement with just a single glance.
If there was any person in the village who could dissect and understand, it would be him. Surely he could diagnose what she was going through. Although, she was convinced there was no cure for what she was feeling, because though she felt sick at times, what she had was not really a sickness, and could not be so easily cured.
The silence stretched on.
Even if Kakashi could somehow see and understand, she knew there was nothing either of them could do about it. The problems scattered into fragments for Sakura. The thoughts that scrambled around like rats in a cage… the feelings of looming uncertainty… the anxieties about the future… whether her fears came from a single thing, or many things at once… Sakura was certain they wouldn't be things that someone like Kakashi would want to hear about.
He wouldn't want to hear her spilling out her guts about her deepest insecurities, woes, and anxious wonderings. He wouldn't want to see her break down with problems of passing adolescence, and uncertain futures. And these strange, strange feelings that twinged about her chest and made her feel a million different things. What she had, Sakura was convinced, was nothing more than the aching sighs of a restless mind and heart.
Kakashi's mask moved. His mouth quirked upward into the smallest smile—so faint that at first Sakura wasn't even sure it was there. He had been observing her.
"Girls are such mysterious creatures," Kakashi mused.
Sakura's face crumpled in confusion. "What?"
"You won't tell me what's bothering you… and I won't make you either. But as long as you promise your performance won't slip further, I won't pry."
Sakura thought there was an admonishment in there somewhere, but Kakashi said it in such a matter-of-fact way that the words didn't seem directed towards anyone at all. They even sounded neutral.
"Besides," he said, "I'm sure you know best what's going on."
Or rather, he had a good guess at what was going on now, but this still left Sakura in the dark as she wrestled around with her anxious wonderings. She was tired, yet energetic. Light enough to float, yet weighted down. It was as if there were cement blocks around her feet, and a fire in her gut. She was a person ready to run, and yet there was nowhere to go. She was trapped. But no cage locked her inside, and no shackles bound her arms, unless the heavy feelings of her heart could be considered something that tied her down. She was a million contradictions all at once. With the emotions expanding, and pushing, and threatening to break through.
"It's just restlessness, sensei," Sakura replied.
"Right. Just restlessness."
Sakura braced her body against a cold gust of wind. The leaves swirled across the field, around and around.
A crunch of footsteps. Kakashi approached. With his long casual strides he closed the distance between them with ease. His body blocked the cool breeze, and Sakura felt a warm hand on her forehead, as if measuring her temperature. Clever fingers brushed away the pink wisps of her hair while forcing her to look upwards.
"You've been distracted and restless lately," he said. "But it's not in the same way as the boys."
Sakura blinked. "What do you mean?"
His touch was full of sympathy. "I know your restlessness doesn't come from ambition for power."
She frowned. "Then what does it come from?"
"Does it matter? The fact is… things change, life moves on, and time flies by so fast you'll wonder where it had ever gone. And soon you'll have no idea, worry, or care about the things you're worrying about now."
"What—"
"Sakura, you can do whatever you want. That's all I'm saying."
For a moment she was uncertain. Then she caught his gaze, steady and unnerving. A jolt shot through her stomach, and in that painful stretch of silence, the truth slowly leaked out and poured over the cracks in the space between them. And they both knew.
"So you do know," she whispered. "You knew… all this time."
Her green eyes glazed over. A hot tear streaked down her face. Kakashi's thumb brushed the first one away, then was helpless as other warm tears began to well up and darted to the ground in steady drops.
"How did you know?" she asked softly. Despite herself, she could not fight the trembling or painful clench squeezing her heart.
"Sakura, it's alright. Going with the hospital is an excellent offer."
Sakura was frantic. "But working for the hospital will break up the team!"
"Nothing will ever take you away from the team. Even if it means you have to train separately for a while to specialize in medical jutsu. It's a good field, Sakura."
She sniffed and wiped the wet streaks from her face. "No. I thought this through, sensei. This is just the beginning. If I leave the balance will be thrown off. Then Naruto and Sasuke will wonder why they're not progressing in their training, and seek other methods of getting stronger."
Kakashi shrugged, offering a self-depreciating smile. "So they'll leave and find other mentors. We've seen that happen before."
"It's not the same, sensei. We're becoming too distant. This time I'll spend all my hours at the hospital, Naruto and Sasuke will join Anbu, and the team would break up for good."
"Life changes," Kakashi said firmly. "But there are also things about life that will never change. You have to believe that."
"Like saying that Team Seven will always be the same, and everything will eventually go back to normal?" Sakura cried. "I've heard that catchphrase before. We can't all just stay in this idyllic little dream world."
Kakashi grabbed one of her wrists, and stopped the frantic motions. Her cheeks had gone red from the desperation of wiping tears from her face. He held her arm still in a firm yet gentle grip.
"Sakura, I promise you. Whatever you choose to do… wherever you choose to go… soon you'll realize it will be exactly what you should be doing, and where you're supposed to be."
"So you're saying I should become a full-time medic nin."
"No, I'm saying you should pick whatever fulfils your greatest happiness and potential. Whatever that choice may be."
"But Team Seven is my family!" she cried. "My only real family. I don't want to lose that. The team is my happiness."
"But will you be satisfied with settling? And possibly never realizing your full power?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her hair. "The thing about team bonds is that they're special. Even if you leave, your ties with Team Seven will never change… even if the team may no longer exist on record."
At this, Sakura broke down. Sill gripping her arm, Kakashi gently pulled her in. She trembled from knowledge and trepidation. Even without saying it, she could already feel the pull of where her decisions would lead her, and it was not with Team Seven. Hot streaks fell to the ground as she buried her face in his vest. Kakashi rubbed her back in a soothing manner. His scent was warm and comforting. Vaguely, Sakura realized that she had never been this close to their team leader before.
It was strange, yet somehow fitting. They were now the only two people in the world who knew about the future of the team. The two most stable elements would now conspire in its demise.
So this is how it would end. Kakashi had known all this time where things would lead, and merely waited in silence for the events to unfold. Ever since a few weeks ago when Sakura was first given the offer… he must have known. The thought of it made Sakura sick with longing and grief, and yet filled with faint happiness at his confidence in her decision.
The minutes passed. The sky had darkened and a flock of birds scattered across the sky in their journey south. Their calls were distant and sharp and they flew overhead. Then there was silence once more, and Sakura's tears had stopped.
She dried them off with a hand, and carefully un-pried herself from Kakashi's hold. She took a respectful step back, then turned her face away to collect herself. A few reluctant sniffs filled the air. Then slowed down, until there were none at all.
Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets. The dimming light made him appear as a tall shadow. He was like a lonesome scarecrow in the briar patch. Soon there would be nothing left for this scarecrow to protect.
Though always calm, he simply appeared stoic now.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked. His expression was blank.
"Yes," she said lightly. "Thank you."
"Be careful on your walk home," he said, tilting his head in a lazy farewell.
The statement was more out of courtesy rather than warning, considering Sakura's nearly lethal status. Or perhaps he meant for her to be careful towards other people, especially considering the notorious tempers that tended to happen when she was in an emotional state, and considering how shadows and other things had a tendency to surprise one at night.
"I will," she reassured.
Kakashi reached out his arms in an earnest stretch. His lean figure stretched for the sky, before dropping back to a neutral state. He sat on the ground, nestling down into a spot by the base of the tree. Fingers dipped into the pocket of her tear-drenched vest, and pulled out a familiar orange companion. The light was dim, with the sun nearly gone, but Sakura supposed there was still enough light to catch a short read. Shoulders relaxing, he fell into that instant trance that was so familiar. Same as always.
Sakura found herself caught up in the scene. She could not move away, and stood and stared instead. As if she were lost, or undecided of whether to head home or not. Eventually after a moment of internalized conflict, she approached the tree.
She stood directly in front of him.
"Sensei, would it be alright if I stayed for a while?"
Kakashi gave a half-hearted shrug. Without glancing up, he indicated the spot next to him, then lifted the same lazy hand to flip the page. The roots of the tree were wide and spacious. The dead grass easily gave way to any touch, bending down in brittle submission.
Sakura settled down into the spot. The scent of mulch was deep and earthy, and the fallen leaves were soft as they cushioned the ground. Sakura leaned her back against the tree. She was exhausted, and only wanted to admire the sky. The steady flip of pages marked off the time, as the sky slowly darkened, and close proximity of Kakashi's body lulled her with drowsy warmth.
Without asking, Sakura shifted her position to lie down, and placed her head in Kakashi's lap. He tensed up for the briefest moment in surprise, then relaxed again, moving only to readjust his book so it rested on Sakura's upturned shoulder. A warm hand fell to her hair to gently stroke the silky strands. The hand seemed to move on its own accord. It was slow and absent-minded as it ran through the locks, or lingered in a spot as if to memorize the texture of every strand and curve.
Sakura closed her eyes. Taking slow and steady breaths. Enjoying the warm scent and comforting touch. Finally resting in a way she hadn't in a long time, and lulling and drowsing into sleep. The future was still uncertain, but regardless of whatever decision she made…
In that moment, she knew of the place where she was supposed to be.
Sakura released a sigh, letting the restless wanderings of her mind and heart become still for a little while. Tomorrow could take care of tomorrow. Her body was tired. Her mind was tired, but for now she could shut down and rest. Kakashi's warmth allowed her to rest.
She surrendered to the solitude.