Sleeping II

'Ugh. So tired.'

That was the phrase that kept repeating through Sakura's head. Each repetition was interspaced by a pregnant pause as her mind zoned out, too exhausted to even start a train of thought. And as she found herself entering her apartment, she honestly couldn't remember how she got from the hospital to here. Had she been more lucid, she would have thought that pulling a twenty-hour shift was definitely not something she should repeat in the future. However, the twenty-hour shift had taken its toll and only one thought entered her mind.

'So tired.'

The trudge to her bedroom was a blur. Somewhere in the haze of her thoughts, her instincts had told her that the couch was off limits as all the available space was taken up by medical texts and the occasional novel. It was a small apartment, after all, her shinobi reflexes whispered.

She couldn't see straight, but somehow, she knew she was in her room. Her gutt feeling just told her she was in her space now, her territory. She didn't even need to see to know where the bed was.

And as she rolled into her bed with great relief and gusto, her path was impeded by a very big, very unyielding, very warm something. Whatever it was made a deep grunt as she rolled half on top of it. Her tired brain couldn't properly identify what would be in her bed and capable of grunting. Had the thing been comfortable to lay on, she would have just gone to sleep. However, there was a very sharp pain in between her shoulder blades as something of the thing's was no doubt poking her and halting all efforts at sleep.

So, she reluctantly opened her bleary eyes and could only make out a pointy silver shape in the moonlight surrounded by soft black.

"Kakashi?"

"Yo."

It took her a moment to process that the thing had answered and that the thing was indeed Kakashi.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a tired way.

"I was napping until someone was kind enough to roll on top of me."

"It's my bed," she drearily responded with confusion.

"Yes, Sakura-chan. It is your bed."

Somewhere, she found the energy to realize he was avoiding the question (regardless of the fact that she had not asked a question).

"Why here?"

There, it was a question now.

"Well, I suppose you were just following the norms. Beds usually go in bedrooms. Although, I have heard a good argument for putting a bed in the bathroom."

Her thinker couldn't fathom that piece of random information right now, so it simple ignored it. Instead, said thinker latched onto the fact that he had misunderstood.

"No. Why… you… here?"

"Sakura, have you suffered head damage. Your sentence structure borders on primitive."

She closed her eyes and mustered the energy to sigh.

"Answer the…damn question…"

"I was waiting for you. I have something to tell you."

"Wait…tomorrow…"

"I would prefer not to wait."

"Too bad…move your…elbow…"

He did. And finally there were no more obstacles in the way of precious sleep. She sprawled on top of him and only her subconscious mind registered the arm that had wrapped itself around her waist. Then, it was nothing but sleep.


Kakashi sighed as she fell asleep in almost the same moment he had moved his arm from jabbing her in the back to holding her waist. He had been working up to this moment for a long time. There was intense emotional analysis as well long hours spent in reflection all leading up the confession his finally ready to give, win, lose, or otherwise. And he'd be damned if he would let a little thing like her falling asleep ruin it.

"Sakura, I'm not a man who is capable of loving a woman the way a woman should be loved," he confided as he twisted a strand of pink hair between his fingers. "I can't give you passion. I can't give you romance. There are too many scars for that. I might not even be able to give you happiness. But I do love you. I love you as much as I can love anyone. I would go on living if you died, but I don't think there would be much left after you're gone. I want you to stay with me as long as possible. I promise to protect you. So, I ask you to please stay with this broken man. He needs you."

He wasn't expecting an answer. He didn't need an answer. All that he needed he got when she turned over in her sleep after his little speech and hugged his neck, snuggled her head into the hollow at his neck, and let out a contented sigh.