He still didn't understand what this 'Secret Keeper' person was or what they did. But from what Sakura told him, they were supposed to keep secrets for people to allow that burdened feeling to get off someone's chest.
Kakashi looked up from his reading, but why chose him? Out of all people the pink haired medic knew she had to choose him. Why?
He flipped a page regarding the asked question. He even asked her himself why. He smiled softly under the mask remembering the conversation.
"Might I ask why you chose me?" he asked her as he lifted a droopy eye in her direction.
It was a sunny spring day and the medic and Sharigan user had a day off. Of course Naruto was asleep not far from them which left the two remaining team members some peace and quiet.
Team Kakashi was basking in the warm sunlight after a few hours of training. Naruto fell asleep in the grass a little ways away from them, surprising Kakashi and Sakura when he normally left to go for ramen.
Kakashi only laid down in the grass and slipped a hand behind his head to read the latest version of Icha Icha Paradise. Sakura was a few feet next to him in the same position to soak up the afternoon light. Back to the hanging question…
Sakura only lifted a hand in the air and lazily traced circles in the air outlining the passing clouds above them. He could tell that she was annoyed but she didn't say anything.
"You know who I hang out with, so if I told them anything that said secret would be out around town in less than a few hours" she replied.
Kakashi looked at her a bit before returning to his reading. It was silent for a while between the both of them. That he could understand.
"You don't mind do you?" she asked rather quickly.
Kakashi returned his attention back to the kunoichi. Sakura changed her position by sitting up on her elbows and turned her upper body to face in his direction. Her eyes read urgency and also need.
"Don't mind being your 'Secret Keeper'?" he voiced.
"Yeah" she said looking at him. "Because you don't have to be it if you want, I'm sure I can find someone else…"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow noticing her behavior. She looked down at the grass and was starting to yank up handfuls.
"I don't mind…" he said returning to his reading.
Again it was silent between them; he flipped a page to disturb the silence. He saw out of the corner of his eye Sakura going back to her original position.
"Thanks, sensei"
Since then Sakura and him have strengthened their relationship. They really didn't see much of each other before but now. She and him were constantly together, they were able to catch up due to the lost time.
Kakashi felt a little bad for not paying more attention to her during her Genin days; she really had progressed into a genuine kunoichi. Her medical jutsu was improving everyday and her overall development in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu have perfected at an extraordinary rate. Her beauty had also changed in the course of the years. The 12 year old Sakura Haruno that he knew was no longer around. In her place was a beautiful and strong young woman. She still had the short hair but it was a little longer, a little ways above her jaw line, but her eyes still remained the sea green that he always remembered. She grew in height but also in other places….
Kakashi stopped reading for a minute realizing that thought.
"Damn Icha Icha" he thought. He shifted in his position, right now he was up in a tree with his arm behind his head and a leg dangling off the limb he was on, the other was up to give him more balance.
It was three years since Sakura had made him her 'Secret Keeper' and he still didn't understand it. All he knew was that she needed someone to talk to about her feelings but really he thought just someone to talk. But also someone that didn't go off and tell the whole town what happened in her life that day.
He sighed at the thought; Sakura really didn't have that many close people to talk to. She was only eighteen years old and she was already experiencing difficulty in the real world. It was only two years ago that her father died. He was sent on a short trip to Lightening Country, he was only supposed to be gone for at least a week. But those weeks drawled out and totaled up to three months. Sakura then received notice that he went missing, and then two weeks after that reported dead.
She really did need him when she got the news. He thought back when she came to him that morning after hearing it.
He was waiting for her to arrive to their designated training spot; he arrived late as usual but was surprised that Sakura wasn't already there. He thought it unusual because she was never late, always a few minutes early. Unless something unexpected came up or she decided to stay awake with Tsunade and one of her sake drinking parties.
He waited for about 15 minutes for the pink haired medic and decided to just sit and read till she came. He had his legs spread out in front of him with a hand dangling off his knee with the other held his beloved book.
He had his back to the path but he heard her coming towards him. He flipped a page waiting for the rush of apologies that would stream out of her mouth but none came. He heard her soft slow footsteps stop a couple feet away from him. He was about to get up and turn around to look at her.
"Don't" she said softly but loud enough for him to hear. "Don't get up and turn around please"
He stopped his movement and looked ahead of him. Noticing the softness in her voice he began to wonder what was wrong. He heard her walk up behind him and felt the soft pressure of her back against his. This also was unusual for the both of them, but he decided to later on question it.
He looked over his shoulder to look at her but her hair was shielding her face. He closed his book and settled it on the ground in front of him. He found that it was best that she open up first before he even spoke a word, but this time it was different.
"Sakura what's wrong?"
She didn't respond to him immediately but just sat there. He felt her shift slightly. After a while she spoke.
"It's about my dad" she said slowly. Kakashi sucked in a breath, he knew from experience that it was unlikely that a person would return back home from a few month absence. The chances were slim and he knew it, he even told her that it was improbable that he would come back alive. But Sakura still had hope that he would come back home.
"He's dead"
Kakashi waited for the woman to begin shaking telling him of her tears but again nothing came from her. She just sat there unmoving. No whimper or shudder even graced her.
He turned around finally and looked at her. She had he arms up and around her drawn up knees, her head tilted as she aimlessly stared ahead of her. Her face was covered by her hair; he realized that she wasn't wearing her headband, probably to shield her face from him.
He slowly reached out and drew back her hair so that it was held back by her ear. It was then that she looked at him. Her face read pain and loss but no tear was seen.
He turned and scooted closure to her so he could draw her into his arms. As she was up against him, she just sat there rigid and unsure about the new position. But slowly she released her hold on her knees and drew them around his waist.
He didn't care that she was practically in his lap. He didn't care if anyone happened to pass by and see them. He only cared about her. He didn't want to see her suffer. He didn't want her to suffer the same pain as he did when his father died.
The only difference was that she had someone that cared about her and actually listened to every word she said as he was told her secrets. She had someone that loved her.
Kakashi blinked. Was it really that long ago? Every since that day he felt that he was especially closure to the woman. Closure than a comrade or a friend but as a…….what?
He didn't know what word that best fit the feelings inside him right now. It was last year that he realized that he felt at peace whenever he was around her. That he wanted to be near her always and to protect her from danger. To hold her in his arms and whisper that he would protect her till the end.
He withdrew the hand that was behind his head as he lifted it slightly. Was it possible? Was it possible that he was in love with his former student?
No, not likely he reminded himself as he resettled himself in the tree.
"Besides Sakura keeps telling me about this guy that she likes so why would I think that" he muttered.
"Think what?"
Kakashi looked below him and found the person that was haunting his thoughts. He sensed that she was close and knew that she would make her presence known sooner or later.
"Think what?" Sakura said again as she rested a hand on her hip regarding the Copy Nin.
"Oh, how no boy is worthy to capture your affections" he said returning to his reading. His grin went unseen. What he said was true, that no boy was worthy of dating the cherry blossom.
"Is that all?"
Kakashi couldn't help but smirk at the comment, he could just hear the eyebrow that was being raised at the last comment he made.
He didn't respond but kept reading his book. It was silent but he heard her take a seat at the base of the tree. It must have been that time again, for him to play the duty as 'Secret Keeper'.
"You haven't exactly told me who this boy is?" he asked nonchalantly. He was in fact curious to know who this person happened to be. He wanted to see if he was Sakura worthy, if not he could just randomly mention it to Naruto and see what he thought.
Sakura was silent for a bit before answering.
"Well, he's tall for one and a bit older than me" she said as if he was standing in front of her. He could almost tell if it was her dreamy voice that she used when she was younger, she only used that voice when she was describing Sasuke. But this tone of voice was different from her usual 'Secret Keeper' sessions. It was soft and light; it seemed that she was speaking to someone that she cared about.
"Is he handsome?" he asked trying to piece together who she might be talking about.
"Well, I think he is"
He glanced down at her.
"Is he really that ugly?" he asked in question.
He heard a chuckle from the woman.
"No, he's perfect in every way" she said that with a smile in her voice.
"Well that rules out Rock Lee and Gai" he thought suppressing a shudder.
It was silent between the two of them for a bit. He heard her sigh below him as she drew a breath.
"You broke you're promise, sensei" she said getting up. Kakashi lifted his gaze and looked down at her. That was the first time in three years since she called him by the name of 'sensei'. Not to mention her saying that he broke a promise. He closed his book and jumped down to join her. He never broke promises….it just took him a while to fulfill them but they came through no matter what.
"What do you mean I broke my promise" he asked while slipping his book back in its pouch. He looked at her. Her arms were drawn in front of her, her expression was unidentifiable.
"Remember you're promise about protecting me?"
He tilted his head slightly remember the day; he returned his attention back on her.
"Well, you didn't" she said. Kakashi blinked and looked down at the ground trying to remember if he did in fact fail in protecting her. He looked up and found her slowly walking away. He began following her at an easy pace.
"What do you mean about me not protecting you?" he said. He wasn't exactly side by side with her but he was directly behind her. She suddenly stopped and turned around to face him.
"You couldn't protect me from the guy that I like" she said bluntly. His eye widened slightly.
"What did he do?" he asked while proving his point by emphasizing each syllable.
"He made me do things that I didn't want to do, he grew on me" she said looking at the ground. Kakashi stepped closure to her.
He withdrew his hands from his pockets where they automatically reside whenever he walked anywhere.
"He put these things inside me, I didn't know what to think"
He drew his arms up and held her elbows drawing her closure to him. Kakashi looked at her in shock, he did fail her. After this whole time he failed in protecting her. But what she said next shocked him more.
"But I can't help loving him" she said looking up at him with a slight smile. Kakashi looked at her with a slightly narrowed eyebrow.
"What are you saying?" he asked with a slight anger. "Are you saying that you love that guy even after what he did to you?"
"No, it was not what he did but what he didn't do" she said. Kakashi looked at her slightly confused.
"You see he was there for me when I needed it the most. He held me, told me to things that made me happy, but also kept my secrets"
Kakashi watched her. She drew up a hand and touched his face by softly trailing her fingers down his jaw.
"Sakura"
She placed a finger on his clothed lips.
"You promised to protect me but you didn't promise to protect me from yourself"
Kakashi just watched her, his gaze was mesmerized on her movements. She slowly reached up and touched the top of his mask; she looked at it before she slowly pulled it down.
He drew her closure to him.
"That's one promise that I can't keep" he said as he slowly captured his lips on hers.