A/N: Okaaay… this is my first attempt at a KakaSaku. It's been sitting, waiting to be finished for so long – I've stalled enough, planned enough, and hopefully you guys will love this enough. To review I mean. ;)
It came out a tad bit more angsty than I'd originally planned, but it's all good. Enjoy! ^_^
…
– Coming Home –
…
Letting Go
He had come to her that night, drunk, blubbering like an idiot, and all alone. There had only been three nights since the last time: he'd fallen asleep on her couch when she wouldn't let him walk home in his intoxicated condition. Now Kakashi Hatake stood in her doorway in all his naked glory, looking for some action and knowing that in the end, she would oblige. How he'd made it all the way to her apartment without drawing a crowd, she'd never understand… but then, he had never been clumsy or inelegant, even in his drunken state.
Her second concern had been where he'd gone to get this drunk.
He didn't have any alcohol at his apartment unless she brought it over, and was as much as a hermit these days as she was. She wasn't the social underwing of Ino Yamanaka she'd been before she lost everything and everyone… everyone except for Kakashi. Team Seven (even Yamato and Sai) was dead. Her former Sensei was all she had left now.
He was closer to her than anyone else had ever been, even without his sexually driven visits to her apartment in the dead of the night.
Recovering from her shock to see him naked in her apartment doorway (this was a first – normally he'd just enter via the window), Sakura pulled him in quickly, shutting the door. She wasn't worried what the neighbours would think, even if they had been up at this ungodly hour. Kakashi shivered, leading her to believe he'd been naked for quite some time.
"Let's get you warmed up," she whispered.
Kakashi took the hint the way he wanted to, pushing Sakura backward; her back against the door, she sighed deeply. He felt warmer than he looked, his mouth doing wonders for the mid-autumn weather quivering of her own lips. And so help her, she wanted to just embrace this gorgeous man, (who had conveniently still kept his menpo on, despite his naked form, but was now torn from his face and had fallen to the floor) and let the rest of her concerns over his strange appearance disappear into the night.
But unlike the warm body pressed up against her, she hadn't had anything to drink tonight. Her thoughts were stringent and focused… kind of.
Sakura was just wearing a pair of shorts and tee-shirt – they were his – and Kakashi made quickly for the underneath of her bed wear. She shook her head, moaned into his mouth as his fingers explored the intimate parts of her inner thigh.
'God dammit.'
She needed to pull away, to make him see that arriving on her doorstep naked, while was an incredible turn on, was not what they'd agreed upon when deciding to start having sex. And as usual, any attempt she made to stop him (or at least try to sober him up), ended with his mouth on hers… or somewhere else. She did manage however, to get away from the door and into her bedroom before he grabbed her again.
He wasn't interested in thinking this through, or thinking at all. After she'd pushed him away for the umpteenth time, he came at her from behind and immediately, his heat spread over her back, and his breath warmed her neck.
"Sakura," he whispered and kissed her skin, his hands pressing against her stomach, pulling her flush against him once again.
And just like that, at the sound of his husky, lustful voice, every instinct in her to push him away was suddenly gone.
His right hand found her chest and proceeded to pull at the shirt she was wearing; he registered vaguely that he'd given this to her one morning, in his apartment, because she'd stayed the night without bringing a change of clothes. The cotton material came off easily, revealing that she wasn't wearing a bra – no underwear at all… he was in heaven. Resisting the urge to chuckle, he rubbed his open palms over the hardness of her nipples.
Sakura moaned in appreciation, tilting her head to the side as Kakashi's kisses travelled up the side of her neck. She reached around behind him with her left arm, resting it on his arse as her right arm moved to run her fingers through his hair.
Their bodies were rocking back and forth, in time with each other, like a well rehearsed dance.
She growled and leant her head backwards onto his shoulder as her shorts joined her shirt on the floor. She was so wet, so ready: there was no more preparation. Kakashi spun her around, lifted her up, and impaled her hard and fast.
Sakura screamed out, gripping onto him for dear life, wrapping her legs around his waist as Kakashi finally made a move toward her bed. She lost herself in his embrace, not remembering to move, but letting her instincts take over instead and rolling her hips into his.
When she finally came down from her high, having gone hoarse from screaming out her orgasms, it didn't take her long to fall asleep in her lover's arms. Kakashi rolled over, allowing her to lie on top of him, without pulling out of her. He wasn't as drunk as she'd assumed.
His eyes drifted out the window, realising it had been raining for over an hour. He glanced down at Sakura's sleeping form, a slight smirk gracing his features.
It was wet inside too...
… …
… …
Frustrated
Tsunade was about ready to hand over the reins to her successor, but she hadn't even told him he was going to be the next Hokage. The war was over, Naruto Uzumaki's goofy face had been carved into the plateau, but still Kakashi didn't know. He considered himself a curse to everyone around him. Minato, Obito, Rin… Team Kakashi. They were all dead. The only person he was close to anymore was just as shell-shocked as him.
And the rumours about Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno were abundant.
Tsunade was one of very few people who had personally witnessed the feelings that had built up gradually between the two of them during the war, but had yet to see whether or not it was still there. They kept to themselves these days, hanging out in his apartment or her place: doing what, only the rumour-ville had dared to speculate on.
She could understand it if they found solace in each other beyond simply being there for each other. Sakura was attractive, Kakashi was handsome: it was… understandable.
When not shacking up, the two were on missions, having joined ANBU (for Kakashi it was more like returning) shortly after Naruto's death.
Tsunade wanted to tell Kakashi what she had planned, but it never seemed like the right time. Of course, with prodding from the council, she had looked for alternatives to him, considering the way he was these days, but no-one else seemed to match up. After Naruto, only Kakashi would do. So she stayed on as the fifth Hokage, waiting for him to be ready, getting more and more impatient every day.
'Maybe I should talk to Sakura… or just TELL Kakashi he's next in line.'
It was a scary thought. She was more terrified about what he might say every time she went over it in her head. Kakashi wasn't the Shinobi she remembered from before the war: he wasn't looking to live his life, just exist.
… …
… …
Just Say So
"I love you dammit!"
It was her answer for everything, and it was the only thing she could think to say to stop him in his tracks.
Kakashi Hatake was about to walk out of her life, and she had to say something to stop him from closing that door. It was a week on from his naked arrival in her apartment and again, he was pushing her away when their non-existent relationship moved from the physical to a deeper emotional pit they both knew had been there all along.
During the war, Sakura had woken up one day to the realisation that her former Sensei was in love with her. He'd started avoiding her, only remaining long enough to do what needed to be done in any mission they went on together, and never addressed her directly. At first, she'd thought something she had said had set him off, but it became increasingly clear to her that he was jealous, thinking she was still in love with Sasuke.
But who would want the snake's apprentice when they could have a real man?
Sakura wanted her team back together just as much as anyone, but couldn't Kakashi see that she only had eyes for him?
His voice came out wary, but the hope in the undertone was as clear as day to her. "Who am I to you Sakura?"
At first she was confused: hadn't she just confessed her love? But to him, having watched her pine after Sasuke for years, those words didn't hold weight coming from her. She said them too often.
Shaking slightly, she answered him. "The only person who has ever truly seen me."
Kakashi turned back to her slowly and she knew she had him. He could hide his face from the world, but she could see his thoughts written all over it. She remembered what he looked like under that mask, the handsome, but scarred face that had been hidden from the world for so long… too long. Most women who had ever gotten a private screening from the copy ninja never saw beyond that, they never saw his soul.
Sakura knew she was being melodramatic, and that he had every right to keep on going and not look back. She had not taken him seriously, and she was about to give up on them herself, but Sakura had not lied about her feelings. She was in love with her former teacher, and would not go running off to someone else instead, just because Kakashi decided she was better off without him.
He had needed to hear her say "I love you" once before, but now what he wanted was what she should've said along.
"I'm not sure what I'm seeing," he said softly.
"I love you," she whispered.
He had told her what his father said that day, when he'd hovered between life and death. Sakumo had told his son to be happy, to find the one person in the world that made him happy and hang on to them. But Kakashi wasn't so optimistic. He'd seen too much, lost too much, and could never hold onto anything or anyone long enough for them not to get killed or go running to the hills.
"I'm not running," Sakura said. "And neither are you."
She held out her hand and after a moment's hesitation, he took it.
"And I'm not going back to ANBU," she added.
"Why not?"
She smiled. "Because I'm pregnant."
… …
… …
Unacceptable Substitutes
And here she was again, a month later, still cooling her heels.
Tsunade ran Shizune off her feet, looking again for someone who might be acceptable to replace her.
Genma suggested the Hyuuga heir, considering that he was the second strongest of the Konoha Eleven at the end of the war, after Naruto at the time. Neji was indeed the most powerful Hyuuga Tsunade had seen for years, but was it enough? There were so many prerequisites to being Hokage… did he really fit them? She wasn't sure how many jutsus he knew – being from a clan with a kekkei genkai, he was naturally secretive about that – while Kakashi had informed her during his return to ANBU, exactly what he could do… at the time.
She really did just want to hand the reins over to the copy ninja. Perhaps it was a little bit of pride over her friendship with Team Kakashi, not to mention the perseverance on her part that had led to the council accepting Naruto as the sixth Hokage… she wasn't sure. But it all culminated in her desire to see the star student of the fourth and the first Sensei of the sixth, on that plateau. Every Hokage past, bar the first of course, had a connection to one or more previous Hokages.
Kakashi was perfect.
Anyone else would just be a substitute in her opinion.
The knock on her door startled her – she had been so deep in her thoughts, sitting behind her desk and twirling the pen in her hand, that even a Genin could've knocked on her door before she'd realised they were there.
"Enter."
Shizune looked happier than she should be, considering the current crisis inflicted upon her Hokage. There could only be one reason.
Tsunade sighed. "He's early for once."
Shizune smiled, nodding her head. "He's back in the village: the guards on duty at the check-in-station confirmed as much."
Tsunade frowned. She couldn't put it off for much longer. He had to know. "Okay, I'll go over there right now."
… …
… …
Resolution
Kakashi had come back from his most recent mission early, wanting to spend more time with Sakura before they told everyone they were officially dating. The other news… could wait a little longer.
As promised, she was sleeping in his bed these days: she wanted to find a place for the both of them, as Kakashi's apartment was more suited for one person, and her place was well… it had belonged to her parents, and she was planning on selling it anyway.
The sight of her, unconscious in his bed, without having been worn out by his less than humble stamina, was a double edged sword for him. He was entranced as always, by her naked form, but frustrated that he wasn't going to get any attention from her this night.
He found himself missing her more than he'd anticipated.
Sakura had already given her notice as an ANBU and taken Tsunade up on her offer for an overdue holiday, but she had nothing to do with her time these days that she enjoyed… she needed to change that.
But trying to wait up for Kakashi had taken its toll on her, and that, coupled with her pregnancy, had negated her ninja training. She was dead tired.
Kakashi undressed quickly, slipping in next to the pinkette, and pulling her to him.
"Hmm…"
She stirred at his touch, subconsciously recognising him so that she didn't immediately attack, and her eyes fluttered open. He still wasn't sure what to expect with her, having never been in a stable relationship before, but following her lead on the etiquette at least, he offered her a small smile and kissed her forehead.
"I was having a wonderful dream," Sakura said, and then spun in his arms. "Was that–"
"The Hokage, yes. She arrived when I did."
"But she just left."
Kakashi knew very well that Lady Tsunade had been agonising for awhile now over how to tell him she wanted him to take the office of the Hokage. He supposed he should've put her out of her misery at the earliest convenience, but habitual procrastination was difficult to break.
"She'll be back," he assured Sakura. "She probably left after sensing we were both in here."
"She'll be back," Sakura echoed, frowning slightly. "And then–"
"And then I'll be Hokage," Kakashi said, smiling slightly. "My father would be so proud."
X X X
A/N: Eek! Please tell me that wasn't too angsty, too maudlin or too confusing. It's just a quick one-shot, but I ended up merging several different ideas I'd had originally into it... The thing about Kakashi's father, the solace from each other because they're the last of Team Seven, and the idea that it was Sakura instead of Kakashi that hadn't taken their feelings seriously.
So, it was good, yes? Not remotely frustrating, no? *sighs* Phew! Nice to know. ;P
Anyway, it's now officially past my bedtime, lol. Night! n_n
R&R.