- But why me?
- Because mummy doesn't want to tell me. She keeps repeating that it isn't my business, which pure bullshit. I'm her daughter, I'm the business.
- Then she won't be happy if I tell you. You're too young. Can you just wait a year or two?
- If you don't tell me, I'm gonna ask aunty Ino.
- She knows nothing.
- But she is very good at inventing stories…
- So what?
- Mum doesn't like the kind of stories aunty Ino tells. She says they are full of sub-laminar flirty messages… or something like that.
- Subliminal filthy messages maybe?
- That.
- I'm sure your mum is right.
- Very well. Then I'm gonna ask her and I'll tell mummy it was because you didn't want to answer.
- That's unfair!
- I know. Just tell me.
- A good girl shouldn't act this way…
- I'm aware.
- You are also very smart, but still too young… it is not a fairy tale for little children…
- Why not?
- Why are you such a busybody?
- I just… I need to know.
- Your mother is gonna kill me.
- I won't say a word. Please…
- That's not the point!
- Please, just tell me how they got together.
- …
- Please…
- Fine.
Well, that was a lot of time ago. Five years had passed since the end of the war, five years since the last time we had seen your dad. He was a wanderer back then and we all thought he was gonna stay that way forever, traveling the world, helping people, learning stuff and never settling down. We thought he had come to the conclusion that that life suited him better. In that way he was probably able to find some peace, loving his precious ones from afar, without making them his. I mean, like a hermit, you know? A very spiritual person who has no family or whatsoever.
It was normal for us to think like that. Five years is a very long time when you are seventeen, and then eighteen, and then... we were already twenty-two. A very long time, especially if you are waiting for somebody, I guess. But in the end, even your mum had come to accept that choice of his, despite her stubborn heart. She had even gone on a journey to find a way to let go of him and be able to truly respect his decision. That was around a year and half before. I don't know exactly how long she stayed away because she left when Hinata and I were on our honey moon. She made it just in time for Ino's and Sai's marriage, but missed both Shikamaru's and Choji's.
Months later, we had just come back from a mission, your mother, Shikamaru and I, and we found out that your father was in the village.
And then, there we were. The three of us, Team Kakashi without Kakashi, sitting on the top of that hill, having our little goodbye meeting. It was a beautiful night and it felt really nostalgic. Nobody was talking or doing anything, we were just looking stars and enjoying each other company without even feeling the need to ask questions. I started wondering why. That was very strange. There were so many things I'd have liked to know about what he had done, the places he had seen, the people he had met and I was sure Sakura was curious too. But there was also absolutely not enough time. And we all know it. That was maybe the reason why we didn't fell like starting that kind of conversation. It was nice the way it was. At least for me.
However, it was pretty late. I couldn't help thinking that it didn't make much sense for Sasuke to leave before dawn. He was in no hurry; he could rest and travel in the day light.
- Are you already leaving, Sasuke? – Although they both were already staring at me with those "what-have-you-done" faces, it took me few more seconds to realize that I had said it loud. I felt a little sorry, for the atmosphere I had ruined, you know… but since I had broken the silence spell, there was no reason not to continue explaining myself.
- I mean, I know you have been staying at my old place while I wasn't here. So, why don't you just stay the night and leave tomorrow morning. You can be my guess, I don't mind. –
And then, she spoke: - Maybe he doesn't want to spent another night in that dirty place of yours… - It was barely more than a whisper. A moment later, Sasuke was also opening his mouth and we were finally able to hear his voice: - Actually, I've already cleaned that mess he left there – the bastard said.
- Still, his apartment is not very comfortable, smells bad, lacks basic necessities and... I don't even know why Naruto is still renting it, while living in his new house, that is extra cozy and spacious and everything his old place is not… Sasuke-kun – she replied, and she was now addressing him directly and I noticed that she hadn't done that during the whole time we had spent together that day. But she wasn't facing him. She was staring at her feet instead.
- You can stay at my place, if you want. – She spat out, way too fast, I notices, almost forcefully, then sighed and continued: – I moved out my parents' home last year. I'm living alone since then and my home is larger than Naruto's and… - Larger? Really? That was a surprise.
- Hey, Sakura! I didn't know that! If you are rich enough to afford the mortgage for a flat with a guest-room, you should pay for the meal more often, you know? – That wasn't fair, but I was just joking, teasing her. I didn't expect a reply, but she decided to surprise me again.
– I don't have a guest-room – she replied.
- Then… you have a living room with a couch? Still much better than my studio apartment! –
- Not really. – Another sigh - I have a living room, but it is quite small. So no couch. –
Ok, so there was no huge difference in the end, I thought.
- Just a spare bed? In your own room…? Or are you planning to make him sleep in the bathtub… Because in that case my place would be a smarter choice… -
- I have no bathtub. And no spare bed. – She stated it flatly. - But my bed is larger than yours. –
At that point, it just clicked into me.
- What the heck?! –