Prompt 1: Yukata or Kimono

Kakashi couldn't tell you what Sakura was wearing the moment he realized he was speaking to a woman instead of just a smart brat. He couldn't even tell you what they were speaking of. One minute she was dragging him to eat with Naruto and Sai, and the next it slapped him in the face like one of her chakra infused punches.

He stopped. Then she stopped. Then he began with a "Maah, Sakura…" And then the most ironically timed sunbeam decided to traipse down from the heavens and dance through her hair.

Thankfully, after only a split second's pupil dilation, he managed to offer an eye-crinkle and a senselessly unrelated comment. At that point, Kakashi really did get punched, but the pain did little to distract from the vague feeling of unease for the rest of the day.

Kakashi couldn't tell you what kind of yukata Sakura was wearing the moment he first knew he was in trouble. But the most beautiful fireworks he had ever seen were those reflected in her eyes that night. He had tentatively, slowly, reached forward and swept back a stray tendril, tucking it behind the purple bellflower fastened in her hair. She had glanced at him with a smile. Then she looked again longer and laughed as Naruto shoved fresh takoyaki in Kakashi's face, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

Kakashi couldn't tell you what Sakura was wearing the moment he knew that he loved her. He remembered her hair in his face as he stumbled towards home. He remembered sobering slightly from all the cold; cold tile beneath him, cold toilet behind him, cold hand on his cheek, cold washcloth on his chin. As his eyes came briefly into focus, he saw Sakura, eyes squeezed shut, wiping the vomit from his face. He raised his hand to her wrist and rubbed his thumb over the bone there. She started, but kept her eyes closed.

"It's ok," he said drowsily, "you can look."

She quirked an eyebrow, face full of mistrust but clearly tempted. "I don't take advantage of drunk people," she grunted. She gave his face one last swipe with the washcloth, groped for a towel sitting on the countertop, and threw it over his head. "Shield yourself with this."

Kakashi woke with the smell of dog in his nose. He reached out to lazily pet Bull, but instead his arm hit the back of his couch. He squinted through the headache and noted there were no dogs in the immediate vicinity. Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he found that in place of his usual mask, he was wearing one of his ninken's bandanas. The sound of humming came to his ears, and he sat up. There was Sakura in the kitchen fixing tea. She was wearing an old blue kimono of his that he had once gotten for a mission. He rubbed his eyes again and sighed heavily. She turned towards the sound emitting from the couch and proceeded to fix a second cup.

"Morning, ya drunk."

He groaned. Pointing to the bandanna, he asked "What kind of bandit look were you going for with this?"

"Well, I'm sure all of the people betting on Guy last night felt robbed. I know I did.

He looked injured and muttered something about, "no respect…"

A steaming cup in each hand, Sakura walked over and perched on the arm of the couch. She thrust a cup towards him. "Tsunade's Special Hangover Cure-all."

Kakashi peered down at what appeared to be tea with a little ball of something rolling around on the bottom. He rolled the warmth in his hands and let the steam hit his face.

"I'm sorry."

She gave him a look. "For what, avoiding me off and on for the last few months, or throwing up on me while I was dragging your sorry butt home last night? Seriously, Kakashi, what's been up with you? One minute you're helping me carry my groceries or popping up with a book for me because," she made air quotes with her free hand and lowered her voice, "it 'made you think of me,' and the next thing I know, I can't find you for sparing or team dinners for a month. And don't give me any crap about being busy with Rokudaime business, because I know I saw your stupid hair or your stupid book hastily beating a retreat out of the corner of my eye on several occasions. And just when I was fixing to beat you out of hiding, you show up at the hospital for the Hokage's annual inspection for the first time since you took office three years ago. Seriously, do you know how long it took the staff to calm down after that surprise…" She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "I just don't understand, Kakashi."

Instead of answering, Kakashi seemed to curl in on himself. Silence hung thick in the air. He didn't know what to say or how to explain it. Trying to escape the awkwardness he took a sip of the tea from under his make-shift mask.

He coughed. He spluttered. He wheezed out, "Ow, Sakura, what's in this stuff?"

"Umeboshi. Drink it all, and don't forget to eat the plum too."

She said this in her best no-nonsense nurse tone, but then sighed and slipped down onto the couch beside him. "Hey, Kakashi? What were you really apologizing for?"

He looked conflicted, unresolved. He turned on the couch to face her full on and searched her eyes for something. Then he pulled the bandana down.

"I'm sorry for wanting to show you this."

Her eyes went wide as she took in his visage.

"You look so, normal," she said. "…for a shinobi, at least…" But there were hints of wonder in her voice, and she reached out and traced her fingers down his nose, and over his cheek, and by the mole by his mouth.

"Why?" She asked simply.

He looked at her deeply, begging her to understand with his eyes.

"Do I have to say it?"

She blushed, but quirked and half smile and said, "yes."

He blushed from his neck, to his ears, to the roots of his hair. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on her shoulder to hide his face. Then he mumble-whispered, "iloveyou."

She raised a hand and ran her fingers through the back of his hair. "What was that?"

He raised his head to glare at her, and saw she was blushing just as much as he was. "I. Love. You." He said firmly. She tried to respond. Kept opening her mouth to do so. But no sound seemed to want to come out. He smiled to himself and heaved himself off of the couch. "Well, I'm going to go shower. I can't very well woo you smelling like this."

A minute or so later he heard a knock on the bathroom door, and Sakura's voice called through.

"Hey, Kakashi? I love you too."