Darling, you're everything and more.
[Unraveling Part II: The Longest Day]
Chapter 8
"Kakashi I can't stop shaking, please make me stop shaking." Sakura pleaded for the umpteenth time that night.
Kakashi could only hush the poor woman gently and pull her closer into his chest. His fingers were tangled in her hair and his head lulled back in a stupor.
Ever since she had gotten back from the bar she had been this way. Her mind was continuously recalling old memories while she pulled out each entry in her diary onto the floor as if to prove to herself that it was the reality.
When she had finished gutting the small leather diary, she sat down staring at an old picture of her and him from so many years ago. How could someone she thought she had known so well be the man Kakashi said he was? Kakashi picked up each page on the ground and then plucked the picture out of her fingers. Tears clung to her eyes and never ceased to fall as she looked up at him.
Kakashi looked so torn at that point.
Sakura took both her hands and pulled herself up by his elbows. She looked up at him as she realized that this wasn't only her own problem, but also Kakashi's. This man had affected Kakashi's life more than hers.
She blinked letting the tears slide down her cheeks before she pulled him down to close the gap between them.
He was still at first but then his arms slid around her to pull her closer. They migrated to the sofa where Kakashi soon after laid his head in Sakura's lap. She gently played with his graying locks while his eyes drooped closed.
They stayed that way for a while until the sound of the clock in the kitchen became deafening. Kakashi opened his eyes and looked up into Sakura's own, "Let's get out of here." He said suddenly, his movements likened his hasty decision.
He stood up from the woman's lap and looked down at her, his thumb brushing away the remaining tears, "If we aren't going to get any sleep, might as well fill our stomachs?" He tried to say in a cheery mood.
Sakura peered at him, "Look at you farting sprinkles and rainbows." She croaked as she stood up.
"Ah, there she is" Kakashi smiled gently as he pinched her plump cheeks.
He tugged her towards the front door and helped her pull on her Chucks, before peering at the clock, 3 am on the dot.
"Is the tank still full?" Kakashi asked as he took the keys out of Sakura's back pocket.
"Filled it up yesterday like you told me to."
"Good, I'm going to treat you then."
"Surprise?" Sakura quirked her eyebrow looking at the tall man with a hint of wanderlust.
"Surprise" Kakashi nodded with a chuckled.
This seemed to hasten the woman's pace to his truck. He got in with a gentle smile tangling one of his hands with hers as they drove through the precursor of early dawn. Every now and then he broke their grasp to change gears.
After an hour or so they arrived at a diner, in the middle of what frankly seemed like nowhere.
"So they haven't gone out of business," Kakashi spoke in awe as helped Sakura out of her seat.
"You haven't been here for a while?" Sakura asked as she looped her arm through Kakashi's and rested she her head on his forearm.
Their faces basked in the neon glow of the diner's lights, as they took in their surroundings.
"I haven't been here since the day my father died," Kakashi said bluntly.
"Oh," Sakura said quietly, and she moved her free hand to his chest just over his heart, "We don't have to go in if you don't want to."
Kakashi laughed shattering the heavy mood, "They have some pretty good home fries and pancakes here, I wouldn't pass that up for anything. My old man would roll in his grave if I passed that up. We're here anyway."
"You're the old man." Sakura laughed as they walked into the diner.
The door chimed as they walked on in, Kakashi gave a nod to a waitress as he moved Sakura and himself towards a booth in the far corner.
A good vantage point Sakura noted. She had come to be more familiar with Kakashi's unconscious behaviors in public. This was one of them, that and holding his breath whenever they passed a cemetery, "Better safe than sorry" he'd say.
The place was empty save for a few truckers in the opposite corner chatting quietly over coffee.
A quiet tune flittered in the air, something nostalgic Kakashi realized.
Sakura seemed to be feeling much better he noted as they sat across from one another. There was color in her cheeks again and she had a smile as she browsed the dense menu.
She caught him staring at her and she could only give him a bigger smile, before looking back down at the menu.
Something tugged at his heart as he looked at her.
How quickly her disposition could change. Though under the circumstances it was in his favor this time. When that woman was angry, even God couldn't do anything for him. He sighed then and leaned back peering at the old place.
It looked the same exact way it did since he had been their last. That was almost more than ten years ago now.
He remembered that night all too clearly. The night his father died.
Kakashi had been in college then. He had been studying at a university two towns over. He'd drive an hour to school in the morning and come back home at night.
His mother had passed away when he was still learning how to crawl, after that his father grew rather depressed. As Kakashi grew older he got closer to his old man, and he found it difficult and almost selfish to leave him. He declined an acceptance to his dream school across the country and opted for the state university so he could stay close to his father. And so he commuted.
His father was a police officer, and so was his grandfather, and those before him. It seemed like the justice system ran through their blood. Kakashi was to be the first to break that tradition. He had finally declared his major and was going to tell his father.
That aforementioned night Kakashi's father had been swamped down at the station. He had been actually for quite some time at that point.
Kakashi would bring dinner down to the station those nights and drive his father back home.
Sometimes if the night ended well, his father would let him drive the cruiser. Kakashi was almost like a kid in a candy store those days.
Kakashi's father, Sakumo, was close to finding a leader in an organization that had been stirring up quite a lot of trouble in town.
Initially what had been sought to be a drug bust had blown up into a full on turf war between two gangs.
It was Kakashi's parents' anniversary that night; his father and him would usually have dinner at Ichiraku's Diner. It was his mother's favourite place to eat his father told him when he was thirteen.
Kakashi waited at the diner for his father to show up. He promised he'd finish up early and have someone cover up his shift for that evening.
Kakashi waited three hours before he bolted out of the diner without paying for the cold coffee and biscuits.
He got down to the precinct to find police tape everywhere. Within the perimeter of the tape, there was the fire department, paramedics, and rubber necking locals.
When Kakashi all but clawed his way to the front of the tape, he found his father's police cruiser blown to smithereens. The front of the precinct had been damaged too almost caving in on itself.
Someone had planted a car bomb in his father's cruiser.
All that was left of his father was sealed inside a black body bag.
It wasn't until weeks after his father's funeral, did Kakashi pull himself out of the state of pure desperation and anger.
His friends showed up at his doorstep wacked him every other direction and then dragged him to the local barber. Cleaned the poor man up and sobered him up.
He soon after joined these friends in the Police Academy and graduated with them the following year.
He made sure not to grow obsessive in resolving his father's case, though within two months he made the arrests that were in order and was able to close the case.
It was only then at that moment he felt the hugest weight leave his chest, he finally felt that he had let his father rest in peace.
Cases came and went. His friends started their own families and life went on.
Then he met Caroline.
Kakashi blinked as he felt a soft pat on his hand, "Kakashi?" Sakura asked with concern, her head was tilted to peer at his lowered face.
He was quick to recover and mustered up a smile, but he knew it would only convince her for only so long.
He only then registered that there was a waitress standing before the table notepad in hand. She looked exhausted and over done up as if to cover up her lethargy.
"What'll you be havin' darlin'?" She mustered up.
Kakashi nodded and quickly peered at the menu, "Pecan pancakes please, and black coffee."
"Be out in a jiffy" The waitress smiled as she tore the ticket off the pad and rung the bell at the kitchen.
"You should take the day off tomorrow, well actually today." Sakura supplied as she saw Kakashi lean back on the bench. The early signs of dawn wrinkled the sky in the window beside them.
"I just might" Kakashi yawned.
They were quiet for the remainder of their stay at the diner; they ate in silence, save for the times they shared a few bites from the each other's plates.
Sakura took the initiative to drive them back home. She wasn't blind to see he had been on the brink of sleep every few moments at the diner. Much to her approval, he did not argue.
He was out like a light. Sakura could only smile, but her heart still ebbed with fear.
Her mind started going backward in time to all those times she had been left alone in that apartment a few towns over. Before she met Kakashi, Naruto and the vagabonds of the bar.
She started to think about him again. That all those loving words he assaulted her were nothing more than banter. Each touch, each laugh, each look, was perfectly scripted.
It all made sense now. All that seemed to make her fumble was what was her role in all of this.
"Why was I involved in his life, did he really need me, or was I just a pawn?"
This thought, she knew, would nag at her for a while.
A familiar brick house came to view as she turned down a street. She pulled Kakashi's truck into the driveway and looked his way.
Gently she held his hand and placed it against her lips. This feeling scared her, the feeling of love and the idea of losing this man before her.
"What's going on behind that big forehead of yours" He suddenly spoke, jolting the woman.
Jade and coal eyes clashed.
Sakura couldn't help but feel grateful for Kakashi stopping her train of thought, but she also felt guilty that he had woken up.
"I was just thinking how I was gonna carry this senior citizen up to bed." She joked lightly.
"Oh yeah" Kakashi scoffed mildly as he reluctantly took his hand from her grasp to unbuckle his seatbelt, and then he froze slightly as he tried to make his way out the truck door, "My legs are numb, looks like your gonna have to help actually," Kakashi said sheepishly.
Sakura laughed and nodded as she hurried out to help the poor man.
She half carried, half dragged him, he fell asleep on her as soon as they closed the front door of their home. She realized there was no way she'd be able to drag him up the stairs to their room. And so she opted to put him in the guest room. Once she took his shoes off and tucked him into bed, she was going to head up to change out of her jeans, but she was stopped with the pull of her arm. Suddenly her whole body jerked towards the bed.
It happened too quickly, but there she was under the covers being held by the biggest teddy bear in existence.
"You aren't going anywhere." He spoke sleepily, "Stay." He gently commanded.
Sakura sighed and let him kiss her on the corner of her mouth before pulling him closer into her chest. He spread out the blanket so it would cover them both.
She was restless, and Kakashi knew.
"I'm playing hooky today, so I'm not going anywhere. Sleep woman." Kakashi breathed into her neck.
"I'll kick your ass if I wake up and I find out you're at work." Sakura replied groggily turning towards Kakashi.
"I love you too." Kakashi chuckled quietly before falling asleep.
Before long as the sun began to take its place high into the sky, Sakura finally let herself sleep.
And when she woke up Kakashi was still sleeping quietly. Only the rise and fall of his chest showing that he was still of the living.
She pulled the covers closer towards him before slowly untangling herself from him and the bed. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before making her way to the shower; she was interrupted with muted vibration of Kakashi's phone.
When she looked at the caller ID she found it was Naruto, she quickly picked up.
"Hey." She said groggily.
"Oh, hey Sakura. How are things?" Naruto quickly replied.
Sakura rubbed her eyes and her eyes widened as she looked at the clock in the kitchen, "Naruto it's 6 PM!" Naruto only chuckled, "Yeah we're waiting for you to open up the bar."
"Oh shit. I'll be there in ten okay?" Sakura quickly fumbled for a change of clothes upstairs.
"Take your time. We'll be waiting for you." Naruto said cheerily over the phone, "Don't take too long though, Sasuke might kill all of us before this cold does. He lost a lot in the stocks today."
"Far out Naruto why are you guys waiting outside! Jesus Christ, damn ok bye Naruto, you're distracting me!" Sakura smiled and shook her head as she pulled a clean shirt over her shoulders.
"Bye Sakura." Naruto said before ending the call.
As she scurried down she found Kakashi casually sipping at a black coffee. Before Sakura could question how fast the man managed to make the coffee and sit down, he held out his mug for her to sip on.
"And where are you going young lady." He blinked through half awake eyes.
"Work." Sakura said simply, "I got an employee that keeps skipping work on me, might have to fire him soon."
"Oh?" Kakashi's eyebrow quirked up as he drank the remaining coffee in the mug in Sakura's hands, "Maybe you should cut him some slack." He supplied as Sakura walked to the counter to pick up the truck keys.
"And why should I?"
Kakashi stood up and stretched he had slipped out of his clothes from early this morning and was left in an old t-shirt and his boxers, "Well maybe he's distracted."
He brushed out the tangles in her hair with his long fingers. Sakura smiled before pecking him on the corner of his mouth, "Must be some pretty distraction."
"You could say that." Kakashi smiled gently down at the woman walking her towards the door, before bending down and kissing her for good measure, "Close early today." He almost pleaded.
"What an old maid." Sakura joked as she pulled on one of Kakashi's jackets, "I'm just pulling out a six for Naruto and Sasuke. I'll be out as soon as they leave."
"Alright off you go woman, someone's gotta bring the bread home."
"Aye Aye sir."
"I love you."
Sakura looked back at the moment as she opened the truck door, "I love you too."
Kakashi smiled tiredly before letting the woman leave him in that old brick house.
It's been a while babes.
Life happens, sorry.
Until next time. Much life.
-Oxza
