Narue impatiently wiped her tears with the back of her hand. How was she supposed to deal with all the emotions playing tug-of-war inside her? She was still drained from her outbreak, scared to think of the results it could have had. Sad from seeing her father again, yet relieved that she had gotten to say goodbye to him. Stunned by Kakashi's revelation and her response to it. He'd loved her. Had wanted to protect her to the best of his ability. It must have cost him. She felt her insides soften at the thought. No, she stood up straighter, he couldn't justify all the pain she'd endured through explaining the reason. However noble it had been it had put her through hell. He could've talked to her. That was the crux of it – if he'd only treated her like an adult and talked to her they could have solved the problem together somehow. Although admitting your feelings to your student when you didn't know they were returned had to be a daunting thought. She groaned – all her thoughts were running in circles, she came up with an excuse for him and herself and then immediately rejected it.
A part of her wanted nothing more than to rush back and throw herself into his arms and forget the past six years and focus on the future, a future she could share with him. There was no doubt in her mind that she was still in love with Kakashi, no matter how hard she had tried to lie to herself. And here was a chance for another go, a new beginning. The other part was drawing back, a hard shell protecting its soft insides as they curled up to protect the most vulnerable parts.
In a way, when he'd explained his reasons, she had lost her protection, as if she'd been stripped of the armor, leaving her raw and tender. She no longer had the self-righteous anger for him that she had wrapped herself in, the seductive coat of self-pity shielding her from her true feelings for Kakashi. In frustration she let her head fall back and she looked up at the stars. She hadn't even noticed evening was falling.
POV
Kakashi watched her leave and was about to follow her when he stopped himself. What could he say that he hadn't already said? He'd poured his heart out and she had walked away. He had lost her once, he would survive this as well. He wasn't sure he wanted to survive it. She'd said she had loved him once, there must be a chance, however small, that she could learn to again. Guy's voice echoed in his head… I'd've fought for her 'til my last breath. His friend said a lot of corny things but he had heard the sincerity of the statement. It was his turn now; he had to fight this time. So far all he had done was cause her grief, it was time to change that. With determination burning in his chest Kakashi got to work.
In twenty minutes he was done and went in search for Narue. He could easily follow her tracks in the dewy grass. He found her in a little glade, standing in the middle of it with her head thrown back, her long hair streaming down her back and her face ethereally beautiful in the starlight. His breath caught in his throat and he had to clear it before calling her name.
POV
"Narue." She turned. He still hadn't put his mask back on and her heart skipped a beat. He was beautiful. He always had been but for some reason the distance between them now only seemed to underline it. A beautiful stranger. "Narue, you were right. We're different people now and we can't ignore that six years we spent apart. They've shaped me as I can see they've changed you. But I…I just want to get to know you again. Be your friend if you can't accept me as more. So would you please go on a date with me?" He rushed out the last sentence and when she just stood, too shocked for words he awkwardly pushed his hand through his unruly hair. He looked ten years younger in his discomfort.
"I…A date?"
"Yes."
"Right now?"
"Yes." He held out his hand and with a smile Narue accepted. It just felt right, no more overthinking, analyzing hows and whys, ignoring the lost ifs. This was just the two of them in the now, escaping the reality of war for a stolen moment. He led her to the clearing they had just been in and as they reached it she gasped. She knew he had a bit of a grasp on fire element jutsus but she'd never seen this particular one before. The clearing was filled with tiny flickering flames, slightly larger than burning candles and they bathed the ground in a golden light. He'd procured the "in field blanket" all shinobi carried on a storage scroll for missions and spread it on the ground between the massive roots of an enormous tree so it would cradle them protectively. On top of the blanket sat the ration bags of food also from the scroll and a small bouquet of wild flowers. She turned to meet his searching eyes and smiled,
"It's beautiful, Kakashi." He smiled back, the way she remembered from all those years ago, his eyes narrowing charmingly. He led her to the blanket and they sat down. Suddenly at a loss for words Narue picked up the small spray of flowers. The edges were even and she realized he'd used his kunai to cut the stems. She smiled to herself; he was ever the practical ninja, wasn't he? He probably used his Lightning Edge to pop popcorn and water jutsus to shower on missions. She snorted and he looked up. She explained her thoughts and for a moment he was quiet and she wondered if they'd lost the tone in the years that had passed, the easy teasing that had been natural then. But then he threw back his head and laughed. With the ice broken it seemed easy to get back to their old ways and as the night deepened around them they finished the field rations of food and forgot all about time passing.
Kakashi finished a story of his latest set of students and Narue tilted her head.
"You really like him, don't you? The nine-tail host? This Naruto boy." Kakashi was leaning against the tree trunk with his legs drawn up and his arms resting on top of his knees as he fiddled with a straw of grass.
"Yes, I do. I think you will too if you meet him. He's brave, loyal and tremendously dedicated – all in his own way."
"You still don't seem only happy when you talk about him. Why?" Kakashi gave her a slanted smile.
"You always did read me easily, mask or no." He sighed and tossed the straw away. "It's Naruto's teammate, Sasuke, my biggest failure who troubles me the most. He…he should have been the one I felt kindred with. He has the Sharingan, is related to Obito, and always has been a prodigy, very aloof in his manner. Yet…I failed to understand what was really in his heart, couldn't help him. He's…gone now." Narue didn't ask but grasped from the way he said it he didn't mean this Sasuke was dead.
"And Naruto he is…loyal to a fault. He refuses to believe Sasuke is truly lost. I failed them both just like I failed the third party member, Sakura. I didn't see her potential, was always caught up in the struggles of the boys. I just think I did a really poor teaching job there."
"I'm sure you didn't. Speaking as a former student of yours I can vouch for your teaching abilities. You've never done anything less than your best for your students. Or anyone for that matter, that's one of your best features, Kakashi. You can be as aloof as you want, you still can't hide the fact that you care. You're always there when it counts." She leaned closer and put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. Kakashi drew a sharp breath; it was the first time Narue had touched him willingly in six years. "Teaching does not mean babysitting, it means standing by and guiding and I'm sure that these children had problems too big for you to shoulder for them, Kakashi." He was silent for a long time.
"You always were clever for someone with your looks." He said teasingly and she caught the signal – thank you, I feel better.
"Well, since you're so unfortunate in both looks and smarts I'm not sure your theory holds."
"Unfortunate? You know sometimes-" He snorted and met her gaze. Suddenly the space between them seemed to have closed and the air seemed to still. Narue hardly dared breathing as the tension built. Still she couldn't let go of his gaze.
"Maybe…Maybe we should head back…Cause I…." She seemed to have lost her words and whenever she tried to construct a coherent thought her brain was distracted by his eyes, his smell, the heat radiating from his body. He shifted so he was kneeling in front of her.
"Yes, we should…Narue, I don't think I can do this just friends deal. I know what I said but…I'm still in love with you. I've tried to change it but for me it's always been you. Always will be."
"Good," she breathed before grabbing the front of his shirt, pulling him closer and pressing her lips to his.
Lightning seemed to strike in his head and any fantasy he'd ever had about this moment paled in comparison. The taste of her seemed like water after a run in the desert and her scent crashed into his senses. Of their own accord, which was good because Kakashi didn't think he could even form the thought to will them, his hands found her waist, pulled her closer, dragged her as if she weighed nothing to straddle him. When her long legs closed around his waist he forgot to breathe. In this situation oxygen seemed grossly overrated anyway. Her hands were running through his hair, sending little electrical shocks of pleasure to his core. He let his own hands roam and couldn't hold back a groan as they travelled down from her waist, over the swell of hips and reached the bare skin of her legs. Running his hands slowly back up again, bunching the fabric of her skirt as he went he heard her moan and with an easy move he held onto her waist and lowered her to the ground. Her hair spilled around her in waves of spun gold and he ran his hand over the length of it. She sighed his name and he almost lost all self-control.
POV
Narue felt as if she was regaining consciousness. No previous experience had come close to this. It had been…mind-blowing, she decided with a grin. Both times.
Slowly she sat up and admired the view. Kakashi was stretched out like he'd been hit over the head and his tall, lean form was a sight for sore eyes. He was still wearing his trousers, slung low on his narrow hips but was naked from the waist up. Appreciatively she let her eyes trail over his muscular back, still slick with sweat, to his unruly silver hair, messier than ever. She winced a little as she saw the marks of her nails down his shoulders. She had no recollection of how they ended up there, just knew she'd felt as if she were caught in a thunderstorm, all electricity and charged expectation before lightening had hit, wiping out everything but Kakashi whispering her name in her ear.
Narue guessed seven years of pent up sexual frustration and want had just come crashing down over them, but god she wished it would be like this every time from now on. Although she wasn't sure they'd survive it.
She was still wearing her dress but her underwear was gone, she thought she vaguely remembered the sound of him ripping them off. Oh well, that was a price she was willing to pay.
Slowly Kakashi seemed to be coming around and with a sigh he turned over and saw her.
"Hi," she said, not really knowing what she wanted to say.
"Hi," he responded and pushed himself up to stand, holding out a hand for her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on as her stomach did a little dip at the sight of the tight muscles low in his abdomen. God, she was worse than she'd been before. He held out a hand and shyly she took it. For heaven's sake, the man's hands had been over every centimetre of her body as hers had been over his, why was she shy about holding his hand?
Slowly they started walking back towards camp, the sun setting in the sky. Narue calculated they'd gotten about 200 metres before their eyes had met, she'd seen his darken before he'd pushed her up the closest tree.
Her legs were shaking and the night was dark when they finally reached the camp. All she could think of was sleep, collapsing on the nearest flat surface and sleep for a decade or two. It seemed fate had other plans as a ninja appeared before them.
"The Kazekage would like a word with both of you." Narue and Kakashi exchanged a look of shared longing for a bed - to sleep in - before nodding their assent and heading towards the Commander's tent.
A/N: Hope you all liked it ;)
