xXx

'Oh, well, I don't mind, if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine, if you don't shine.
Before you go, can you read my mind?

It's funny how you just break down,
Waiting on some sign.
I pull up to the front of your driveway,
With magic soaking my spine.
Can you read my mind?'

~ 'Read My Mind' by The Killers

xXx

Sakura half-ran, half-skipped ahead, her eyes wide as she took everything in. She paused, then grinned and started to spin around, her arms outstretched. Her scarf whirled around with her as she laughed, and as the green world above her went by in a blur. She stumbled a little on a root, then stopped and steadied herself with a breathless smile.

Kakashi stood a small way from her, evidently amused, his eyebrow arched. But his arm was slightly raised nevertheless as if he had been ready to catch her if she fell. He quickly let it fall, but not before Sakura saw. She only gave him a small smile for moment, her eyes brilliant, her cheeks pink from the cold air and from excitement. But that was before she gave into the urge to look around, as if she could see everything all at once.

Sakura felt like she was being swept up in the moment. She couldn't get enough of the way the air smelled, so different, so fresh and clean, like crushed pine-needles and opening flowers, like hot river-sand hit by a shower of rain. They were on a wide, well-trodden path that crept its way through a row of ancient trees. Sakura had seen it all her life, only in passing though, as a path that the villagers used to walk upon in the afternoons.

It came to her as a surprise at how swiftly she had fallen in love with the place, with the gentle winding path, with the feeling of the world beneath her feet, and with the sheer green that surrounded her. She felt as if she'd never taken the time before to notice how many colours there were in nature, even for all the missions and training she'd had in it. When she walked along the path, she felt as if she were newborn and seeing the world for the first time. The curiosity and wonder that had erupted into a fierce and steady flame within her hadn't really left yet. She didn't want it to.

'Isn't it amazing?' she said, turning to face Kakashi.

He glanced at her, then stared a while, before the skin by his eye crinkled. Sakura found herself smiling because he was smiling, even though it was hidden deep under that mask of his. It didn't really matter to her then that the mask was there, like it usually did, in that sort of niggling-in-the-back-of-your-mind way, because she was too full of wonder right then.

She made a playful face at him, and put her hands on her hips. 'Well?' she asked, her eyes twinkling.

'It's adequate,' Kakashi drawled, just as he reached to get out his Icha-Icha Paradise. He had to laugh though when Sakura made a disgusted noise, spun around, and stomped noisily on ahead. He walked fast to catch up with her, then slowed down into a steady pace at her side. She gave him a side-long glare.

'Fat chance of me ever taking you to any of the nice places I find again,' she muttered, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets.

Kakashi snorted, then retorted, 'Oi, give me a chance to see what you see, Sakura.'

'Are you even going to try?' she asked, eyeing him sceptically.

He put a hand on her shoulder, which made her become still and look up at him expectantly. He let his gaze wander the scene around them, before it came back to rest on Sakura. 'I am trying,' he said softly. He chuckled, then added almost apologetically, 'It's just that I've seen a lot of forests and trees in my life-time, to be honest.'

Sakura rolled her eyes, then shook her head and carried on walking. Kakashi relaxed a little at the smile he saw curving its way along her mouth, then moved to follow her. They went on in a comfortable silence that Sakura found she liked, because it made her feel warm and welcome. Had any of her friends been this comfortable with her? She couldn't honestly remember anything like this. She and Ino were prone more to yelling and laughing than thoughtful silences. Not that she minded, though. It was just different.

'Oh, yeah, I just remembered,' Sakura said with a grin. 'I decided that since you haven't been too keen on telling me when your birthday is – I'm going to randomly allocate any given day in a year to be your birthday. And I shall give you presents. And we will drink sake, of course, as per our tradition.'

Kakashi blinked at her. 'You . . . you never asked me when my birthday was, Sakura.'

'I know that,' she carried on conversationally, 'I was hoping you'd subtly tell me the date in that sneaky way of yours so I wouldn't gave to fall back on plan B. Which is this: Happy Randomly Allocated Birthday, Kakashi!'

Sakura took a small wrapped box out of her pocket proudly. He stared at her, then frowned. 'You certainly are a strange one, Sakura,' he said, before taking the present from her tentatively. As he slowly unwrapped it, he didn't look at her when he added, 'It's on fifteenth of September, by the way.'

Sakura looked a little stunned for a moment, before she smiled triumphantly at him. Then just as quickly as her smiled appeared, it changed and became mischievous. She snatched the box right out of the startled man's hands and ran away, laughing merrily.

'You'll have to wait then, baka!' she called out, and ran faster, because Kakashi had decided to give chase.

xXx

'Are you going to drag me to strange places every free day we get?' Kakashi asked amusedly.

Sakura looked up at him as she tugged off her boots. She had to chuckle at the dancing light she saw in his dark eye. 'Nope, just on most of them,' she replied cheekily. She hung her jacket on the hook behind her apartment door, and wandered into her kitchenette with the intent to make tea.

When she came out, Kakashi was sitting on one of her numerous boxes, looking out of the window. She put his steaming cup of tea in front of him on the sill, then sat down on the floor next to him. She joined him in staring out at the cloudy sky and the world outside. One of the things she liked about Kakashi was that he didn't mind that she didn't always have something to say, to talk about. He'd just smile and go on reading most days, letting her soak up the sun and the sense of companionship she had when she was around him. He didn't mind that sometimes she didn't want to think, but just look and let everything float on by her.

After a while, Sakura glanced up at him, then casually tossed something at Kakashi. He caught it automatically and opened his hand to see what it was. The present she'd taken from him lay in his palm, still half unwrapped.

'I was joking earlier – you can have it,' she said, not looking at him, but out of the window instead as she sipped her tea.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. He reached out, gently grasped her chin and turned her head. He kissed her on her forehead and simply said, 'Thank you.'

Sakura didn't know why, but suddenly it felt wonderful to be alive.