..Chapter Twenty-Five..
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Green pools of emerald stared outward as she leaned into the wooden frame that held up the wrap around porch of the 'cottage'. Her arms crossed over her chest and her head moved to set against the same wooden frame. She opened her mouth, yawning slightly.
The day had been a long one yesterday. Their teachers had been rigorous. The jutsus they'd begun learning were not simple. The fact of the matter was, they were going to have to master time manipulation first. Once that was complete they could actually move on to fully mastering the techniques proposed. Their regiment had been reduced to working every other day as the strain of learning such a technique at first was too much on the body. Especially for those not use to it; or so she'd been told by the woman who'd become her teacher.
Where did that leave her today? With nary a thing to do, really. Even with two grown men in the house cleaning was still a cinch. Naruto kept his mess to his room because the last time he'd left any sort of mess on an epic scale she'd threatened to burn everything orange he owned. And Sasuke? Had he ever left a mess? Really? Not that she knew of.
She gave a long sigh and leaned more so into the square beam. Today was going to be tedious. She couldn't take a mission because she had training tomorrow. She didn't have anything to clean. She couldn't train because it would cause too much of a strain on her body for what she had in mind. And anything too strenuous would mess her up for tomorrow.
She gave a sigh and brought her free hand up to her face, fresh water bottle poised centimeters before her lips; set on drinking the cool stuff. However, something made her take pause. She stared, eyes nearly bulging at first and then flat out narrowing in avid curiosity. Could anyone really blame her? After all, the sight before her was not one she chanced to view every day; in fact, at all for that matter. The water bottle lowered and she continued to gawk.
Sweat rolled down his thick yet lithe form. Ripples of sinewy muscle tone, nearly as pale as snow, seemed to reflect in the sunlight peaking through the clouds. It was nothing she'd not seen before. And yet... she had to admit, never quite like this.
She watched as a blade sliced downward and cut into a bundle of curling vines clinging to the wooden fence that separated their yards. Gloved hands reached and pulled for the bits of leafy mess and tossed them behind his person.
She watched as he reached up with a rag, taking a break, and wiped the sweat from his brow. And then he looked up. And were she any other person, did she not know him as well as she did by now and if her sense of human emotions were not quite so good in conjunction with body language? She wouldn't have noticed it at all.
His smile.
After a moment she managed to collect her sense and and smiled back genuinely. She pushed off the beam and walked down the small set of stairs. She made her way across the yard and to him at the barrier of the fence. He met her there and she moved sideways to lean into it.
She offered her cold bottle of water. "You look like you need some hydration, Kakashi."
He arched a brow and took the bottle. Opting to take a drink before responding, he tipped the drink upward and opened his mouth. The cool liquid coating his dry throat was like heaven. He lowered the bottle and gave a satisfied sigh. "Thank you, I was." He offered it back but retracted it as her hand waved him to keep it.
"You need it more than I do."
He smiled easily again. "Apparently so."
She nodded and moved to rest her forearm on the top of the fence with her elbow bent. "What are you up to anyway?" She glanced about at the work he'd already done and wrinkled her nose. "I thought you hated this place."
For years it had been a sore subject for him. He'd told her the whole story a long time ago in detail. His end of it anyway. And while he'd overcome the disappointment in regards to his father because of Obito, the memory had always been a bit too fresh. The one of finding the man he'd looked up to as a boy dead by his own weapon in the living room.
In fact the only recent time he'd been in the place since his father's suicide was when he gave his dishes to Sakura. And even then it'd been pretty hard.
He tapped his fingers on the top of the fence a few times with his free hand. Then he stopped to speak. "The inside needs work."
She could see he didn't really want to; which is why she was confused about why exactly he was doing this. A few years ago she'd tried to convince him to face this one nightmare full on. He'd refused, of course; and no one blamed him.
"Why now?" She asked cautiously.
He took another sip from the water bottle and placed both forearms on the fence. He leaned into it. "Ah, well, the fall festival is coming up." He looked towards the sky. "My mother always loved the holiday." He shrugged. "My father would hate it I kept letting it go to hell. Now's a good a time as any, right?" He looked at her.
"Hm..." she began. "You're cleaning this place for the festival?" She figured changing the subject slightly might not be a half bad idea.
He nodded.
"By yourself?" She watched as he nodded again. "What about Obito and Rin?" She looked up at his house. "I mean, it's at least a whole two stories more than mine..." She blinked a few times and then looked back at him.
He smirked slightly, lazy eye present. "They're busy with Rin's mom's getting ready for the same thing. So, yeah, I'm by myself on this one." He scratched the back of his head.
She frowned and looked back at the house. "But, the festival is the day after tomorrow. There's no way you'll get it done by yourself by then. At least, not if the inside is in sore need of repair as the front was..."
He shrugged and followed her gaze. "I can try."
Sakura looked back at him as he kept his eyes on the old home. She knew this wasn't easy for him. Hell, if he managed to stay in the house for more than ten minutes at a time without needing to come out she'd be amazed. How did he ever think he was going to accomplish this on his own; much less actually do it considering the past?
She sighed dramatically. "I suppose I'll have to help you then."
He looked at her. "No, that's alright. Surely you have other things to do today."
She shook her head as he started the last sentence. "Not a thing, actually. You could say I have the day off. No missions for a few weeks and every other day I have to... chill. That and," she explained, "I can't do anything hard by ninja standards. Cleaning a house the old fashioned way is fine."
He chuckled slightly and shook his head. "New training regime you've come up with?"
"Eh, sorta." She grinned sheepishly. "Don't make me tell you twice, Hatake."
He was grinning too this time. "I guess I'll have to accept then." He pointedly eyed her. "At least when you stoop so low as to order me about, captain."
Her mouth made a humorous 'O' shape and she smacked him playfully. "Quit that. I do not order you." She stuck her tongue out at him as he dodged her blow. "At least not without justified cause."
"Which is rarely," he muttered humorously.
"Oh...!" She grinned in her false temper and jumped over the fence, dashing after him. "You're getting it now, Crow."
He artfully avoided her as they ran about the yard, laughing. "Anything you say, Cherry."
She stopped mid-dash and crossed her arms over her chest. A smug look lit up her face. "Fine," she began. "If you're going to be like that I won't give you your gift."
He blinked at her as he watched her grin and run up to his house to open the door. With the quickness he flashed up to the door as she opened it. He braced arms and hands on either side of the door opening and leaned forward slightly. Perhaps a little to close. "Gift?"
She smirked. "Yes, a gift. For you." She narrowed her eyes and arched a brow. "But.... I might just take it back. You don't want it." He pressed a hand to his chest, intent on pushing him out of her way.
He took her hands quickly, pressing his thumbs into her palms as he held them softly. "I do."
She smirked slightly, eying him curiously. It wasn't the first time he'd done this or acted this way. Everytime she got 'angry' with him he tried to act like a cute, lost little imp fully intent on smoothing her over with calmed words and romantic actions. In their world it was a little game of sorts between good friends. However, to the outside watcher it could be seen as flirting. Not that either of them considered that.
She sighed dramatically. "I might be convinced to reconsider."
"Yeah?" He leaned in closer, his forehead barely touching hers as he gave her 'the look'.
She chuckled lightly. After a moment of allowing him to think he'd won she finally pushed forward. The action apparently caught him off guard. Because he ended up on the floor, square on his back.
She laughed and walked over him. "After we clean this place up, Hatake. And only if you can manage to be nice for a few hours."
He sighed and placed his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. Kaioh Sakura would one day be the downfall of him; he was sure of it. "I'm sure I can try," he mused out loud and began to stand. He dusted his bottom off and moved to follow her towards the stairs. "Where are you going?"
She shrugged. "The ground level is clean. Aside from a little dust it's perfect. It'll take a half hour tops to get ready. I want to take a look at the rest of the house to see what else we need to do." She paused and turned slightly to look down at him. She arched a brow. "Not worried I'll find some embarrassing baby photos of you, right?" Her lips twitched slightly.
His features mimicked hers. "Not at all. I was very adorable as a child."
She rolled her eyes and continued upward with a slight smile. "You're incorrigible."
He grinned and refrained from replying to the comment.
Sakura rounded the corner into a long hallway. She took pause and gandered about at several doors and one other long hallway leading towards the front of the second floor. Much like the lower floor it was all very Japanese in style. Very old and a lot of paper-wood doors that slid open. Konoha was funny like that. While some homes and establishments could be very modern with swinging doors some others still still possessed the sliding ones made of rice paper. His apparently was the later.
"Where should we start?"
He shrugged and moved to stand next to her. "No idea... The last time I was up here was to get my things and move out."
"What about your parents' room them?"
"Hasn't been touched since my mother was last in it," he explained evenly.
She could tell he was trying to be strong about this. Even if he no longer blamed him, the fresh memory of losing his father was just as bad. And then his mother not long after that. Sakura glanced at the doors again and then back to him. With a soft encouraging smile she reached for his hand.
He looked down as he felt her hand in his own. His eyes moved up to meet her's questionably.
"Come on, Hatake. We'll do this together." Without waiting for his reply she gave a tug on his hand and led him to the first door in the hallway.
ooo
They'd gone from room to room on that second floor, cleaning, dusting, rooting through drawers. But, for the most part everything was clean and organized. Almost everything just needed a little sprucing and the windows opened to freshen up the house. They'd even managed to get the air and heating system started. And in doing so they were getting all the hampering smells out of the house. It was quite stuffy. Kakashi had been hesitant as she had expected. He wasn't showing it well, but he wasn't hiding it well either. But once more, Sakura could simply see things in him others could not. It wasn't their fault; she just knew him better. He had a way of moving his eyes and twitching his lips. His hands dug tighter into his pockets when he became nervous or apprehensive. And in the past few hours he don't quite a bit of all three.
Sakura found the best thing to do when he got wound a little too tight was to simply leave him a lone with a 'job'. Nothing she necessarily dealt out herself; just something that somewhat kept his mind off the situation as a whole. She had. Currently he was looking through a single closet; going through one item at a time on the third floor. It wouldn't take him too long--it never did--but it would keep him busy enough for a while to get his nerves in order.
It was amazing to her still how much she'd learned about him in such a length of time. Was this how he had always been as a boy before disaster struck him? Kakashi had always been kind to her, Naruto and Sasuke. But, as she'd said before, he'd never been personal. The man she'd come to know here talked to her about quite a few things he never talked to anyone about. He told her about his hopes, his dreams and flints of his past. He smiled at her and joked with her. He laughed with her and occasionally cried with her. Well, she cried... he listened. And she'd done her fair share of crying since being gone from home.
What had become of him in her own time before they had changed everything? Minato had died. Obito was dead. And she had no idea what have become of Rin. However, she'd never seen her before. So the chances of her actually being there for Kakashi after all the loss was questionable. Had anyone been there for him? He'd said all his important people were dead or gone from his life. So, perhaps no one had been there for Kakashi... She paused as she rifled through another box in the lone storage room.
She'd been there for him all this time. And all his important people were not dead.
How horrible it had been for him without anyone. Is that why he was so cloistered? Was he afraid to be open with anyone? Or, was it fear of losing them that kept him from getting too close? Kakashi, she was sure, would sooner cut off his right arm and rip his own body to shreds before he lost anyone around him... but was it his own way of protecting his heart by keeping everyone at such a distance?
It was this thought that made her realize, all the more, how much she didn't want to lose him herself. What would happen to him when she did leave? Sure, he would have his friends around him. Minato, Obito and of course Rin; however... if he didn't forget about her... if the emotion was that powerful... what would losing her do to him? He'd have to go at least ten years without her. And after that he'd be her teacher... maybe. And even so he wouldn't say anything. He'd probably brush it off as coincidental, being the rational man that he was. And then what? A whole eight years after that when she herself, as she was, returned? What would he be like? Heartbroken? Ruined? Distraught? Would he even be there? Would he even wait for her? She wasn't so vain as to think he would... but the idea hurt her all the same. And Kakashi had always been a lone wolf... or perhaps a lone crow anyway...
She sighed, sitting back on her heels.
Eon had told her not to worry about the details. That it would all work out. Part of her loved the Kakashi she knew in her time and the rest of her loved the boy she knew now. If he grew into that man still she would still treasure him just the same; because she would know the real person behind the mask. She always would. And her gut told her to trust Eon; just as it had in the start of this trip.
It would all work out. For now, she had to treasure the time she had left with him. While she wasn't entirely sure yet if she was in love with him she knew she had feelings for him. Deep ones. And they bordered on love. And she was willing to let them grow into something more. She was willing to be happy, if even for only two years more with a man who would one day become her teacher, mentor and one of the greatest shinobi the world had ever known.
She finally gave a soft, if not unsure, smile and went back to opening the box before her. Her mind set once more as she went back to her task. What greeted her eyes was not entirely expected. It appeared the storage room must have been the place to keep decorations for parties and such. And the very next box she rummaged through happened to be one with the fall festival ones in it. There were lanterns, candles, costumes, masks and spooky things to put up all over. The best part was, each one looked delicately hand made; like each one was a piece of art.
"I see you've found some more of my mother's crazy art projects."
She turned, lantern in hand and smiled, not the least bit surprised. He'd finally gotten a shirt back on. The one without sleeves and his attached mask. It was tucked into the dusty blue shinobi pants. He appeared covered in dirt from the house still. She was sure she made quite the picture herself.
"They're lovely. Did she use them for the fall festival?"
He nodded, coming to sit next to her and go through the items on the box. "She did. Every year. And each time she added more." He motioned to a statue in the corner of the room. It looked like a mix between a gargoyle and a man. "That use to sit in the front gate of the yard." He smirked. "Welcoming visitors. My father was never very excited to cart it downstairs each year when he was in town."
"Ah.." She replied and shifted around in her spot to get more comfortable. "Well, we should use these for the day after tomorrow."
He nodded. "Sounds good. You want me to take this down stairs?" He motioned to the box.
"Yeah, that would be great. I'll rifle around through a few more things while you do and see what else I can get you to cart down there." She smiled and stood as he did.
He chuckled. "I'll suppose you want me to cart down the statues too."
She frowned and touched her fingers to her lips. "Oh, no, not unless you want to. And certainly not by yourself. I'll get the guys to help you later."
He kept grinning. "No, it's fine. It's really not that heavy. Thankfully, mom made the pieces meant to be moved most often hollow. It weights less than you do."
She smacked him playfully. "And here you were starting to make me feel sorry for you!"
He laughed and picked up the box to cart it out of the room. On his way he replied. "I can't help it. The look on your face is worth it every time." As he went out of sight his last sentence was. "Perhaps I'm just a glutton for punishment."
She rolled her eyes, half wondering if he was flirting with her. And half wondering if she should simply flirt back. She gave a soft sigh once more and shook her head before heading about the room in search of another box. She rifled through several more, finding only winter decorations and one more for spring holidays. Her lips pursed and she wandered a bit more around the large room, almost completely forgetting about Kakashi. And then it seemed her mind completely evaporated from him as she sighted something in the corner next to that statue he mentioned earlier. A large chest to be precise.
It was long and wooden. Elaborate in design and carved with lovely inlay work. Lotus blossoms and what looked like lovers were all over the thing. Nothing racy. Just romantic. It was something she would expect to see in a shop for young girls just starting to have hopes of love and believe in the silly truth of fairy tales.
She smiled, kneeling down and ran her fingers over the delicate work. Se was so entranced by the piece she almost forgot to even open it. Should she? Kakashi had said it was fine to go through anything in this room. Still... this item felt so personal... so special. And yet she really couldn't help herself.
The lid slowly creaked open and within it she found a treasure trove of memories. Black and white pictures littered the top of the lid. Each one showed happy scenes. One was of a couple in full wedding regalia, smiling into the camera with wine glasses. They looked like Kakashi's parents. She knew the man as his father. And the woman could be none other than his mother. Kakashi looked every bit his father... but she could tell that smile of his was all hers.
Other pictures still showed her as a young girl with friends. More still depicted her with Kakashi's father again. A few more were of her and someone she could only assume was Kakashi as a child. Her face lit up again as she spied him as a young boy without his mask. She looked at the pictures a while longer. Her eyes then drifted to the contents of the chest.
There were a collection of papers, clothing, trinkets and a doll. However, the one item that reached out to her was a leather book with a silver plate on the cover. The inscription read, 'Forever'.
Feeling a wash of curiosity she carefully picked it up. Her hand wiped over the cover and trailed over the silver inscription so delicately carved into the plate. Her eyes half narrowed and she shyly pulled the old cover open. Within it what she found was not a diary or even a series of more pictures like she expected. Instead, what she found was yet another treasure trove. As she flipped through the pages she discovered it was a series of letters. Each one was back and forth. Some were to Kakashi's father from his mother and some were to his mother from his father. None of them were signed by names. It appeared his father's title for his mother was 'Dearest' and hers for him was 'Beloved'. The only way she knew was the references to Kakashi.
The words were so earnest and her heart felt like it was catching with each word she read. She scanned a few, reading bits here and there. But one entry stuck out to her. The last one... from his mother...
Beloved...
The lotus blossoms danced on the river wide during your funeral. The spring winds caressed my face as I said my final goodbyes in my heart. Few people were there, you know. However, Namikaze-san showed up. He was always a good man... I don't blame the many people who once claimed to be your friend for not showing up. However, it still didn't stop me from wanting to go to their homes and scream at them all. You do not shame me, Beloved. You never have and you never will. You made the right choice, just as I told you that night...
Why you felt the need to make such a drastic... it's beyond me, my love. You have a son after all. How could you leave him behind? You've always told me I was a good mother and wife. But, that was because I always had you by my side. How can you possibly expect me to continue without you?
Kakashi... He found you. I found him... just staring at you. There was so much blood. Why didn't you talk to me? Why?
He hasn't spoken to me for days. Not since you did it... I can't get him to say one word. He just goes about his day as if.... as if... he's some sort of zombie. He's breaking inside, Beloved. I can see it. How could you do this? How? Can't you see he needed you? I needed you...
After that the words just stopped. A mess of ink and tears staines trailed down the paper. Sakura had to pull the thing away from her face to keep from crying herself. But the entry went on after that gap. And it appeared to be for a week later because there was a set of parenthesis saying the date for continuing the entry.
I promised myself I would finish this. I told myself I would get through the last of this goodbye without crying before packing this book away to never be seen by my eyes again. I'll probably will it away to Kakashi when I die...
Oh, Beloved....
He... he's not the same. I remember when he smiled. When he laughed. When he ran into my arms after his time in the academy every day telling me how much like you he so wanted to be. And now... now he clamps up everytime your name is mentioned. He's told me you disgraced us all and he wants nothing to do with your image anymore. He's taken to wearing a mask and tells me he swears to be the perfect.... the perfect shinobi in order to make things right for the Hatake name.
I desperately want to argue with him. But everytime I try... I can't help but hurt and want to cry. So... all I do is smile, wander to my room... and poor my eyes out over the smell of you still lingering in the sheets.
I've lost my husband, my will to paint... and now my son...
I love you, Sakumo.
-Dearest
By this time she really was crying as she held the book out and on the edge of her knees. She felt weak and her heart felt worn. The way Kakashi had told her... it hadn't exactly been mechanical. But, so many details were left out. The way this woman, his mother, described it... it tore at her in ways she didn't even understand. The way she had loved his father... it was... unquenchable. She couldn't imagine loving anyone that much. Like you were dying yourself... But...
Hadn't that been how she'd felt that night a few days ago? On the wall? When he kissed her and she'd run away? Hadn't her own heart tore at her at the thought of leaving him? Of having never knowing..?
She barely heard the footsteps behind her. And it was almost too late that she realized a hand was on her shoulder. And when she turned to look at the face before her, kneeling next to her, she was still half crying.
She said nothing as she caught his gaze, her lips quivering. At first his look was one of confusion and perhaps anger? And then he looked severely concerned at the sight of her tears.
"Sakura?"
Her name on his lips was like heaven. And she found she wanted nothing more but to hear it for the rest of her life, if it was possible. And if two years was all she had? It was worth it. Her own lips... they moved on their own. The voice that escaped her mouth was almost a hoarse whisper.
"I...."
"Sakura...?" His was hesitant.
There are times when you make me laugh
there are moments when you drive me mad
there are seconds when I see the light
though many times you made me cry
She swallowed, but refused to lose her nerve. Her fingers drifted up and the book dropped to the floor below her. She watched the apprehensive expression in his one good eye grow. Her digits trembled as she grasped the edges of his mask.
There's something you don't understand
I want to be your man
His hands reached for her wrists, gently holding as if to stop her. "Sakura?" He was asking again. His own voice became a whisper. He was scared, she could tell. He was just as lost and unsure as her. But he wasn't exactly stopping her. Her hands continued to pull tentatively; like peeling away not just a mask... but a mask made of so much more.
Nothing to lose
your love to win
hoping so bad that you'll let me in
I'm at your feet
waiting for you
I've got time and nothing to lose
As she did so his face was slowly revealed to her. It was soft, delicate and lovely. His lips were soft. His cheeks softer still as she caressed them. He was just as lovely as she recalled. "You're beautiful..," she whispered.
His single eye was wide as she spoke. "What..."
Before he could say more she was speaking again. "I love you." and before he could speak further, she was kissing him. His wrists were still holding her own as her fingers tangled into his hair and inadvertently loosened the binding of his headband.
There are times when I believe in you
these moments when I feel close to you
there are times I think that I am yours
though many times I feel unsure
There's something you don't understand
I want to be your man
She could tell he was shocked at first. That slowly wore off though as he allowed himself to be fully kissed by her and consumed by the fire that ravished her insides each time she saw him; the same fire that had burned in her at the glistening sight of him half naked earlier that day.
He was inhaling sharply through his nose as his eyes half closed and he stumbled under her weight, falling back onto the dusty floor of the storage room. But that didn't seem to stop her as she continued to kiss him. He didn't know what to make of it all, but hearing those words on her lips had been enough to do him in; put him at her mercy.
Did she really know what she did to him? How he had yearned for her like this?
Nothing to lose
your love to win
hoping so bad that you'll let me in
I'm at your feet
waiting for you
I've got time and nothing to lose
He reached around her waist, opening his mouth, tangling his tongue with hers. She was so soft yet firm in his arms. Her chest on his felt so right. Her legs tangled in his own did nothing for his sensible mind. Were he a poet this moment would forever be inscribed in pen for the rest of his years afterward.
I'll always be around you
keep an eye on you
cos my patience is strong
and I won't let you run
cos you are the only one
After feeling thoroughly lost on the control Kakashi finally started to take over the kiss, nipping at her lower lip. Both of them were breathing heavily, heatedly. It was magnetic, perfect and blissful. It was better than he'd ever imagined. The moment was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. If there was a heaven surely it couldn't possibly compare to this. It just couldn't.
He tightened his hold on her and reached up, tangling a naked hand in her soft, short strands of cotton candy pink.
"I love you too," he breathed between kisses reverently. "Since I first saw you," he admitted. "Brash and strong in the Hokage office."
Nothing to lose
your love to win
hoping so bad that you'll let me in
Sakura blinked and suddenly pulled away. She felt her throat catch with emotion. He'd... he'd loved her...
"Kakashi...." She breathed, her eyes rippling with more emotion than before, emerald greens glistening. "You..."
Knowing what she migh be about to say he shook his head as he grasped both of her cheeks. "I did," he began, "and when I realized it a day or two later... I knew... I knew then there'd be no one else for me."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She suddenly wanted to know.
He shrugged. "We were kids, Cherry... Friends. We joined ANBU together. We became a team together. We shared secrets, laughs, joys and sometimes a tent." He smiled ruefully. "I didn't want to ruin that. Not if it meant never being near you again... I waited instead."
"You waited," she echoed. "For me...."
He nodded. "I'm a patient man, Sakura. I would have waited another two years if that's what it took. Longer even, if it took that long. And if you ended up with someone else... I would have been happy for you. Alone, but happy."
If it was possible... she felt like she was falling for him all over again. Tears streaked down her face. "I would have waited for you too, Crow," she choked out.
"Shh..." he whispered as he leaned up, kissing away her tears and caressing her eyelids with his lips. "No more tears..." he said softly. "We're together now and that's all that matters, right?" He smiled ruefully at her again, pulling back.
She nodded, smiling. Not really being able to say much more, she simply leaned down and kissed him again. She kissed him in that drafty old storage room and swore once again... to never regret her choice, no matter where it led her.
I'm at your feet
waiting for you
I've got time and nothing to lose...
ooo
They were laughing, walking hand and hand outside and into the darkening front lawn as dusk settled in. Everything was finished. The house was officially set up for the fall festival. Dashes of orange, black and brown were everywhere. His mother's lanterns were hung all over the porch. The curtains had been switched out for tattered spookier ones. The statues of creepy creatures were all over the lawn. And Sakura had promised she'd be over the day of the festival with a lot of goodies to give out and make.
They both leaned back into the fence at the front of the yard and she turned to him after they got one good look. "Kakashi?"
"Hm?"
"What was that book I found in your mother's chest?"
He arched a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. "The one you were reading?"
She nodded.
He sighed and for the first time that day when something was mentioned about his parents, something really personal, he smiled. "It was their letter book."
"Letter book?"
He nodded. "Yeah... you see... both of them were shinobi. But they had an agreement with the Hokage, like most couples did with a child; even if that child was a shinobi in the Academy. Only one of them would be out on a mission at a time. Sometimes these missions spanned months. So they kept a note book of sorts. They would write letters back and forth in it to each other while the other was gone. When the one gone returned and the other left they would read and write back." He looked over at her. "It kept them close."
She smiled. "That sounds... rather romantic."
"It was," he said reverently. "They loved each other very much. And the letters made that love stronger."
"Have you ever read it?" she asked quietly.
"Some of them," he admitted. "But I could never bring myself to read the last entry."
"You should," she said bravely.
"You did?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
She nodded slowly and looked back at the house, gaze narrowing. "You're mother... she loved your father very much. And she loved you very much too..."
He didn't say anything for a while. It wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with anyone. But it was one he could see having with her. "She died of a broken heart..."
"You told me once before," she agreed. "But... I never knew how much until I read that entry..."
And then they were both quiet for a long while. Both lost in their own thoughts. Each one was different. Some were sad and some were wistful. For Sakura it was thought of leaving Kakashi like he'd been left by his parents in two years. For Kakashi it was simply the thought of his parents and how he still missed their presence; how he wished in so many ways that he'd come into that room a few moments earlier in time to stop his father. To save his mother from her pain. Or maybe to have been a better son to her after that; to have been there for her instead of going off on his own cold path.
"Well... I suppose I should give your gift now," Sakura suddenly said.
"Gift?" he echoed, arching a brow as he recalled her earlier mention of a gift.
She laughed and reached into her pouch. "Yes, a gift." She handed him a wrapped little rectangle with a small ribbon of blue.
He blinked a few times and took it.
"Well... go on... open it, Crow."
He did. What greeted his eyes he'd suspected might have been a book. But what she gave him was not what he had anticipated. "A porn book?" He muttered and looked at her. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
She laughed. "No, you goof. Look," she opened the binding and showed him the signature and message. "Jiraiya signed it for me. It's one of his seven hand written copies. Many of them went to auction, but I happened to be lucky enough to bride him into this one."
He was still confused. "But... a porn book?"
She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "It's not a porn book, Crow. It's good literature. I never thought it was true... but apparently I was told right. Sure there's some pretty racy scenes in it. But much of it's actually well written. This one has a good mystery and a great plot intrigue about a woman who works as a spy for two waring shinobi countries during the first war. And believe it or not some of this is actually based on real history."
He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Well then, if it's from you I'm sure I'll love it."
If you only knew, her mind raced with a hidden grin, if you only knew.
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AN: OMG! I'm so sorry the update took so long. But I've been swamped with decorating and buying stuff for Christmas. I made this chapter especially long and mushy to make up for it. Anyway, since that is done, the next chapter should skip two years. And trust me when I say things are going to get a lot more interesting. But don't be mad at me if I doesn't get posted until after the holidays. I promise I'll try to get it sooner.
Now for questions!
Markin :: No, just Sakura is ANBU. Like Sasuke and Naruto need to be! -laughs- They're bad ass enough on their own. Now, I did that for Sakura because honestly I think she needs a little edge on her. And to logically bring her up to par with her boys. Now I can honestly say she's on their level in my fanfiction. And after her training she'll a be a hell of a lot more powerful like the other two.
backlash symphony :: Thank you! I always hope for that kind of reaction! You almost had me a tears ;_; Wow, you rock.
1. At some point, aren't Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke going to want to stay in the Past Konoha rather than return to the Present Konoha?
No, this will not be happening. I've already got it mapped out. I always planned for them to return to their own time from the very beginning.
2. And won't Jiraiya (at least it seems like you're hinting at Jiraiya) figure out where everybody is from?
Nah. I love the dirty perve. But no one will figure it out for the time being. I can tell you someone WILL. but it won't happen until after they return. Or at least this person won't realize it all until years later. And it's not Kakashi at first.
3. Would his finding out their identities cause them all to be sent back to the Present Konoha?
No, of course not XD.
4. If everyone affected by Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke in the Past Konoha will eventually forget them (assuming the three won't get close enough for everyone to remember them) what would happen to Lilith?
No one will really 'forget' them in the traditional sense. I will give you a plot spoiler just for asking this question. Kakashi will remember Sakura, maybe even her name, but he won't really recall her face with perfect clarity. He remember bits about her. Maybe her laugh, her eyes or even a phrase she said. But rest will be lost to him. He'll remember the loss. And it will have an affect on him.
It will be the same with everyone else. Only the ones that were close with them will remember the most. To everyone else they'll be like a pleasant flittering in their subconscious. There but not really clear at all. While Kakashi may recall her laugh, eyes and hair color... all someone who saw her once a week would recall was maybe her hair color at most.
As for Lilith... well, you'll see!
I hope this answered your questions!
Sammie :: Not a bad idea about the Hyuuga clan! I'll think about it.
kakasaku fan :: Initially I was bothered deeply by your review. Now, not so much. The only thing I can say, is if you're going to call my main character a 'mary sue' at least explain why. oO At least so I can see how or why and perhaps improve upon her or the next lead in another story of mine. If you're reading this I'd appreciate an elaboration.
Wirespeed91 :: Thanks for catching that! I don't know if I told you that before.
To everyone else? Thanks and keep it up.
-Blade