MINNASANKONNICHIWAKONOSUTORIGASUKINARAHONTOUNIDOMOARIGATOUGOZAIMASHITAJAKOKOKARAMOYOROSHIKUNE!

: Those Damned Orange Books :

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Under ordinary circumstances, she would have run home at the first sight of rain. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have stayed until he was soaked to the bone and numb to the core. But this was not, by any definition, an ordinary circumstance. In fact, if any of the other villagers had peeked out their window to glance at the dark, heavily pouring sky, they might dare to venture and declare it an extraordinary circumstance. Rain in Konoha was not unusual. After all, a leaf village naturally needed regular bouts of rain to prosper. What was indeed extraordinary was the following: Jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the stormy weather on an otherwise peaceful night was a darkly clad masked man who would have blended completely into the rain were it not for his shining silver hair (which even the rain could not darken) and the object in his arms which was unrecognizable except for a wave of something unmistakably pink.

Both of them silently basked in the comfort of each other's presence as they made the short journey to Kakashi's apartment. He marveled at how perfectly she molded into the cradle of his arms, like she belonged there, like she had always been there. She closed her eyes and marveled at how safe and secure he made her feel, how gracefully he moved – quickly, stealthily and smoothly. Despite the pouring rain, their close proximity gave rise to a particular type of warmth so that neither felt the freezing cold.

They reached Kakashi's front door, but he was reluctant to set her on her feet. However, his keys were in his back pocket and both his arms were occupied with her. Kakashi stopped for a second and stared at the doorknob, pondering how he was going to go about opening his front door.

Sakura had opened her eyes upon the stopped movement to stare up at Kakashi. Following his line of sight, she realized he was staring at the doorknob to his apartment. Her cheeks turned even rosier as she realized that Kakashi must enjoy holding her as much as she enjoyed being held, considering that he wasn't putting her down, but was instead determinedly looking at the door as though it would open itself.

"I guess you're going to have to put me down if we want to get into your apartment ne?" Sakura asked ruefully.

The wet fabric of Kakashi's mask clung to his face and displayed the outline of his lips as they twisted into a wry grin. He set her down wordlessly and coolly reached into his back pocket for his keys with one hand while keeping the other arm around her waist. He couldn't help it. While once upon a time, the freezing chill seeping into his bones had been comforting, now he felt like he couldn't bear to lose her warmth. He craved the feel of her arms, intoxicated by her warmth, her softness, the accepting love that made him forget his guilt.

Sakura had let out a silent sigh as she was put on her feet, hating the loss of his warmth almost immediately. To her surprise however, he kept one arm around her even though she had been certain that he would physically avoid her as soon as their contact was broken. She smiled as he led her into his apartment, surprised as always by how neat it was. Suddenly, she felt shy and awkward. What had she been thinking! Deciding to come to his place when they were both wet and cold and there was nobody else around!

"Opportunity!" Inner Sakura crowed victoriously.

"No no no no no! This is NOT going to be anything other than shelter from the rain. I'm just going to dry off and wait until the rain stops and I'll go home. NOTHING is going to happen!" Sakura shook her head violently to dispel the evil thoughts of Inner Sakura.

But not before Inner Sakura got in a parting shot, a sarcastically knowing "Sure."

"DAMMIT!"

"Sakura, you can take a shower and all that in the bathroom over there." Kakashi interrupted Sakura's mental argument by handing her a towel and pointing at a door.

"Uh." Was Sakura's exceptionally intelligent response. She walked in the direction Kakashi pointed before stopping in her tracks and turning around to face Kakashi. "But what about you? Aren't you cold? Why don't you shower first? I'm sure you'll be faster than me."

Kakashi was about to reply that he didn't need a shower, or that it was ok for her to go first, but the worried look in Sakura's eyes let him know that she wouldn't be able to shower in peace if he did. So smiling gently, he agreed and walked past her into the bathroom, though not before dropping a quick kiss on her wet hair. "Dry off a little while you're waiting ok? You'll catch a cold if you stay dripping like this." Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Kakashi disappearing behind a closing door.

"Kyaaaaa!" Inner Sakura was back. Only this time, Sakura was in total agreement. Kakashi's uniform had been clinging to his toned and well-built body and Sakura could not stop herself or Inner Sakura from squealing in delight. In fact, she could barely stop herself from drooling. Yes, it was just rain by her mouth. Indeed.

Once the initial headiness passed though, Sakura was once again nervous and more than a little unsure of herself. In all respects, Kakashi was a great deal more experienced than she was. What was she doing in his apartment with him? With a start, the horrible realization that if she had such a good view of his body given his wet uniform, then chance that the privilege went the other way too, began to dawn on her. Looking up, her increasing discomfort was heightened as she was greeted with the sight of a row of orange books. As much as Sakura respected Kakashi, she didn't doubt for a second that he was a pervert. An incredibly talented, honorable and sexy pervert, but a pervert nonetheless.

Oh Kami-sama! What should I do? I want him but I don't want him! What if he thinks me choosing his place has any intent other than using his place for shelter rather than mine? Sakura unconsciously started to pace in an odd fashion. The orange books would loom closer and closer and she'd back away, only to pace towards the bookshelf again as her curiosity peaked.

Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom, furtively holding two orange books behind his back with one hand and a towel rubbing his hair with the other. Sakura didn't need to know that he had an orange book in the bathroom, or another tucked into the vest of his uniform. Much to his relief, he found Sakura's back turned to him as she walked towards his bookshelf. Wait a minute, his bookshelf? Hmmm, he didn't know she was that fascinated by his orange books. Maybe he should've left the one in the bathroom in there. Maybe not. He wondered where he could temporarily hide the two in his hand until she was safely in the bathroom and he could replace them on his bookshelf.

Kakashi grinned in anticipation as Sakura stopped in front of the bookshelf. Aha! Now he could catch her in the act and call her a pervert like she had done to him so many times before. Oh wait, why was she taking a step back? Uh oh, the books in his hand, the books in his hand! Where could he put them! Thankfully for him, Sakura didn't turn around, she merely continued backing away from the bookshelf. Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed in amused confusion, but he quickly and silently bent down and sent the books sliding rapidly across the floor and underneath the sofa.

Straightening up, Kakashi watched mesmerized as Sakura repeated her walking towards the bookshelf and then backing away routine a few more times before clearing his throat. Sakura jumped back in surprise, only to be caught in Kakashi's arms before she fell over.

"Uh! Hi! Finished already?" Sakura could have kicked herself in the head for how lame she was acting.

"Yup. Now you had better hurry up and shower before you catch a cold. You've been waiting here long enough as it is." Kakashi ushered her into the bathroom and shut the door behind him as he left, leaving her flushed and speechless.

The hot water blasting onto Sakura's skin helped alleviate her worries. At least there were no orange books in the bathroom to stress her out.

By the time Sakura was completely relaxed and stepped out of the bathroom, Kakashi, mask-less, was leaning on his side by the window holding a steaming hot mug. She noticed he had left another on the coffee table, presumably for her. Picking it up, she held it in both her hands as she pressed her back against his and stared out the window like him.

"It looks like the rain's going to stop soon." Sakura commented softly.

"Ah." Kakashi felt some disappointment that the rain looked like it was going to stop. He knew she was going to leave. What she asked next surprised them both.

"Can I stay anyway?"

She wanted to stay. He felt his heart beat just that bit faster. But then his fears crashed down on him. What did she expect they would do if she stayed? He didn't trust his control on himself when she was around. And yet he was sure that no matter what she thought, she was not ready for any progress in terms of physical intimacy yet. So he did what he thought was best for both of them.

"No. I'll walk you home once the rain stops."

Sakura felt stung. Was their relationship, if one existed, always going to be about her throwing herself at him while he rejected her and ran? Hadn't they established something before and during coming here? What was going on? She decided to try again.

"Then let's pretend the rain never stops. Then will you let me stay?"

"No." Kakashi's denial of her request came quickly.

"But I want to stay. Why won't you let me stay with you?" Sakura could feel the frustration rising.

"Because it's not appropriate Sakura."

Sakura fought back her tears and wheeled around to face his back. "It's not appropriate? Kakashi, aren't we together now? What's wrong with me staying here?"

Kakashi heard the tremble in her voice but refused to turn around and answer her. He knew he was balancing on a precarious tightrope. On one hand, he loved her and wanted her with him always. Yet on the other hand, he still had doubts that they could work as a couple, fears that he would lose control of himself and rush her into something she wasn't ready for.

"Sakura, whatever you thought, you can't stay here. Your parents will worry."

"I can call them." Sakura's perturbed frustration was starting to reach hysteria levels, as one would naturally be when pouring out one's soul to an unmoving, unemotional back. She moved so that she was directly in front of Kakashi, staring unblinkingly into his mismatched eyes. "Kakashi, do you love me?"

He nodded helplessly. How could he lie to those bright emerald eyes?

"Then let me stay. How can I stay by your side forever when you won't even let me stay with you now?"

"Do you realize what that means Sakura? Forever is a hard promise to keep. I won't let you chain yourself to that kind of promise to me when I know how painful it is to try to keep."

"You can't make that decision for me Kakashi. It's my life."

"And you don't know what kind of commitment you're making!"

"Dammit Kakashi! I'm NOT a child! I want forever with you. I can't possibly imagine a future with anyone else."

"You thought you couldn't imagine a future with anyone other than Sasuke when we first met."

"I was TWELVE! My goodness Kakashi! That was an unbelievably cheap shot!"

"But it's the truth. And I'm still that much older than you now as when you were twelve."

"So what does that mean? That you will always somehow be intellectually superior because you're older?"

"No. It means I've seen and experienced things that hopefully you never will. It means that I know "forever" can be said so easily and turn into such a burden to fulfill. It means that I want you to look around carefully and make sure you've explored your options before settling for me."

"I would never just be settling for you Kakashi! I love you. I have trusted you and relied on you ever since I was twelve years old! You're my best friend, you've never abandoned me and without you by my side, it's like all the colour disappears from my life. I know my "one" could only ever be you. I've never been surer of anything in my life."

"Feelings can change Sakura."

"So what if they do? Why do you keep thinking I'll stop loving you? That you'll turn into my burden? How can you be so certain that I'm wrong and that I won't love you more with each passing day?"

"Because I love you Sakura. Because I don't think I could bear losing another person I love. Because my heart will literally shatter if one day you wake up and realize I'm not the one. And I'm not going to commit myself to you if I think there's a chance that will happen."

"So what the deal really is, is that you don't trust me and you think I'm going to break your heart?"

"That's not it."

"It sounds like it to me."

"Fine. Take it whichever way you will." Kakashi stubbornly hung on to his rapidly deteriorating resistance.

"Then I'll take it that you're a scared selfish idiot and I've been wasting my time. I don't think I could ever be the same without you, that there would be no meaning to anything if I couldn't love you, and I throw myself at you time and time again only to be rejected to the point of humiliation because you just can't accept that I love you with every fibre of my being! Why don't you marry me then? And we can have lots of kids and you'll never have to worry about me leaving you."

"I thought about that. But there's divorce and child custody."

Sakura's retort died on her lips. He had been thinking about marriage? And children? Seriously? Suddenly, her frustration and rage floated away. He really did love her if he had been thinking so deeply and seriously about them. She wasn't just a convenient fling to him. Not that she had ever thought that.

"You thought about marrying me?" Sakura almost whispered, an unexplainable blush spreading across her cheeks.

Kakashi felt his own cheeks heat up. Gah! He had never expected to have that slip out. Before he could reply, he felt her soft palm on his cheek, caressing his face with a tenderness that was echoed in her shining eyes. Kami-sama, those eyes. They'll be the death of me.

Kakashi's defenses were totally destroyed. "Stay." He whispered. Almost of their own accord, his arms reached around her waist and held her tenderly.

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A/N End Notes:

Yay! There was a point! And I got to it! Hahahaha…more to come…because let's face it, relationships just aren't easy!