"Your hair has gotten long," He said as he strolled up behind her, hands tucked in his pockets and back hunched in way that was just so Kakashi.
Sakura fingered the ends of her hair and she couldn't do anything but agree, "Yeah." When had it even reached the middle of her back?
Kakashi hummed a soft tune to himself, "It doesn't seem to bother you when you're training."
Sakura laid down against the soft grass, eyes closed as she took cover beneath the large tree. Her comfort tree. How long had it been since she'd been back home? Been able to just lay here with no worries? Laying her almost felt like she hadn't been gone for eight years, but she had been and Kakashi standing her and talking to her was the biggest testimony towards the truth. "I've always liked long hair," she told him honestly, "when I was younger I trained a lot to keep it from getting in my way. I even practiced multiple hair styles to for when I had to go on missions."
"Why did you cut it?"
"Because everyone was right, long hair wasn't a good choice for me." She could hardly remember the time she had cut her hair off when she was younger, she could barely remember the sadness she had felt after it had all been over. After that she never grew her hair out again, until she lived alone for so long and the idea of keeping it short just seemed like to much trouble.
Sakura opened her eyes just enough to see Kakashi bent over her, his eyes staring intently at her face. She could see the slightest movement of his mask and the crinkle at the corner of his eye and she could tell he was smiling, "Would you like me to braid it?"
Sakura hummed her on tune as she sat up, "I didn't know you knew how to braid her."
Kakashi dropped to his knee's and within minutes he was running his fingers through her hair. "It's been a very recently learned skill."
Sakura smiled as she tilted her head to the side, relaxing against his fingers. "I doubt it will be a very useful skill, especially not any time soon."
"I'm glad you've return, Sakura." He sounded honest and Sakura felt a wave of red hot heat rush through her.
Sakura had left her her home, her friends, and her family to explore the world, she had left everything she knew to become someone she never expected. Sakura asked, "Your glad I returned?" Eight years ago Sakura's friends and family had lined up at the gate to wish her a farewell and only three people were not among them: Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke. She said, "I find that very hard to believe, Kakashi."
"Just because it's hard to believe doesn't mean it isn't true," he told her.
"Our truths have always been two completely different things," always.
Kakashi sighed and she could feel the decent of his hands as he worked through her hair, smoothing it and twisting it. "I was your teacher for years, Sakura. You learned what you did from me, which usually means are truths are the same if not similar."
"Arrogance, Kakashi." She sighed hand bowed her head between her legs, "You were never a good teacher to me."
Kakashi laughed as he always did, "I know that's a lie, Sakura. I'm the teacher of the last Uchiha, the next Hokage, and the best medic in the world!"
"You didn't teach me, though. You left me behind and gave all your attention, all your knowledge, to Naruto and Sasuke. I had to find someone else to teach me, I had to gain my own knowledge and find my own teacher." Sakura batted his hands away from her hair and stood up, with quick fingers she undid the horrible mess of a braid Kakashi had done. She looked down at the man, "You've done nothing for me, Kakashi. I love you because you were a teacher figure to me but you weren't good to me, not when you had the kyuubi and Uchiha you're so proud of. And I respect you because of the ninja you are and the teacher you could have been." Sakura sighed and with the confidence it took her years to find spoke up, "I would have never excelled with you as my teacher, I probably would have died on a mission or on the battlefield. I doubt you would have cared back then. But now I've returned as a woman and as a medic with a long history of victories all my own. I love you, Kakashi but please, never take credit for who have become again."
