I want to thank all my readers for your support, you guy's are amazing. Please continue to leave comments it's helps me to know I'm taking the story in the right direction.
Sorry for the delay on this chapter, it has some major points in it and required a little more time.
As always I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I think it's a fun one.
Sakura looked at her henged self in the full length mirror. She was in an elegant black kimono with a cherry blossom tree on the left side, its green leaves and pink flower petals falling off of it and scattering across the rest of the fabric. Her long red hair was pulled up in an intricate knot, sitting at the lower back part of her head and with a matching dark green Kanzashi hair comb and obi.
She smiled at herself. She did look very lovely; she hoped that Sukea thought the same when she saw him at the festival tonight. She thought for a moment about how the colors of the kimono would have made her natural hair and eye color pop, but she frowned at the thought.
She didn't like thinking about herself as Sakura when she was with Sukea; it made her feel too guilty. She didn't like thinking that Sukea might not like her so much as Sakura, or how he might react if he found out she had been lying to him all this time about who she really was.
Two weeks ago on the bridge, she had struggled with herself over those very same thoughts. She wanted to tell him the truth, to tell him everything, but she was afraid. They were too deep in this to turn back.
She had taken the time to put some serious thought into Sukea and her feelings for him. She realized she had fallen for him and him for her. It was still a bit strange to think such a thing, Sakura loved Sukea, and Sukea loved... Sukea loved Saki. A part of Sakura had become jealous of Saki over this fact. She looked back up and met Saki's light blue eyes.
"I envy you," she whispered to her mirrored self before turning to leave. She would be late to meet Sukea if she didn't get going.
Genma knocked on the door. A moment later it opened and blond hair and blue eyes greeted him.
"Hey there, doll face." He smirked at her.
"Don't call me that, old man," Ino snapped.
"Would it kill you to be nice to me? This is a date, ya know."
Ino scowled at him. "It's not like it's a real date. We are only going to the festival together to work on getting Sakura and Kakashi to drop the act they are putting on."
I guess that answers that question, he sighed to himself. He and Ino had decided that they would try to get Sakura and Kakashi to open up to each other. They'd agreed then that it would be best if it happened sooner rather than later, because the deeper Kakashi and Sakura got, the more it would hurt when the truth came out.
Genma had hoped that spending some extra time with Ino would soften her edges a little. He really did like her better than Niko and in more than one way. But Ino was proving to be incredibly guarded. This was something Genma had hoped to figure out while they were out tonight. "Well, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm ready," she answered as she stepped out of the apartment and turned to close the door. After locking it, she turned back to Genma who had cocked out his elbow for her to take.
She did, and they began their walk to the festival.
They had been walking for about ten minutes, and Genma decided then would probably be the best time to ask the question that had been bothering him for two weeks.
"Hey, Ino?" Genma started.
"Yeah?"
"Why is it that you and Sakura are doing this whole henge thing anyways?" he asked.
"I thought the reason was obvious that night at the bar." She snorted.
"Yeah, I get what you were doing. But what I'm asking is why you're doing it under false identities?" he asked, trying to clarify his question.
Ino stopped walking. For a moment she just stood there, staring at the ground. "Because it's not fair," she eventually replied.
Slightly confused, Genma pressed her to elaborate. "What's not fair?"
"The double standards with men and women who go out!" She seethed. "Have you or any of your friends ever talked about a girl who was known to not stick to one man?" she asked.
He had. On a regular basis, actually. "Yes," he answered honestly.
"Hmph, and what kind of things do you say about those girls?"
Crap, this was backfiring. The things he and his friends said weren't compliments, to say the least. She had a point to make and lying wouldn't help; she already knew the truth. "We'll call them easy picking or joyrides."
"What about when one of your friends takes a girl home? What do you say about a guy who just has a little fun for the night?" she asked, looking him directly in the eye.
Ahh, so that's what she means by double standards. "We usually praise him on a job well done," he answered, still being honest and open.
"Exactly. We are whores and easy and not wife material because we want to get some when we aren't in a relationship. But men, they are only ever praised for it. Why is it not okay for us to do it too? We should be able to have our needs taken care of the same as you without being judged and looked down on for it!"
"So you came up with using a henge to disguise yourself so that you could do the same thing everyone else does without the looks and the whispers."
"Yeah, and that's why I told Sakura she should try it. Except it wasn't supposed to get serious with anyone. She wasn't supposed to keep seeing the guy. It's always been about sex with the guys I see, so when she told me that he had expressed an interest in her outside of sex, I encouraged her to pursue it," Ino admitted.
Ino continued. "She is being real with Sukea; everything about her personality is Sakura. It's just the outside appearance that's not her." Ino didn't think she needed to defend Sakura for what she'd done, but she didn't want Genma to back out of helping her.
"Yeah, I believe that. I also think it's true for Kakashi. That henge is making Kakashi less guarded; he is letting himself open up." Genma told her.
He decided that had given him a good opening to tell Ino that part of the reason he'd invited her to be his date was so he could spend time with her. "You know, I didn…." He wasn't able to finish his statement.
"There they are," Ino squealed, pointing out Sakura and Kakashi. They were walking on the other side of the street with Saki tucked up closely to Sukea's side.
Kakashi made his way through the busy street with Saki pulled in close to his side. She looked stunning. When he had shown up outside of her apartment complex to pick her up, he was pleased to find her in an elegant kimono. He had hoped earlier on in their relationship that he would get the chance to see her like this one day, and he finally had.
Taking a moment to look down at her, he noticed the blissful expression on her face. It was one of true happiness, the kind that she couldn't have faked. She was genuinely happy to be there with him. He smiled to himself at his own thoughts. He was happy to be with her too.
They were walking through a section of the festival that had small boutiques stands. They were walking from stand to stand, looking at what each had to offer. They passed a stand that had fans and masks and stopped at one that had weapons.
As they walked through the stands, stopping at a few to look at the items they offered, Sakura noticed a jewelry stand just past one that sold kimonos. She recognized the elderly woman behind the stand as the same woman who had been running the stand in the market where she had seen that emerald pendant necklace a few weeks ago.
When they stopped in front of the stand, Sakura's eyes immediately started searching for that necklace.
Kakashi watched Saki's eyes deliberately skim through the displays. She wasn't really taking in any of them; it was more like she was searching for something in particular. She must have found the piece she had been looking for, because her eyes had suddenly stopped. Kakashi followed her line of sight to where her eyes were fixed. It was a necklace with a brilliant emerald pendant on it.
"You like that one, huh?" he asked her.
"That's a fine choice. It's custom made, one of a kind. You won't find another like it," the old woman behind the stand explained.
"Would you like to try it on, young lady?" the woman asked, reaching to remove it from the display.
"Oh, no. That's alright, I was just looking," Sakura told her, shaking her head.
Kakashi gave her a curious look. He could tell that she more than liked it. So why would she not want it, or not even want to look at it better?
"Are you sure, Saki?" Sukea asked her.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
He didn't want to push her so he let the matter drop. They thanked the woman and went off to look at other stands.
"We should go talk to them," Ino told Genma, nudging him in the side.
"Oww. Woman, that hurt," he told her, rubbing the sore spot on his ribs.
Grabbing him by the wrist, Ino snapped, "Come on."
"Are you hungry?" Sukea asked her.
"A little. Do you think they have a dango stand?"
"Ah, of course. You are a dango addict, as you so simply put it." He chuckled.
"I am," She declared proudly. "I'm also your dango addict," she said, stepping in closer.
"Hmm, yes you are." He was leaning in to kiss her when a familiar voice shouted out his henge name.
Genma and a young blond woman were approaching them.
Genma threw up a single hand in a small wave as he and Ino neared the other couple. "Hey there, friends."
"Yo," Sukea replied.
Yo? I've never heard him use that one before. It kind of reminds me of Kakashi-sensei. She shut out that thought as quickly as possible. No, Sukea is nothing like Kakashi-sensei, she thought to herself, moments before she recognized that the beautiful blond on Genma's arm was her own best friend.
"Ino? What are you doing here?" Sakura blurted out before she could stop herself. She wanted to clamp a hand over her mouth or face palm. Something for such a stupid slip up.
"You two know each other?" Sukea asked her.
"Uhh, yeah. Well, no. Kind of," Sakura stuttered.
Ino was hoping to get Sakura a little rattled by showing up as herself with Genma. Sakura was going to need to be pushed hard to come out of the shell she was hiding in.
Sakura could tell by the smug smirk on Ino's face that she was pleased to have caught her off guard. She also knew that look meant Ino was up to something. Well, if she wanted Sakura stirred up, then two could play that game.
"We met at the hospital a couple of months ago," Saki explained. "I treated her; she had come in with this awful rash…"
Ino gave Sakura a hard jab in the side with her elbow, laughing it off and throwing an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "Aww, it's okay, Saki. You don't have to boost up your medical skills in front of us," Ino told her in a playful voice. "It wasn't anything like that," Ino reassured them. She was going to get Sakura back for that one.
"Ehh, so what are you guys up to?" Genma asked Sukea.
"We were just about to go find a stand with some dangos," Sakura chimed.
"Yeah, because that's what you need," Ino whispered.
"What did you say, Pig?" Sakura asked under her breath.
With Kakashi's superior hearing, he was able to make out the conversation between the two women. Pig? As a nickname? Kakashi was getting the feeling that the two women before him might know each other better than they were letting on. But why not just be open about it, if so?
"Hm." Genma cleared his throat. "Do you mind if we join you guys? You know, since the ladies are getting along so well," Genma asked.
Kakashi was fairly certain that Genma was up to something, and he had a feeling that it had something to do with his blonde companion. e couldn't recall her name, but he was fairly certain that she was one of Asuma's ex-students, and she seemed to know Saki better than she was letting on. He would need more time with the three of them to know exactly what was going on. "I don't see why not."
"Great, let's go," the blonde said. "I'm Ino by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Ino. I'm Sukea."
After they had finished their dango, the two couples made their way to the entertainment section of the festival.
It was a wonderful sight. Rows of lanterns lined the streets, a parade was passing through, and there were performers scattered throughout putting on small shows of tricks. It was lively and exciting, something Kakashi had forgotten about outside of battle. He hadn't been to any of these village functions in many many years, probably not since he was a teenager.
While they were watching one of the many shows happening on the side lines, Kakashi caught sight of the jewelry stand with the necklace Saki liked so much once. He decided that he wanted to surprise her by buying it for her. Giving Genma a 'be right back' look, he slipped through the crowd and quickly made his way back to the small stand.
"Back again, I see. Am I to assume that you changed your mind about that necklace?" she asked.
Sukea nodded. "I have. I was actually planning for it to be a kind of surprise for my girlfriend," he told her.
"I see. A bit of a romantic, are you?"
"Ahaha, not usually. But, she's…."
"Special," the woman finished for him.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"I could tell the moment I laid eyes on the two of you," she told him. "What a wonderful thing to be so deeply in love. It's the purest of emotions."
Kakashi simply nodded at the woman.
"I'll gift wrap this for you, no extra charge," she said as she took the necklace out of the display. "I had hoped to see that pink haired girl come back for this, but that was a few weeks ago so I don't believe she will."
Pink? "A pink haired girl, you say?"
She nodded. "Yes, very pretty young woman with the most vibrant green eyes I have ever seen. They were almost the exact same color as the pendant; it would have looked nice on her. But, I think it suits your lady friend well too; she even looks at it the same way that the pink haired girl did."
Kakashi could only look at the woman. What were the odds that she was talking about Sakura? How many pink-haired, green-eyed women were in this village? It was an unusual coincidence that she would also be interested in the same necklace as his Saki.
"Here you go, young man. Thank you for your business. Take care of that lovely woman of yours, you two have something special," she told him.
He chuckled. "I will, thank you," he said as he tucked the necklace securely in the chest pocket of his yukata.
He would wait to give it to her late when they had more privacy. Until then, he would keep it safely tucked away.
Back over by Genma and the ladies, Sukea came up to stand beside Saki and wrapped one arm tightly around her.
"Where did you go?" she asked him.
"I just wanted to grab something really quick before they were all gone," he told her.
"Oh, well I wouldn't have minded going with you."
"I'll remember that next time."
"Hey you two," Genma yelled from a few feet away. "The fireworks are about to start; we better get seats now if we want to see them."
Sukea looked at Saki. "We can't miss the fireworks," she told him.
He nodded as they began to follow Ino and Genma towards the large field sectioned off for people to lay out blankets to watch the show.
After a few minutes of searching, they found a spot big enough for the four of them. They laid out the blanket and all took a seat to wait for the show to start.
They didn't have to wait long. The first set of fireworks went off and lit up the sky in a wild display of colors. The next set went up into the sky and exploded with swirls of bright colors that gave glimpses of Hokage Mountain before they died off. Then the next set, then another and another.
Sakura looked over to Sukea only to see him already staring at her. "You're going to miss the best part," she told him.
"What are you talking about? I've got the best view in the village right now," he told her, never letting his eyes leave her face to show that he was in fact talking about her.
She blushed deeply at the compliment. Something about the look in his eyes told her that he meant what he was saying. "Sukea."
"Hmm?"
"Would you like to spend the night with me, at my place tonight?" she asked timidly. She had never let him in her house before, but she wanted to spend the night in her own bed with Sukea tonight. She had cleared out anything that would identify her as Sakura earlier that day and put it in a box in her closet just in case she went through with her thoughts.
She knew that she would have to stay awake the whole night so as not to lose her henge. She had a feeling they would be busy most of the night anyways. She was staring at him now because he still had not answered her.
Saki had never invited him in before; he had wondered why to the point it bothered him. But now here she was, extending an open invitation to spend the night at her house. He couldn't let himself fall asleep of course, but that wouldn't be a problem. Not with Saki.
He nodded, and his heart skipped a beat at the way her face lit up when he did. Her blue eyes sparkled, and her smile he swore was brighter than the fireworks.
Ino was eavesdropping, of course; she knew that if he went to Sakura's house then there was a good chance that he would come across something that told him she was Sakura. Either that, or one of them was going to fall asleep and let their henge fall. Either way, she hoped that they didn't freak out too much when it happened.
Once they were in front of the apartment building, Saki opened the gate and they made their way up the stairway to the second floor, yhen down the hallway to door number 12.
"Well, this is it," she declared.
"Shall we go in?"
She grabbed her key and opened the door wide enough for them both to pass through. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it.
Kakashi stepped inside and looked around the small apartment. It was lightly decorated and well-kept. He noticed two bookshelves in the corner of the living room. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that they were mostly advanced medical books.
He took a closer look at the titles of the books, Repairing Chakra Lines, Reconstructing Internal Organs, The Gelsemium Plant.they were all advanced medical books. Probably too advanced for someone who was just a nurse tending to paperwork and healing bruises. Odd.
"Can I get you anything?" Saki asked from behind him.
A wide grin spread across his face. "Just you," he replied simply before pulling her in for a deep kiss. With one hand cradling the back of her head, he moved his other hand to remove her obi. Once he had it untied, he let it drop to the floor and her kimono swung open freely. Bringing both hands down to grab her rear, he lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist and carried her off to her bedroom.
Sakura had recently realized that somewhere along the way they had stopped having sex and had started making love. Sukea was a passionate man in bed; he poured over every inch of her body, almost as if he were worshiping it. She loved the attention she got from him, she loved the way he made her feel—not just physically but emotionally too. She loved how he could translate his affection for her into his touches. She loved spending time with him and their conversations. She loved him.
Once they had finished and lay there in each other's arms, Kakashi remembered that he had something to give her. He sat up and made his way over to where his yukata lay on the floor.
Sakura noticed Sukea going for his clothes. "You don't have to leave. I mean, if you want to stay. I was hoping you would stay," she said timidly.
He smiled at her. "I'm not leaving Saki," he reassured her. "I have something for you," he told her as he grabbed a small box out of the pocket. Making his way back to the bed, he sat down next to her and handed her the small box.
She took it and looked up at him.
"Open it," he said.
She untied the small red bow on the box and laid it beside her, grabbing the bottom with one hand and the top with the other. Slowly, she opened the box. When she saw what was inside, she gasped as her heart skipped several beats. She looked back up at Sukea in shock.
She definitely looked surprised. She didn't exactly look happy, though. Had he misread her reaction to the necklace? Did she not like it as much as he had thought?
"Do you like it?" he asked her.
"Like it? I love it!" she demanded. "How could I not? It's beautiful. I just…" she trailed off.
"Just what?" he asked.
"I just never thought that I would find someone who would do something like this for me," she admitted.
He smiled. He felt a bit of pride being the first to do such a thing for her. "Well, now you do. So get used to it," he told her as he grabbed the necklace to put it on her.
Once he had it on her, he sat back to take in the sight of her wearing it, he noticed that the emerald pendant was almost the exact same shade of green as her eyes.
Looking down at the box, there was a small note inside the lid, "Love, the purest of emotions."
Sakura suddenly felt overwhelmed by all of her emotions. Before she could stop herself, she tackled Sukea and they fell back onto the bed. They spent the rest of the night there.
