Masako had often read many stories where the revelation of love came after a life-changing event - the hero and heroine, in the midst of battle, experiencing a heart-wrenching moment of clarity when one was almost ripped away from the other.

As it so happened, for her that unexpected moment came while she was in her apartment, doing her laundry.

It was a passing couple on the street that triggered it, as she moved to hang her clothes on outside. They weren't showy, but it was sweet, and Masako found herself looking at them wistfully. Her mind, always ready to engage with any blown-out daydream, immediately sketched out a world where she was in their position, strolling down the street, hand in hand and in love.

Then she froze, dropping the freshly washed basket of clothes on the floor.

Her mind had conjured up a vision where it was her and Kakashi, laughing and smiling at each other; it was so vivid that she almost felt the phantom pressure of his hand, and could see his face, so tantalizingly close to hers.

Where did that come from?

Sure, she was 90% sure that he felt something for her, and she was flattered – but she'd told herself that she wasn't going to do anything with that knowledge. They were friends, and that was it. She was ANBU, a skilled operative, she knew how to compartmentalize.

Damnit. I haven't even thought about the Kakashi problem for two weeks and three days now, she thought. Even though twelve-year-old you would've jumped at the chance to…no. This is not helping.

A passing daydream didn't make a deliberately forgotten adolescent infatuation – which had lasted all of two months – serious. It was a stepping stone crush that you eventually get over, not unlike the one she thought he might have developed for her. Only…it had been a year since the Camellia Vase Incident, and he hadn't changed. There were still the same lingering touches, the same quiet concern. But she couldn't be sure.

And it was just a daydream, anyway. One that left a warmth in her chest, and a feeling of glowing calm that didn't make sense.

Ignoring her now ruined washing, she sat down, determined to yet again untangle this mess in her mind. What happened to the decision she had made?

The circumstances are the same, she thought slowly, but I'm different. I'm not sure how, but I'm different. I don't remember feeling this last time.

Letting herself think, really think…how many times had Kakashi been on her mind without her noticing? The countless times she had seen something and was reminded of him, or had heard a story that she knew he'd like and wanted to share it with him. Not to mention how often she had found herself wanting to talk to him, cherishing the times they simply enjoyed each other's presence. And now, she found that she had always compared other men to him.

All this time, and no one else has even come close.

And just like that, all of those reasons, the arguments that she should leave things as they are, they became irrelevant. Because she really, truly, deeply cared for Kakashi, and those problems were secondary to the possibility of their happiness together.

All doubt of his affection for her cleared in the excitement of the moment; she knew she had to seize the opportunity before she shied away from it.

I have to see him.

She sprinted to his house so fast, she left her door wide open.

Masako had been lurking outside Kakashi's window for some time, and he wasn't entirely sure why. Sure, she had recently developed the habit of coming into his apartment to borrow certain items like sugar and books, but she had always tapped on the pane to let him know she was there. At first, he let her hover, deciding that he would give her time to come to grips with whatever she was trying to do, but his curiosity eventually got the better of him.

Opening the window, he leaned out and greeted her.

"Why have you been breathing outside of my house for twenty minutes?"

She didn't answer, instead climbing in and placing herself on the side of his bed, fiddling with her hands in agitation. He refused to let his thoughts wander down that path as he stood in front of her, and steadfastly looked at her face, once again focused on convincing himself that he regarded her completely platonically.

Damn it, he thought, it's not working.

He was saved from his traitorous self by her talking. However, as she had clearly run through different iterations of this conversation in her mind a hundred times, the words that poured out of her mouth initially confused him.

"So obviously it looks like I'm only saying this because I know about you - at least I really hope that I'm not wrong about that, but it's not like that, I swear. I probably would have confessed even if I didn't know, at least I think I would...not that it would really matter because that's not how it happened. And it might seem like I'm only here on a whim, coming so suddenly like this, but I know it's not...it's been going on much longer than I thought and I don't know how, but I do know feelings like that don't go so easily. I guess - only if you want to, of course - I guess I'm saying that it might be risky, but how would we know if we didn't try?"

As she drew breath, probably so she could double back and explain her opening, Kakashi began to have an inkling of what she was trying to say.

"Are you saying that you know about how I feel?"

A pause. She nodded, unable to meet his eyes. He continued, and dared not hope too much for her answer.

"And you said you want to try...are you saying you feel the same way?"

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and answered him.

"Yes."

One small word, and it made his heart soar.

Letting it propel him into action, he pulled down his mask and leaned down to kiss her. It was quick and chaste, but as he pulled back, he could see that her face had flushed faintly red. Before a coherent thought could form completely in his mind, she rendered speaking unnecessary by returning the kiss more passionately and deeply than he could have hoped; a thrill went up his spine as she gave a breathless little moan.

He responded by pulling her closer, and surrendered himself completely to her touch. His entire world in that moment was Masako - how she felt under his fingers, the scent of her hair, the softness of her lips.

Minutes passed before they broke apart. In their need to get closer to each other, she had wrapped her legs around him, and he somehow found himself braced on top of her. To his surprise, his right hand had made its way down her body, squeezing her thigh; and though he knew he should probably be embarrassed, he found that he didn't care. Not that she seemed to mind; after all, her hand had been shamelessly trying to get into his flak jacket.

Shifting them so that they were both lying on their sides, Kakashi took the opportunity to let the realization of what had happened truly sink in.

He was almost scared that the happiness would overwhelm him.

She wasn't experienced enough in giving amorous declarations so she remained silent too, content just to close her eyes and bury her face in his shoulder. Whatever they had just unleashed, they could look at with a clear, practical view at some point in the near future. For now, the feeling of Kakashi holding her banished all thoughts of rationality.

"How?" His voice was so gentle, she almost melted. Shifting her head so she could look at him properly, she pondered her answer.

"How did I know about you, or how did I know about me?"

"Both."

"Well," she said, reaching up to trace his impossibly sharp jawline with her index finger. Yet another thrill ran through her when she realized that she was now one of the few people who knew his face underneath the mask. "I knew you left those flowers for me. I've been borrowing your trashy romance novels, remember?"

He didn't know quite how he should look - that she had known for that long was frankly embarrassing, but decided that being caught out by his limited casual reading didn't have the worst consequences. Rather than try defend himself, he simply waited for her to continue.

"I thought it was sweet, but maybe it's best you don't consult the book for romantic advice anymore." She giggled at her own joke for a moment, deciding that the sight of a blushing Kakashi was one of her new favorite images, before turning serious again.

"And for me...," Masako said slowly, trying to give shape to her feelings which had been so confused, "You always read about people who are willing to die for each other. Dying is one thing, but living with someone, for someone, that's something different altogether. And when I really thought about it, you're one of the reasons I get through my day, and it would make me stupidly happy to live out my life side by side with you. If you'll have me. I might've figured it out earlier…but I guess I was scared that I was wrong. About you feeling – or liking, or…you know?"

Though her words failed her in the end, she made herself look straight at him as she said it, willing him to understand that what she had been able to say was true. As she saw the emotion flicker behind his eyes, she wondered how anyone could ever say that Kakashi was unfeeling.

"You've already said everything I wanted to say, much better than I could have." Words failing him by the end, he kissed her again, trying to convey everything he couldn't say in that moment.

For the next half hour they were blissfully unaware of the world around them.

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