*Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I simply borrow them for my own musings and fantasies and do not get paid for their use in said musings or fantasies. –Nira

Chapter 34

"What are you doing up so early?" Kakashi inquired, surprised and also cursing his luck.

"I couldn't sleep…" Yuriko replied, her head bowed as she closed and locked her door behind her. "Too much to think about."

"You too?" he chuckled dryly, his dream flashing through his mind again. "Would you like to go for a walk and talk about it? Maybe we could help each other come to some kind of resolution."

Yuriko smiled, though it wasn't full and Kakashi could tell that whatever it was that she'd been thinking about was weighing heavily on her. He wondered if she really would talk about it with him. She'd surprised him before by answering questions that he asked about her, so maybe she would again, but he wouldn't hold his breath for it. They began walking in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts but glad for the company. When they'd reached the center of the village, Yuriko spoke up first.

"It's unusual to see you up so early, Senpai. Was it another nightmare?" she inquired.

"Thankfully, no, not this time. I was thinking about a woman."

Yuriko's eyes widened, shocked. She didn't know that Kakashi was interested in anyone, and the thought tugged at her heartstrings. A bittersweet smile spread across her lips. Of course, it wasn't her. She had no reason to think or believe otherwise, and he'd never openly expressed any kind of interest in her as more than friends and colleagues.

"I didn't know you'd set your sights on anyone, Senpai. She must be a very special woman."

Kakashi eyed Yuriko from the side. The sad tone of her voice and the forced smile hadn't gone unnoticed, but he couldn't jump to conclusions with just that. He'd have to dig further and play coy to get any real information from her, he knew, but it would have to be a very delicate dance between half-truths and complete honesty.

"She is…" he stated, his hands in his pockets as he turned his gaze forward.

"So what's troubling you so much about her?"

"She has no idea how I feel about her, and I'm clueless as to how to tell her. It's driving me crazy."

"You don't know how to tell a woman that you're attracted to her? That's got to be a first," she giggled.

Kakashi chuckled. She really had no idea how true those words were. "It's the truth. I may have been attracted to and slept with a lot of women, but it's different with her. It's more than just physical attraction. She makes me… giddy… almost boyish."

"So, the scarecrow has a heart," she teased, making a pun on his name. "Why don't you just tell her?"

"Well… I think that she might be interested in or involved with someone else… I wouldn't want to intrude if she is. She deserves to be happy, and I want her to be happy even if it's not with me," Kakashi sighed. "The way she looks at him… and the looks he gives her… Seeing them together breaks my heart…"

"Oh…"

Yuriko blushed. She felt sorry for him. It was a very selfless thing for him to say, but to have an unrequited love was unbearable, she thought. To forever keep all of those feelings to himself in fear of ruining something that could be good for her, whoever she was, was a sad reality, especially if she truly was as special to him as he made it seem. Then something from a conversation that she'd had with Iruka popped into her mind and caught her off guard; "If someone feels close with a person and sees them hurting, they want to take the hurt away," Iruka had said and Yuriko's chest tightened. Kakashi was hurting over this woman, Yuriko realized, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. What was even more surprising to her was that she wanted to do something- anything- if it meant he wouldn't be torn up about this woman anymore. "They can't actually make it disappear, but a hug can show the one hurting that they care about them and their feelings, or that everything is going to be okay, even if they don't say anything at all."

"But, enough about me," Kakashi sighed, lifting his head to gaze at the stars above and drawing Yuriko back from her thoughts, but the realization of what the train of thought meant made Yuriko's ears burn and an uncomfortable gnawing feeling tighten within her stomach. "What's got you so troubled, Yuriko-san? It seems heavy."

"This woman who's caught your heart…" she started. "How would you describe your feelings for her? Can you put it into words?"

It was Kakashi's turn to blush. He hadn't expected such a direct question, but the sad look in her eyes made him feel the weight of it.

"That's… a pretty personal question, don't you think?" he laughed in nervousness.

"There's… something that I'm trying to understand… About people and their emotions, that is. This kind of attraction that you speak of… it's a foreign concept to me…"

"I see… well…" He sighed, taking a moment to steel himself and gather his thoughts to be put into words. He'd succeeded in not alarming her that he'd been talking about her the whole time, so he knew this confession wouldn't register to her that it was indeed about her. "I want to protect her… from everything. She's fragile and heavily damaged, but she cares deeply for everyone and is determined to make the world a better place in whatever way she can. She fights for what's right and does whatever it takes to uphold peace, regardless of the sacrifices that need to be made. She's incredibly strong and… absolutely wonderful, in both personality and looks. I can't stop thinking about her, and when anything happens, she's the first one that I want to tell about it. I look forward to the time that we spend together, even if it isn't as often as I'd like it to be… it just makes it that much more special- that much more to treasure. More than just physical attraction, I admire her. She… she inspires me to be a better person… She's a lot like the sun."

"The sun?" Yuriko inquired, her heart thudding hard against her ribcage with a sharp jolt stabbing through it.

"Hm… How to word it differently? I suppose it's… it's like she's the warmth after a cold rain. Being with her is like seeing the sun after an exceptionally long and cold night. It's refreshing and gives me hope. No matter what, the sun is always there, even if it's covered by clouds. The clouds and the night… they can't last forever. The sun will always show up right when it needs to, and I always look forward to seeing it," Kakashi smiled.

"I see…" Yuriko lowered her head, shadowing her face to hide the pain and swallowing it down hard with a dry gulp- like taking a large pill without a drink to wash it down with. "Is that what it means to care for someone as more than a friend? More than a comrade?" she asked, a quivering smile on her lips, dreading the answer as tears dripped down her face and into her mask.

"I… I guess so…" Kakashi stated, his cheeks burning.

"She's a lucky woman to have your affections, Senpai… and a fool for not reciprocating them."

"You think so?" he inquired, his blush deepening, though he was confused by her reaction. What was going on inside that head of hers? Why was she crying?

She nodded and slowed her pace until she'd come to a complete stop, her arms inching up to wrap firmly around herself. She raised her head to look at him, a smile across her face but her eyes and the rivers flowing from them betraying everything to him.

"What is this about, Yuriko-san? Why are you crying? What's on your mind?" The concern in his voice only made her tears flow more freely.

"You're too kind, Kakashi-senpai… Don't worry about me," she sniffled with a weak laugh, wiping her tears away to no avail as they were instantly replaced by more. "I think you should tell her. You deserve to be happy, too. Not knowing for sure how she feels isn't fair to you. And not telling her has obviously been weighing heavily on your mind. You shouldn't have to hold onto that kind of a burden."

"Yuriko-san…" he cooed, his heart breaking more and more with each tear that fell from her usually warm and entrancing eyes.

"Thank you for listening, senpai… and good luck. Let me know how it goes."

She turned away to run letting her face fall. She couldn't stand to be there anymore. She couldn't bear the fact that he hadn't been talking about her when she felt that way about him. Kakashi saw it all- the agony in her eyes that she was trying so desperately to hide from him behind the mask of a fake smile and feigned happiness. He'd seen it fall as she turned away, and before she could take a step to run away like he knew she wanted so badly to do, he grabbed hold of her arm.

"I just did…" he stated, his voice calm but pained and confused upon seeing how his words had hurt her.

Yuriko's eyes widened and she clenched her fists, frozen in place. "W-What?"

"I was talking about you, Yuriko-san. All of it was about you."

"I… I don't know what to say…" she croaked, her heart gripped in a new sense of trepidation.

"What is going on with you? You're not normally so emotionally turbulent. It's concerning. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Senpai, I… A lot has happened… I just… I'm sorry. I need to think. It's something that I have to figure out on my own, so, please… Please let go."

Her eyes were begging him to release her and the panicked pulse rushing through her veins told Kakashi that everything in her told her to run, so he slowly let her arm go and in a puff of smoke, she disappeared leaving Kakashi alone on the empty street. The village would be waking up soon.

Several days had gone by after Kakashi and Iruka had both confessed their feelings to Yuriko, and throughout that time, she actively avoided them. Whenever either of them saw her in town, she'd poof away to prevent them from being able to contact her. It was coming up on the end of week two of the silent treatment and avoidance from her when they'd both given up, allowing her the space that she was forcing between them. It was then that she'd made her decision.

"Yuriko-san, why are you following me?" Kakashi demanded. "Have you finally come to some kind of resolution to whatever it was that you'd needed to figure out on your own?"

She had been following him, as he'd accused. She'd been following him around like a puppy all day. The whole time she was mentally debating with herself, repeating "Now. There's no better time than now to tell him," and then hiding when he turned in her direction, blushing furiously like a giddy schoolgirl, all the courage she'd mustered suddenly gone in a flash of his silver hair as he faced her. He'd finally decided that enough was enough and cornered her at the farmers' market.

"I was trying to gain courage, if you want an honest answer, Senpai," she replied, her fingers wrapping themselves up in the ends of her hair.

"What for?" he asked, his eyebrow raising.

"To face my fears," she answered, a blush rising to her face as she averted her eyes.

"What kind of fears would you want to confront by following me around the village?"

Yuriko hesitated for a moment before she quickly pulled her scarf down, stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his mask where his lips were. Just as quickly as she'd done it, she used a substitution to replace her while she re-covered her face and took off at a full-speed sprint. She raced through the streets of Konoha dodging between people, jumping onto rooftops or balconies to avoid street vendors. She ran more out of shock at her own actions rather than honestly trying to get away from him, though that was a factor as well. Before she knew it, she was running through the forest, leaping from tree to tree, panting heavily. Was he chasing her? Had he been chasing her when she took off to begin with? Yuriko looked behind her to see if he was, but he wasn't there. She sighed in relief and paused on a sturdy bough, leaning against the trunk with her eyes closed to catch her breath. She'd made it well outside of the village, by that point.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was stunned. She'd been avoiding him like the plague for weeks, and now she'd spent an entire day following him around just to kiss him and run? No. He wouldn't let her get away. He had too many questions to ask and too many emotions and thoughts running through his head. It wasn't difficult to pick up on her chakra signature with it being as turbulent as he assumed her own emotions must have been, and he followed her all the way out into the forest surrounding the village where she paused in a large tree to catch her breath. Her eyes were closed as she leaned against the trunk and he landed silently on the bough in front of her.

"I can't believe I just did that," she gasped to herself, her fingertips barely caressing her lips and a fiery blush across her cheeks.

"I was just as shocked…" he confessed and Yuriko's eyes snapped open, her hand darting to the fan fastened to her waist in self-defense, but Kakashi grabbed her wrist to stop her and she quickly came to, recognizing that it was him.

He was supporting his weight against the trunk of the tree with his arm beside her head and slowly let her wrist go as she lowered her guard before placing his hand on his hip. His visible eye was sultry but conflicted, and his face was only inches away and she shifted uncomfortably at the realization of it.

"Is that what you were trying to gain courage for?" he questioned, standing up straight as he peered down at her, his hands finding his pockets.

Yuriko's blush deepened and she looked away refusing to answer and burying her face deeper into her scarf. She was tense and ready to bolt at a second's notice if the need arose. After a short moment, she heard him purr her name and as her eyes moved to look at him, they widened to their full size as he gently held her cheek, turning her to face him and tilting her head up so her scarf would fall, and his lips met hers without the barrier of his mask. Once the shock subsided, Yuriko couldn't help but melt into it and him, returning his kiss and pressing herself into his sturdy frame.

Kakashi wrapped his other arm around her waist, holding her to him and moaned into the kiss as he gently pushed her back against the rough bark of the tree. Her lips were sumptuous and full, softer than feathers against his and the heat emanating from her was welcoming. He felt like he was in a dream. He'd imagined what her lips would feel like so many times, and the real thing was better than he'd ever thought possible, especially since she didn't fight or pull away- she willingly pushed herself closer to him and returned the kiss. His lips moved in tandem with hers, his tongue hesitantly reaching out to lick her lower lip, asking for permission to venture further and Yuriko's breath hitched and lips parted to allow him entrance, her hand clutching the front of his shirt.

Yuriko's body began to shake as she felt something in her lower stomach tightening and blood rushing to her head making her feel dizzy. When she felt as though she might pass out, she gently pushed him away, her breath unsteady and eyes still closed, savoring the lingering feeling and taste of Kakashi's pillow-soft lips. Slowly her eyes fluttered open to see Kakashi gazing at her with that hungry, adoring look again, but something was missing. It took her a second to come to her senses but as soon as she did, a crimson blush spread over her cheeks realizing that he hadn't pulled his mask back over his face and that he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

"S-Senpai… your mask…"

His lips turned up in the corners and Yuriko noticed the cute little mole on the left side of his chin as he spoke up. "You took a chance and faced your fears by making the first move. I think it was only fitting that I also go out on a limb and do something I'd never done before. Besides…" he trailed off, pressing himself into her again, his face only inches from hers and his eyes boring into her soul. "It's not a proper kiss with a mask in the way, and you deserve so much more than that."

Her own lips turned up in the corners and tears bubbled up in her eyes.

"Forgive me, Senpai. I had to know something for sure. Meet me tonight at the Hokage monument when the moon is at its highest. There's something I have to tell you."

And with a splash of water, she was gone leaving Kakashi to look around. It took him a moment, but he realized that she'd brought him to the training grounds where she had asked him to fight her or leave her alone. It was where their strange relationship had begun with her deciding to trust him for the first time. A small smirk creased his cheek and he gazed up into the sky with a sigh.

"A clone, huh?... What are you up to, Yuriko?"

Meanwhile...