Chapter 2
Dear 34…
Wow, this will be troublesome, what should I call you? I don't think I'm allowed to reveal my name so feel free to call me whatever you want.
I'm writing an 'introductory letter' when I'm not even allowed to introduce myself... Sounds lame to me. For the record, I was dared into doing this so I apologise in advance for being bad at it.
We have a few things in common it seems—I can't cook though, it's a miracle that I learned to stop setting things on fire and settled for mild food poisoning instead. My roommate says it's a serious improvement.
You are a writer? As in novels? Should I expect eloquently-worded letters? That would be nice— I'm surrounded by inarticulate men. One communicates exclusively through insults, and another through grunts in varying pitches that really only ever translate to annoyance or agreement. Don't even get me started on my third teammate, he can't open his mouth without sticking his foot in it. My team captain is not so bad though, not that he talks much, to begin with.
As for me… my problem has always been that I'm too expressive. I've been told it suits my appearance but I'm not so sure. My hair is a ridiculous colour, so maybe that's why.
What your favourite food? Do you cook just for yourself or others as well? I only have one roommate, she's my best friend, I wonder if you have one, too?
Hear from you soon,
...Err, you know the drill.
That was her fifth and final try.
Sakura stared distastefully at her letter. It was plain bad in her opinion. Why couldn't they give them a crash course on communicating with strangers via letters before throwing them into this program?
Whatever, Sakura huffed, her chair skidding back as she stood and stretched. Her hospital shift was about to start and she had better head out. She grabbed her letter and shoved it in her pouch; maybe she could drop by Shizune's desk later and have it delivered?
On her way out, she ran into Ino by the kitchen door chatting amicably on the phone. Ino waved at her, shooting a smile her way, but she was clearly too engrossed in her conversation.
"...right, and then they said to cancel the delivery. Four days before the wedding! Freakin outrageous if you ask me…"
Sakura arched a curious eyebrow but left Ino to her devices as she grabbed an apple and was on her way. She'd pick at that thread of gossip later.
Entering the hospital had always felt like stepping through a portal. A set of double doors were the only thing that separated the sunny and bright Konoha atmosphere from the battlefield of the ER. The moment Sakura entered the brightly lit hallway, interns and nurses flocked her way with charts, all talking together.
Sakura quickly reviewed the charts as she listened to her students Akako and Ayame list their patients of the day.
One of them was critical, a genin team just returned from their first mission, and one of the boys was grievously injured and bleeding from a head wound.
"A summon animal used him as a chew toy." Akako hissed leading her toward the room where multiple medics surrounded a little boy.
Akako promptly turned green at the sight of the mauled boy and Sakura had to take just a moment to center herself before she rushed to his side. He was conscious and rambling about a big bear and his teammates, eyes wide open, and clearly in shock.
Deep claw marks lined his shoulder, and his arms were covered with bloody rags.
Sakura immediately went into action, piling her hair up in a bun. "What've we got?"
"Deep animal claw lacerations extending down the left side of the body," Hana said, in the process of cleaning the wounds.
"Hello Itsuki-kun, I'm Haruno-sensei. I need you to stay conscious, okay? You'll be as good as new in no time."
Sakura joined his side, and together with the medics, they started patching up the boy.
(x)
Sakura groaned loudly, messaging her neck as she drifted towards her office to deposit her coat and gather any important documents that needed to be reviewed by the Hokage. Today was a killer. Three critical cases and two labours back to back. Her shoulder was cramping so badly her fingers shook at any strenuous motion.
She was nowhere near chakra exhaustion yet, however, she was running on a measly apple and hunger was making her grumpy and lethargic.
It was Ino's turn to cook today, and Ino really was a decent cook, but Sakura wished for something in particular today. She wondered what awaited her at home, she'd been craving teriyaki desperately. What was the likelihood of her convincing Ino to make her some?
Sakura knocked on Shizune's office door when she arrived there, drumming her nails against the wood as her stomach grumbled again in misery.
"Come in," came Shizune's enthusiastic response. How that woman could maintain a cheerful disposition after a ten-hour shift was beyond Sakura.
Sakura opened the door, a sigh escaping her and said by way of greeting: "Kill me please I'm starving."
Shizune and Kakashi looked up at her and Sakura's steps faltered in surprise.
"K-kakashi-senpai?— Hi." It was a little embarrassing that she stumbled over his name, suddenly finding her heart racing. She tried to calm it, going so far as to regulate it with medical chakra. No reason to alert anyone to her internal emotional affairs, thank you very much. "Sorry for disturbing."
His eyes creased in a hidden smile and he raised a two finger salute, "Yo."
Sakura hurriedly turned to Shizune, hating the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks. "Are you done working, senpai?"
"Yes, I was just going over Kakashi-kun's mission." Shizune smiled pleasantly although her eyes danced with concealed mirth like she might've been privy to Sakura's thoughts. "Haven't you eaten?"
"Not yet." Sakura kneaded her scalp where her bun had been pulled taut all day and groaned softly, "I haven't had the chance to—I had three critical surgeries back to back. And two labours."
"Yikes," Shizune's features scrunched up in sympathy as she closed the file on her table and slid it to Kakashi, turning to him. "Here, all done. Kakashi was also telling me that he hasn't eaten all day. Maybe you two could get something together."
Sakura blinked, hoping her face wouldn't reveal how taken aback she was by the suggestion. And then there was the whirl of emotions that started with surprise, stumbled through elation, excitement, and then eclipsed with a nervous stampede of butterflies.
She probably didn't smell all that pleasant right now, and she started regretting foregoing a quick shower before leaving the hospital. A glance at Kakashi revealed that he, too, seemed a little surprised by Shizune's rather forward proposal.
Her thoughts battled on whether to politely decline with the explanation that Ino was cooking dinner, or to let that part of her that craved Kakashi's company to take over and convince her to go. Sakura was caught off guard when suddenly smiling charcoal eyes locked with hers, and she felt her breath get stuck somewhere in her throat when Kakashi said, "Sure, why not? It's been a while since we hung out, Sakura-chan."
The cursed butterflies turned violent, clearly intent on fighting their way through her if the almost uncomfortable tightening of her stomach was anything to go by. The warmth in her cheeks seemed to take over her face, and Sakura sent him what she hoped was a casual and friendly smile, rather than something lunatic or love-sick. "Sounds good."
He stood up, all lithe muscles and deadly grace. Sakura couldn't help watching his powerful, broad shoulders and sure hands as he reached to scoop up the files. Her eyes helplessly followed the motion as he straightened to his full height, trying not to blatantly stare at his posterior and how his jounin pants hugged him a little too snuggly (and failing a little).
She shook herself out of her trance, mouth dry as Kakashi turned to face her, still smiling. Kakashi had always been such a vision. But getting distracted by some boy like a little schoolgirl was unacceptable, even if Kakashi was definitely not a boy, but rather, a man. A very sexy, very manly man.
It was still unacceptable in her book of 'I'm-a-capable-kunoichi-and-I'm-done-with-guys-who-don't-give-me-the-time-of-the-day'.
Behind Kakashi's back, Shizune gave her a happy thumbs-up that Sakura resolutely ignored. Shizune had been the first to discover Sakura's crush, despite Sakura's adamant denial of the existence of such thing, and had strangely been an active supporter of Sakura pursuing Kakashi.
Lost in thought, she followed after him when Kakashi held the door open for her—like a perfect gentleman, as if he never stuck her with a bill, or kept her waiting three hours at the training field, or read porn in public.
Sakura walked out, struggling to hold onto her dignity for a little longer and trying not to jump when the door closed shut behind her. She felt the warmth of Kakashi's body ghost over her back, like a phantom touch.
Goosebumps broke all over her skin and she took a few, quick steps away from his pleasant invasion of her space. He chuckled, "What's got you so jumpy today?"
You. "Ah, I'm just really hungry and impatient."
Kakashi nodded and began leading her out of the building. "That's understandable. What do you feel like having?"
And there he went directing the question to her— why wouldn't he choose so that she could stop feeling like Shizune forced him into eating with her? Dammit. "Honestly anything would do right now, I'm too hungry to care."
"Fair enough." He chuckled again as he opened another door for her, and she tried not to blush when she felt the warmth of his palm lightly touch the small of her back while he maneuvered them around a group of people entering the Hokage tower. "We could go to Ichibanya? They have really good curry rice. They also serve good sake so it's a win-win."
Sakura nodded, thankful for the cool evening air against her flushed face. "Alright, let's go there."
It was a short and silent walk, nothing dramatic really, and Sakura felt silly for all of her initial nervousness. First of all, it had been a while since she'd seen Kakashi. During the first year after the war, they had all been too busy hunting down any rogue ninja that used the chaos from the war to start trouble of their own. After that came the rebuilding process, and Sakura had been away for another two years to oversee and revolutionize the medical systems in other nations. Now, things between them were … whatever this is.
He made her feel like she was teetering on an edge, which was quite foolish when she reflected upon it. He had seen her at her worst, and she had seen him in all walks of life: rumpled and smelly from weeks camped out in a forest; bloody and broken under her healing hands, tired and aching and depressed after a particularly grueling mission. There was no reason for her to need to be on her best appearance because at the end of the day, all of those hormonal and silly feelings aside, he was still Kakashi.
He was still the man who had held them suspended over molten lava with nothing but an unrolled scroll to support their weight; bruising her ribs from holding her tightly with steely fingers, even as the scroll threatened to give out from their combined load.
Kakashi who, during the war, spent every waking moment looking out for her when she was too busy looking out for everyone else.
Warmth spread through her chest, something tender and fragile and all just for him…
Sakura sighed quietly, but with a little too much force behind the simple exhale. In hindsight, those so happened to be the exact reasons that brought on those unexpected feelings for Kakashi.
She didn't know whether to feel annoyed or defeated. After all, she remembered how much she used to tease Ino about her crush on Asuma-sensei, and here she was, now crushing on her ex-sensei too.
At least Ino outgrew it, yet here Sakura was, three years later, still ridiculously infatuated by the man.
All it took was the thought to sink in for a moment before she felt immediately bad. Sakura remembered how Ino lost Asuma and yet she still had Kakashi.
She felt herself unconsciously drift closer to his side as they approached Ichibanya, slowly relaxing her shoulders and letting her lungs flood with air. She'd enjoy these precious moments, even if Kakashi never felt the same way towards her, because one day she was bound to lose him like Ino lost Asuma, and she didn't want to have any regrets when that day came.
(x)
Sitting under a low-hanging lamp behind a separation curtain in a busy restaurant should not have felt intimate. Yet there they were, cocooned by white noise and gentle music, with nothing but each other to stare at as they waited for their food to arrive.
Within this confined space, a quiet bubble in the middle of chaos, his gaze felt so heavy on her skin, like heat dragging over silk. His voice dipped and rumbled, nuzzled in the grooves of her ears as he recounted the details of his recent mission. Sakura felt both weightless and like she was sinking into the warmth of the fluffiest bed in the world.
She rested her cheek on her upturned palm, secretly enjoying the feeling of having his undivided attention fixated upon her, and listened intently as the topic drifted to more personal matters.
"...Which is quite ridiculous don't you agree? And he cheated too, which he thinks I don't know. So now I'm stuck with a stupid dare." Kakashi sighed, hunching over the low table. "The guys had a field day with it. 'The great copy ninja' being a 'lonely loser'."
Sakura couldn't quite help the amused chuckle that tumbled from her lips, even when her first reaction towards the news was intense (but fleeting) jealousy. "To be fair though… you kinda are."
"You wound me, Sakura-chan." He said mournfully,
"Don't you want to find a partner?" She wondered aloud.
It was a perfectly valid and logical question; she never found an indirect way to ask Kakashi about what he thought of relationships and love, and now seemed the perfect opportunity to ask. "You don't actually want to die alone, do you?"
Kakashi seemed to hesitate before awkwardly scratching at his cheek, a smile pulling tantalisingly at his mask. "It's not like that."
That wasn't a clear answer at all. Sakura decided to push him a little. "You've been in love before, right?"
She fought to keep from reacting when an honest to gods blush crept over Kakashi's mask and he suddenly became almost shy. "Ah, haha, once or twice? You know the shinobi lifestyle is not exactly conducive to happily ever afters."
Oh, she knew a thing or two about that. Although 'once or twice'? What was that supposed to mean anyway? She should give up extracting clearly unwilling answers.
However, she had to give it one last push. "Honestly, I don't know what's stopping you. You've got this—crazy reputation, the copy ninja and one thousand jutsu and all—and I doubt your mask hides anything besides a perfectly normal face. I can't imagine anyone rejecting you."
Now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows and blink in surprise. He rubbed at the back of his neck, and his shy demeanor was strangely endearing. "Mah, Sakura-chan you're going to make me blush."
Sakura sat back, suddenly embarrassed at what she'd said. She hoped that wasn't too forward. "Ah," she let out a squeaky nervous laugh that immediately made her want to cringe. "I'm just saying… Sorry, that was too forward, wasn't it? You're just so secretive all the time, we mere mortals get curious you know…"
Annnd she was rambling.
The subsequent hearty chuckles from Kakashi instantly relaxed her and warmed her up, wrapping comfortably around her. "It's fine, I promise. I'm not all that secretive, it's just my dating life doesn't usually come up in conversation. Which by the way, thank gods for that. To let you in on a little secret, it's non-existent."
Was she gaping? She hoped not. "No way. You've never been on a date?"
Kakashi chuckled again, and that little crawling blush was back. "Voluntarily? Not really—well, rarely anyway. But, well, I've known Genma since we were kids and he never gave up trying to set me up with someone, even when—forgive my bluntness—he hopped around from hole to hole like a rabbit. Sometimes his methods were less than honorable and I'd only find out it's a date way too late. "
Sakura was stunned. She'd always assumed Kakashi was secretive because he had something to hide. She never thought that his secrecy was due to the fact that he didn't date, but because he might've been a playboy like rumour had it.
Ridiculously, she felt her heart swell for the man in front of her and promptly attempted to silence any raging flappy things in her stomach.
"That's… that sounds like a nightmare," she said, finally settling her nerves (or butterflies), and internally reproached herself for feeling mildly elated at this revelation.
"You have no idea." Kakashi was not normally a very expressive person, but the intense distaste that flickered over his face had her doubling over in laughter.
After a few seconds of trying to get her mirth under control, Sakura shot him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I'm laughing because I know exactly how you feel. The things Ino put me through over the years… I should sue her."
Kakashi's eyes dipped to their half-hooded lazy stare as he sank back into the comfort of idle conversation. "Yeah? Once Genma forced me into a double date, and I very quickly discovered the woman had the emotional range of celery, which you know, coming from someone who wears a mask that covers half of his face … you get the idea. She talked about scrolls. All. The. Time. And maintaining her nails."
Sakura snorted, "Oh, try being forced into a date at some expensive restaurant when all your date does is make inappropriate comments at inappropriate times, and choking on your wine while you're at it. He laughed at me, senpai! All the way home! And then he tried to go in for a goodnight kiss." Sakura huffed, swiping loose pink strands out of her eyes and missing the slight narrowing of Kakashi's gaze.
"Wow, what a pig," he waved his hand dismissively. "That sucks but try being stuck in a closet with someone who didn't know how to keep their hands to themselves, and watch things get very awkward very fast."
Sakura made an appalled face. "Oh. That… Well, usually I punch my way out of there. Sometimes a bone or two are accidentally broken." Her voice lilted softly over the word gazing intently, as a woman trotted from around the screen to serve them sake.
Sakura watched her go before she reached over to pour a serving for Kakashi and herself.
"Who's crazy enough to get a case of wandering hands around you?" He said it lightly, with an eye crease, like a joke.
Sakura was wholly annoyed by the way her entire body flushed with pleasant tingles. This was getting quite pathetic.
Kakashi had acknowledged her strengths a lifetime ago, she couldn't believe his praise still managed to make her blood sing even after all these years. That even after gaining some much-needed self-confidence and self-esteem, his approval still momentarily tilted her world out of balance.
"Imbeciles," she responded shortly, and forcefully shook herself out of her reverie. "You'd be surprised how many of them reside here in our darling Konoha. Just last week my blind date threw a tantrum because I refused to kiss him on our first date."
Kakashi's brows pinched together in apparent disgust. "Boys," he tutted distastefully, before clearing his throat, "perhaps Ino should be more selective with her matches."
Ha, she wished. "Ino is a masochist. She has her own special messed up brand of fun when it comes to me floundering around idiotic men, and her taking pleasure in watching it."
"How are she and Genma not friends?" He rubbed a palm over his eyes and took a hearty sip of his drink through the mask, the perfect embodiment of a man drinking away painful memories.
"Uh, thank gods for that." She muttered with a shudder, and took another sip, and then another, enjoying the warmth of the sake settling in her belly. "I don't want those two teaming up on anyone."
"Oh no, what if they match them in the NMLL?" Now it was his turn to cringe and shiver.
Sakura never thought a phrase that didn't include Orochimaru's name could hold such ominousness. She felt colour rapidly drain out of her face. "Oh no… I'm doomed. They'll ward me off with a reptile the second they need the house."
"If it's of any consolation I live one street away, just shout reptile and senpai will come to your rescue." Kakashi reached over and patted her hand in what was probably meant to be a mock-sympathetic gesture, but the jolt that went through her at the contact had her back straightening and her eyes coming back into sharp focus. Sakura didn't even think she was breathing.
She let her guard down around him and now she was paying for it because he had undoubtedly felt her stiffen beneath his touch.
His eyebrow raised imperceptibly but he casually withdrew his touch.
Oh, gods, she was an idiot! She immediately missed his warmth and hastened to remedy the situation, almost gushing, fake girly voice and all: "I knew I could always count on you, senpai!"
He visibly winced much to her chagrin and amusement. "Although if it's, say, one of those furry spidery-looking ones, count me out…"
"... I can't believe you'd let some furry, spidery-looking thing whisk away your favourite student!" she said remorsefully, pressing a hand to her heart in mock-hurt. "And here I was thinking you might be my knight in shining armour… guess you're just a graying old man after all."
Sooooo not true, Inner Sakura pointed out unhelpfully, if all old graying men looked this good they'd become a walking hazard and you'd be spending all your days at the hospital.
Kakashi didn't rise to the bait. "Will it get me free massages?"
"Mm? No, it just means you're a jiji." She remarked offhandedly, raising her sake cup to hide her smile behind the rim.
Kakashi nursed his drink, grumbling to himself, something about old men and respect and her generation's lack of it.
Sakura was saved from the belly laugh threatening to escape her by the waitress that brought over their steaming bowls of curry. The scent was so heavenly, Sakura swore she salivated at the sight of it being placed on the table in front of her.
"I could cry right now," she said honestly, once their hostess was out of earshot. "Do you know when the last time I had a proper meal was?"
Kakashi shook his head distractedly, too busy breaking apart his chopsticks and nearly drooling through his mask.
The hunger was so acute, that Sakura didn't even bother trying to steal a glance at his ever elusive face. She'd let him enjoy his meal in peace, for now.
She shovelled an unladylike amount into her mouth when she was sure he wasn't looking, and chewed happily at the succulent shrimp, letting out a soft moan when the rich flavour coated her taste buds. Kakashi echoed her sentiment.
She had to close her eyes and take a moment to let it wash over her. Pure, foodgasmic joy.
There's also the walking orgasm sitting in front of you. Inner casually remarked, and Sakura almost choked on her shrimp.
With her windpipe compromised until further notice, Sakura's palm covered her mouth to restrain the hacking coughs watering her eyes.
Kakashi looked up, clearly concerned, but wisely remained uninvolved. She was the best medic nin in the ninja nations, a little choking wouldn't kill her.
This was particularly valuable information because she could think of a few things she'd like to do before she died. Once she'd gotten her breathing under control, Kakashi wordlessly passed her a glass of water he'd poured from the jug beside him.
Sakura shot him a grateful look before she gulped it all down.
That bitch Inner was going to be the death of her! She resurfaced at the most random, most inopportune times only to be completely and repulsively hormonal over Kakashi.
We are one in the same~ singsonged Inner, and promptly assaulted her with mental images of all the times she'd glimpsed Kakashi's bare torso and back.
Her stomach clenched with a different, but even more acute longing, and her heart did a stupid little stutter that caused Sakura to let out a measured breath. Ridiculous. This was utterly ridiculous.
She spent a few seconds thinking of every unattractive thing in the world; entitled men, Lee's unwelcome advances, Gai's tight spandex, Naruto's dirty underwear-laden bedroom floor. When she was effectively calm again, albeit a bit repulsed, she resumed chewing on her meal at a more sedate pace… which meant Kakashi was half-way through his meal.
"How do you not have indigestion?" Sakura sent him an exasperated look. "Seriously."
In return, Kakashi gave her a masked smile. "Mm? Oh, I just have really sharp teeth…"
That revelation had Sakura pausing in thought. Was this a lame joke or did he actually have sharp teeth?
"Seriously?" The mental image was fuzzy, after all, she had no idea what the bottom half of his face looked like. Not that that ever stopped her from imagining a perfectly handsome face. But suddenly she couldn't imagine him without a sharp canine and he heart tripped over another beat.
Noticing her widened eyes, he sent her a wink. "You'll never know."
Sakura couldn't be blamed or held accountable for firing a shrimp at him when he could be so infuriating and charming at the same time.
That he choose that second to look up and it hit him square in the eye was completely his fault, thank you very much.
(x)
"You didn't have to walk me you know." Sakura wasn't fidgeting, okay? She just couldn't help nervously picking at the hem of her shirt as they walked through the darkened streets of Konoha's main district.
The ghost of Kakashi's body heat on her side was somehow giving her more goosebumps than the night's chill.
Most of the population was blissfully asleep at this time. It was a little past midnight, the shops started turning their neon lights off, and the late customers rapidly made their way home to catch a few hours of sleep before their morning shifts.
Sakura and Kakashi however, ambled the streets leisurely and without any hurry.
"I know." Kakashi shrugged, and silence reigned again.
They passed by the darkened academy, and then by a bridge that took them over a quiet stream towards the housing district.
The sky was beautifully dotted with a hundred stars, and the bright moonlight highlighted Kakashi's profile in a breathtaking image. He was like something out of a fantasy, a mythical creature, half-man, half-something mystical. She took a moment to admire how the night wrapped around him like a mother welcoming her child home, how he appeared to walk through the shadows without disturbing them. It seemed they parted for him, and the moonlight followed him as if he might've been made of light too.
A familiar longing tugged at Sakura's heartstrings, and she was thankful that she'd busied her hands with her shirt lest she gave in to the temptation of reaching for him.
And when they stopped at her porch and she turned to face him, she was sorely tempted to kiss Kakashi.
He had his hands shoved in his pockets, his face relaxed in an expression that was so calm, and Sakura thought the stormy tumult of emotions in her chest might drown him if she gave it the chance. Although she was never afraid of getting caught in his thunder, she wished to maintain his peace.
Instead, she smiled, in what she hoped was a friendly and reassuring gesture. "Thanks for walking me home … and sorry about the shrimp earlier."
A startled chuckle burst through his masked lips, and he reached to awkwardly rub at the back of his neck. "It's okay … I've been hit with worse things."
"Let me guess, outraged mothers when their children ask about the bright orange book that old man is reading?" She teased, falling back to something familiar and safe, something that broke her away from thoughts of dark eyes and drowning and the achy feeling in her chest.
He winced. "I swear they carry rocks in those purses they trot around with."
An uninhibited laugh left Sakura, and she turned around before she could say anything stupid, or do anything life-ruining, like grab Kakashi by the collar and drag him into her apartment. "Goodnight, Kakashi-senpai."
She sent the moon-soaked spot where he stood one last look. His hair shimmered silver as it cast a shadow over his features, and obscured his expression. She smiled, "Thanks for the meal."
"No problem. Sweet dreams, Sakura-chan." He raised his hand in a lazy wave and then he was gone in a whirl of displaced leaves, as if he might've been a figment of her imagination.
Afterward, Sakura scrambled into the comfort of her apartment, her heart suddenly beating an erratic symphony. So much so, that she had to lean against her door and press her palm to her chest trying to contain it.
"Forehead?"
Sakura jolted upright, quickly getting a grip on herself, and wandered into the darkness of her house. "It's me, Pig, go back to sleep."
A muffled agreement came from Ino's room, and she croaked something about food in the fridge before she was out like a light again.
Sakura padded quietly to her room and began shimmying out of her clothes. Only when she dropped her pouch on the table did she remember that she'd forgotten to drop off her letter in the Hokage tower.
"Dammit." A resounding smack echoed as Sakura face-palmed and let out a frustrated sigh. She stared at her pouch for a long moment, wondering how she could've been so forgetful before she resolved to drop it off early tomorrow morning before the 10 a.m. pickup time.
With that thought in mind, she changed into a fresh pair of flowery underwear and shrugged on a t-shirt before quickly going about her nightly routine.
Did it even matter if she submitted the letter? Perhaps there was a penalty or punishment of some kind for people who sign up but never participate, and Sakura would rather not get involved in something like that. It was probably too late to back out, anyway.
No matter how much she felt like she was cheating whoever was matched with her by already having feelings for someone else, she had to give him a try at least.
With an aggravated sigh, Sakura went to bed and snuggled beneath her duvet, with thoughts of Kakashi and the way he smiled and tilted his head cutely to the side refusing to leave her mind.
In the end, she fell asleep replaying the smooth timbre of his voice in her mind, his words and the dark depths of his eyes unwittingly followed her into dreamland.
I'm so so sorry this took so long! I started a new job T_T I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, I'm excited to share the next one with you, featuring some ShikaTema and friendly ShikaSaku! Kisses to all those who read and review xxxx
Beta'd by the awesome ohayohimawari!
-bouncyyyyy