Sinking into his new habit – one that appeared at that day – Kakashi tried to convince himself. While he walked through the crowded street, full of people leaving work and going home, the detective tried to asure himself of the reason he was not going home.

'I'm just in that phase in which I don't have patiance to cook. And then wash all those dishes? Who would want that when one could have another to make food by a small quantity of money?' he thought to himself, putting his hands inside his pockets, only to hide their unquieteness once it was too hot to keep them in pockets. 'Plus, it's lonely there.'

Although that reason could be labeled as true, he placed it at the list of false ones. Not that he was deceiving himself, he would never do that. He had—

He had to stop it and face the true, Kakashi pondered when he entered the place and was embraced by the nice smell of coffee. It was about time he admitted to himself why he was still coming back to Ichiraku's every evening to meal. "Sasuke" he breathed to himself as he spotted the center of his thoughts during the last month cleaning a table.

'But that doesn't mean I have to admit it to him as well', Kakashi told himself when Sasuke lifted his gaze and almost caught his stare. So far he had been doing a great job at hidding his interest and he wouldn't fail now.

Following the routine, Kakashi took the same small table at the corner and waited. In less than a minute Sasuke was there and would soon leave to moments later bring the order to his table. Then Sasuke would leave again to continue his duties and Kakashi would eat.

It was funny how the black haired fell at that routine as quickly as him; the coffeehouse had two more waiters and a person to deal with the money, so there was really no necessity for Sasuke to be by his table almost as soon as he sat since the other two could attend him, it was almost like the boy wanted to serve him as much the detective wanted to be attend by him. Which was strange considering one of the things Kakashi had observed from the boy: Sasuke definately was not made to serve people; the only reason the clients didn't complain about him was because of the apparent will of being the best at everything he did, even if it serving people and cleaning tables, but Kakashi could see in his eyes that he hated to lower his head. The abudant pride could almost be touched by Kakashi when they were slightly close.

That could only mean that Sasuke really needed the money he earned from his job. He should be between six and eighteen years old, no more than that (for a reason had been ignoring, Kakashi hoped he was eighteen), which led him to think that the boy had to sustain a house or pay for his studies, or both, or at least helping his family with the bills. Once he saw him reading a large book, so he probably studied during day and worked only at the night time (Kakashi passed by earlier some afternoons and he wasn't there). That would explain the tired look the boy let escape on rare ocasions. What did he study, though? His short sleeved uniform revealed some muscles – not exagerated but that indicated the boy exercised himself – and at the same time the books he could be seen with were not exactly light. If only Kakashi could manage to read the titles... but to do that he would have to sit closer to the balcony and that might break their routine.

If Kakashi at least had his surname, it would be easy to find his history, but truth to be told, that part he could discover by many methods he was used to as he was a detective and it wasn't as enticing as trying to figure what was going through his head. Reading – or at least trying to – those black orbs that were his eyes had become his favorite activity, sometimes, when he couldn't understand what they said, the memory of his eyes haunted him to his dreams and at the next day the grey haired man would awake longing even more to see them again.

There were times in which there was a calm aura around Sasuke and his eyes would be plain, as if the boy was in other universe; and there were times – most of the times – in which he was so angry or sad or anything else that the turmoil inside him could be easily seen through his eyes, not deciphered though. There were days in which Kakashi could almost feel in his skin the pain that was pulsing inside the boy, it irradiated and envolved Kakashi in a way that he couldn't understand how.

Today was one of those days. It could be seen by the way Sasuke was walking, the way he was forcing the cloth all over the tables, the way he avoided looking at Kakashi as if he had the need to hide from everyone. He longed to know what left Sasuke at that state so he could stop it. He wished, truly, to bring peace to the boy. If he was a man to not think and only act, he would jump through the balcony and hug tigh, trying to give some comfort and peace to the black haired, make him feel... loved. There. He said it. He was in love. It wasn't that bad...

Nevertheless, it uneased him that he was in love with a boy he knew nothing more than the name, the place he worked and that he went through severe complications in his life; a boy who most likely would never return the feeling, why would Sasuke pay attention at an ordinary customer with weird grey hair and a scar through his left eye for more time than his job requested him to? He was young, and shockingly enough, he did had a few friends who every once in a while stopped by and ate something and usually talked to him – or at least, they talked and Sasuke listened. Not to mention a good number of fangirls that...

Then, loud laughter was heard entering the door.

'Thinking of the devil.' Kakashi thought.

During that month Kakashi observed that Sasuke had at least three close friends, each very different from the other. One, that was almost everyday there and only ate ramen, was a very loud blonde who always wore orange clothes and never stopped talking – it was easy to find he was important to Sasuke because on the rare ocasions the blonde was clearly sad, Sasuke would control any turmoil he had inside himself and would stay by his side, sometimes even talking a bit; and they seemed to be used to each other; it was easy to imagine they were constantly together, perhaps they had a deeper relationship? Kakashi always tried to push that thought aside.

There was also the red haired. This one seemed to have a life worst than Sasuke, by the blank of his face and kind of dangerous light in his green eyes. He didn't have any eyebrow and used heavy eyeliner. How were those people called? Emo? Kakashi never payed attention to music styles, but this boy seemed to fit it. He and Sasuke never talked, but it was obvious he was important for Sasuke by the way they seemed to understand each other merely through eyes and seemed to guess pretty well what each wanted. Maybe, this was his.. 'Stop thinking about it!' Kakashi told himself one more time. (Again with the habit of trying to convince himself that everything was OK)

And, finnaly, there was the long haired boy with white eyes. This one was the only who actually obtained a conversation from Sasuke. He would arrive, with some natural elegance very simillar to the one Saseku had, sit at the balcony and ask nothing more than water; then, as soon as he could Sasuke would find something to do at the balcony and they would talk. It was a very restrictive conversation, low voices and lots of understanding stares. Needless to say he was also important to Sasuke. And this one, Kakashi knew the surname... with those white eyes it was undeniable he belonged to the Hyuuga family, one of the most influents of the City of Konoha. That was curious, how did that rich kid ended up friend of one who needed to work to survive? That only contributed to a theory that had been forming into his head, that Sasuke was once rich himself... it would explain some of his arrogant manners and elegance. But without knowing his last name it was impossible to know what actually happened.

A burst of laughter brought him back to reallity. And what a surprise, this time all three appeared at the same time. They acknowledged each other but didn't seem to be as close as each of them was to Sasuke. They took sits at the balcony, side by side, waiting for their friend but Sasuke was no where in sight. Today being one of his worst days, as it seemed, Kakashi was betting that the boy would choose not dealing with them all together... if one had come alone it would have been OK, but Kakashi suspected Sasuke was not the type that liked to deal with more than one person at the same time.

When said boy came from the kitchen, he was clearly surprised for a moment. Then he simply served water to the Hyuuga, ramen to the blond, doughnut to the emo and soon went to serve another client, clearly avoiding them for the rest of the time they remained there. The weird group of three started to talk, or at least, the blond was speaking loudly, the Hyuuga answered politely and the emo was merely watching both of them. It was when Kakashi caught the sight of Sasuke leaning against a wall and opening a very very small and sad smile, then their eyes met and Kakashi felt like the boy was explaining something through the mutual stare, and for his joy, Kakashi understood.

Each of the three, was like a brother of different age, although they all probably had the same age. The blond was like an annoying younger brother, who you fight with but always protect; the emo was a brother of a nearer age, almost like a younger twin (if that made any sense), they really didn't need words to understand what the other meant; and the Hyuuga was the older brother, who always had the answers and was there to protect him but sometimes also needed to be taken care of. And beyond all that, Kakashi could see that Sasuke knew he shouldn't feel lonely, having the three of them, but felt it anyway and couldn't help it.

Kakashi knew what was that like. He had no family, but when things started to get worse, soon he would see Asuma silently smoking by his side, or Gai talking non-stoppenly as if to distract him, or hear some comfortable words from Kurenai who offered them without being asked but always at the right time. And yet, Kakashi felt he was a lonely man.

That simillarity only made him feel more attached to Sasuke, as if they were close even though they didn't speak to each other, as if it wouldn't take much for them to become closer and actually know each other. Kakashi strongly hoped so.

That day had been the second time Sasuke had made contact with him (that smirk the day he first left the coffeehouse was still marked in his brain) and he would cherish it, with some cartain – that he didn't knew where it came from – that they would eventually become closer and closer, in one way or another. He would wait untill the 'eventually' came true, and 'till there, he would remain observing.

*

I don't know how many chapters will come out, but this story probably won't be very long. And at future chapters we'll probably see things through Sasuke's point of view.

Thank you for the patiance of reading.