AN: Seriously people- THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER IN THIS PART OF THE STORY! It will be continued in the next part- "Unmasked".

So if you have story alert on this DO NOT forget to transfer it on to the next story. It might not be up today so keep checking for Unmasked on my profile.

Enjoy this general fluff as a set up for the next story, which will be set from a long time frame (from the day after this, to the week after, to the dance, to a month later for all of the wedding stuff) and will contain KAKASAKU, SHIKAINO, AND NEJITEN.

1778 words in this chapter

Back to Surreality

Chapter 19- Comfortable

Kakashi lay comfortably on the floor, staring up at the stars as he pondered his position with Sakura.

Next time…? Does that mean…? I wish she would say something. Was she talking about next time I try? Does she really think I would break my promise? It must be. She can't be agreeing to date me so quick.

It was torture thinking of these things. Even as she laid against him now, her arms wrapped lovingly around his torso, he couldn't be sure if she was just doing it to make him feel better or not. There was nothing he could find in her body language to give him any indication, and so all he had to go on was what she had said to him before.

The only comments she had made seriously were on the location and before that she had only refused his actions. It was completely ambiguous whether she had simply changed her mind or whether she had only come tonight out of pity.

He had completely made up his mind that she had done the latter. There was no way in his mind that he could reach her. Everyone had told him how out of his league she was.

She shifted in his grasp, causing him to look down at her. Hours ago, they had lain down together on the mat. He had brought out a soft blanket to throw over them when it got cooler and now he had done that, just after he felt her eyes shut next to him.

It was obvious that she wasn't asleep, but she had wanted the quiet so he settled for just looking up at the stars. Idleness was not in her nature, so it was not often he got to see her so relaxed or still.

He was fascinated by the way her feminine fingers curled protectively around the outside of the blanket, holding it tightly to her stomach, which happened to be against his hips. He tentatively moved his own fingers to brush against hers and watched as her grip on the blanket loosened.

She linked her fingers with his and let them fall into the gap between them. She then slid her body to rest fully against him in comfort.

He sighed in impatience. He really didn't want to stay out here much longer if she was only going to turn him down.

Hearing the sound, Sakura's eyes opened slightly and she moved her head to gaze up at him. He wasn't smiling like she had been, so she looked up with her brow furrowed. "What's wrong? Are you angry with me for something?"

"No…" he looked back at the stars. "Not really…"

She let the arm that was wrapped around him drop away from him.

He glanced briefly to her and saw that her head had sunk in thought, away from him.

Neither of them spoke for a while, struggling to find something to say. Eventually, Kakashi felt the responsibility to speak out. "Why?"

"Nani? Why what?"

He shrugged, waiting for her to speak more. He loved the sound of her voice, and when she spoke, his thoughts became clearer to him.

"Do you mean, why did I ask?"

He remained quiet.

"If you are… it was just because you seemed tense. I wanted to make sure it wasn't anything I'd done. I feel guilty enough as it is."

"Why guilty?"

"For everything I put you through. It just took me a while to sort out my emotions. I felt like all the voices were against me. It never occurred to me that they might be making sense. In the mean time, I put you through hell. I'm sorry; I just never gave you a real chance." She sounded sad but confused, as though she was only just sorting this out in her own mind.

"But you have now, right?" he still felt unsure.

"Hai and I regret not doing it sooner." She leant up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips; Short but sweet. "Will you forgive me?"

"Hai, of course, but does that mean… I mean… are you…?" he bit his lip nervously.

She gasped slightly, suddenly understanding his meaning. "You… is that why you were tense? You thought I wasn't serious? Did you think I was acting to make you feel better?"

He didn't reply, but glanced off pointedly, indirectly asking her the questions in his head.

She gave his hand a light pull. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You said… you told me not to say anything."

"That? That was just a script line from my story. I had to say it, just to keep the cheesy atmosphere." She paused for a second and he could almost feel her gaze on him from behind. She continued a little while later. "I was being serious. I felt something… something I'd never felt before. If you haven't completely given up on me…I don't want you to leave me."

He turned to face her again, noting that her eyes were filled with uncertainty, not at what she had said, but at what she thought he might say in return.

"So you'll be with me, even if it's in public?"

"If that's what it takes…" she looked confused again. It was clear that she didn't mean what she said completely.

"You don't have to." He told her softly.

"Nani?" she looked up at him in shock.

"I wouldn't mind. It's comfortable like this, in secret, just you and me. We can keep it from the others." He gave her an eager smile, showing his confidence in his plan's success.

"You would really do that for me? You would put up with everyone's taunts?"

"We can always have fun with them. They won't stop trying to make us a couple, and we'll be the only ones who know…"

"Sugoi! It'll bug Ino endlessly and Tsunade…" a smirk began to appear, removing any traces of doubt from her expression.

"We can have our revenge" Kakashi finished for her.

She threw her arms around him, letting go of his hand and causing them both to go rolling across the grass, the blanket falling off in the process. The grin on his face was wide enough to make his eyes crinkle.

He landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She giggled uncontrollably for a little while before winding her arms into a more comfortable spot, one at the base of his neck, one at his lower back.

Kakashi felt uncomfortable hovering above her, so he rolled off to the side. He found himself on the pebbled path and yelped at the sharp pebbles digging into his bare back. "Kuso!"

He stood up quickly, trying to reach and pry those off that had stuck in his flesh, but couldn't reach.

Sakura leapt up next to him with a light chuckle, and then moved around behind his back. Within seconds, his hands were loose at his sides as she gently ran her fingers over the surface of his back.

He flinched slightly when he first felt her healing chakra run over a few places, but found that it didn't bother him as much as it usually did. Healing jutsu had always made him feel uncomfortable because it was someone else moving their energy inside his body. It was to him like that person was moving around under his skin, but with Sakura, it seemed more natural.

He barely felt her jutsu, but what he did feel was soothing, rather than unnerving.

"Better?" she asked him, amusement in her voice.

"Much" he sighed as she pulled her hands away, "Arigato Sakura."

"Good. Then how about this…?" she began to move her hands again, but this time in a different direction.

They looped around the front of his torso, pulling her body to his. He felt her breath against his neck again, taunting him with the moment.

This time though, she contacted. Her lips pressed tenderly against his neck, instantly locating the spot, just before the collarbone, that had the most effect.

His breath caught as the sensations ran through him. He found it completely impossible to describe, or to stop, but if he didn't soon his legs were going to collapse completely.

Just as she began to move her mouth slightly towards his ear, he moved his arms behind his back to clamp around her waist. She was startled out of her movements. "Kakashi? What's wrong?"

"It feels strange. Please don't."

She let go with her hands and took a step backwards. "Gomen. I went a little fast I know."

He turned and faced her, resting his hands around her waist. "It's fine, just… maybe another time. It's late, and I'm not fully prepared to go past what I'm good at yet."

"I don't mind." She smiled sweetly at him. "Especially considering how good at it you are."

"Was that a hint?" he smirked, leaning a little closer.

They looked into each other's eyes. The blush that now filled her face was so adorable he never wanted to let go of her. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with emotion as she stared up at him. She was asking now for what he had wanted to give her the whole of the last week, even if it wasn't her words that said it.

All he could do was to take a step backwards, watching with joy at the way her body began to follow him automatically. He smirked at her and turned, going to sit back down on the mat.

"You are amazing." She breathed, having recognized how he had manipulated her.

He wasn't sure why, but the realization of how late it was came to the front of his mind. "Sakura, are you staying here?"

She smiled and took a step forwards, "As long as you want me to."

"No, I meant… are you staying over tonight? It's getting very late."

She looked away, thinking about it. "That isn't really safe, is it? If we are keeping it secret…"

"That's what I thought." He sighed. "You should go home."

"Hai, when are we next going to…?"

"I'll let you know."

"Alright," she bent down and kissed him briefly again before disappearing in a flurry of blossom petals.

Just like that she was gone, and Kakashi felt once again the chill without her presence. Unlike the other times though, one shining ray kept warmth over him, as he knew that she would return.

One thing though, despite his knowledge that he shouldn't be thinking it, remained inset into the forefront of his thoughts. Did she say yes to being my girlfriend… or my wife…?

AN: duh! Duh! Duh!

Anyways, don't forget that this is the last one of Back to Surreality. Look out for Unmasked and add it to your story alert.

Any ideas for how y'all want Unmasked to go?

Stay shiny and show the luff

XX Belizma-chan XX