Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, I'd make myself the ultimate super nin already…

Not Just a Number

By Written in Words

Sakura slides down the vinyl booth at the diner while her companion slides right next to her, already looking at the menu.

It didn't go unnoticed by both ninja that the diner has gotten a bit quiet from their presences but conversations were picked up quickly again after they sat down.

"So what do you think you're getting, Sakura?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly ignoring the whispers and stares of the civilians.

"I don't know, anything. Whatever you're getting is fine, Kashi." Sakura feels as though a hundred pair of eyes were digging into the back of her neck, tsk-ing at not only what she was doing, but who she was with.

Kami! Can't I have one lunch with my boyfriend and not get mentally stabbed at!

His uncovered eye crinkles, teasing at his girlfriend, "you really want to eat broiled saury and miso soup with eggplant?"

Kakashi's eye brow lowered as he noticed Sakura's uneasiness from their unwanted audience. He casually slides his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him and settle his covered lips near her ear, "hey, how about I order your favorite: syrup-coated anko dumplings and umeboshi , get our foods-to-go, and have a picnic at training ground 3. Does that sound good?"

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and turned to give him a peck on the lips, "yes, that sounds wonderful. Thank you, Kakashi."

As the couple heads out towards the door with food in his hand and the other holding hers, whispers did not go unheard from their trained ears.

"Hey isn't that the famous Copy-nin."

"Yeah, he was the Commander of the Third Division in the war a couple of years ago"

"Wow, he's so amazing! I bet he's handsome under that mask too!"

"Oh, who's that girl that he's with? Is that his girlfriend?"

"Don't you know?! It's been going on for months now. Rumor has it that she was his student"

"No way! But they won't last, look how much older he is than her. He'll get tired of her quickly…"

Sakura's grip held on tighter in Kakashi's hand as these words continue to circulate the diner. She did not want to hear those catty loud mouths anymore and rushed him out of the door.

Kakashi stopped her tracks and turned to her, gazing at the green eyes that were filled with anger, "hey, don't let them get to you. What we do is our own business."

She sighed and the anger dissipated as she stared at the obsidian eye, Sakura grinned, "You're right. As long as our friends are fine with it, I shouldn't care what those civilians think. Let's go have our picnic now"

They continue to walk hand in hand towards the training ground, chatting about their days of works, or in his case, reading his perverted orange book. As they near the gated fence of the training ground, they bumped into a slightly mournful Genma and Shizune walking away from the Memorial Stone.

"Yo," Kakashi waved at the two as they walked towards the couple

"Hey man, taking your girlfriend out for a picnic?" Genma half-heartedly teased, "Pinky, don't let this old man do things I wouldn't do t-"

"I'm not that old…"

"Ow, babe!" Genma cried after Shizune smacked him in the head, "I could have choked on my senbon…"

"That's what you get for teasing them; I think it's lovely that Kakashi and Sakura are going on a date. Something you owed me for two weeks already! "

Giggling at the two, Sakura feels ten times lighter now than she did at the diner, "Shizune-san is right Genma-san. I heard you owe her an expensive date for missing your anniversary."

"Hey, I was called to a mission! Not my fault the old hag knew when our anniversary is. I swear, she's doing it to spite me because you hid her sake, Shizune."

"So where are you two heading to now," Kakashi interrupted, knowing that Genma is digging himself into a deeper hole

"Well, we just visited Raidou at cenotaph…"

"Ah, today's the day isn't it…" Kakashi sighed and put his hands in his pockets

"Yep, it's getting easier as the years go by. But he was my teammate for a while…"

"I'm sorry, Genma-san"

"Ah, it's nothing, blossom! I'm a big boy, I'm alright. Just be glad that all your teammates are still alive, annoying as they are… hey Kakashi, weren't you planning to d—"

"We should get going now, Genma! Don't want to delay their date. Bye Kakashi, Sakura-chan!" Shizune shouted before Genma can finish his sentence. Kakashi throws her a grateful look before glaring at the senbon nin.

"Bye old man, bye pinky!"

"You're older than me, Genma!"

"That's not what the hair says!" Genma shouted as Shizune drags him by the ear

"Shall we continue with our picnic?" Kakashi took hold of her hand and continued to walk past the fence and into the field. Settling next to a shaded area, he took the packed lunches from the diner and laid out the meals in front of them. Sakura nestled herself against his side once he finished and wound her arms his waist.

"Sakura, what's wrong? You're not touching the foods."

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about. Just lost in my thought again," Sakura smiled and started to pick up her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

"Are you still thinking about what happened at the diner?"

She stopped her chopstick movements and sheepishly smiles, "It's that noticeable?"

Kakashi sighed and put his food down, taking hold of her hand which makes her head turn towards him, questioningly.

"Sakura, don't let them bother you remember? It's just me and you in this relationship. Not them. So what if I was your sensei? I'm not anymore, and we're even on the same ranking now. The law doesn't say that we can't date each other. Even Naruto, Sasuke, and Tsunade gave us their blessings and they didn't even care as long as we're happy. "

"I know, Kakashi, it wasn't just what happened at the diner but— am I too young for you? Do you want someone who is up to your par and not some little girl trying to play hero? "

"Is this about what those old ladies and Genma said? I know we joke around a lot with my silver hair but I thought you didn't care about our age differ—"

"But that's exactly what the problem is, Kakashi!" Sakura shouts and pries her hands away from his. The shock look in his uncovered eye, a passing of hurt replaced with seriousness as he continued to stare at her. "Are you saying that me being older than you is a problem?"

"No, no that's not what I meant…" She cried apologetically, "but age is the problem, don't you see, Kakashi?"

"Age isn't just a number. It counts for experience and pain, knowledge and happiness that those years you had but I'm still trying to play catch up with." She sucks in her next breath to calm herself down and continued, "You can sit down with any shinobi and share the experience of loss, or what it was like to go through two wars and be an iconic figure for my generation…"

"Sakura, what does this have to do with u—"

"Everywhere we go; people stare. It's like they're silently mocking us because of our age. Mocking me for being too young to be with someone who is a hero to the village," Sakura whispers

"We both know Naruto is the hero here, and besides, we shouldn't care about what they think…" Kakashi's voice falters slightly as he continues to hear her confession

"I know I shouldn't care what they think! But their silence brings a whole set of doubt that I never thought I'd have when it comes to you… I was so certain that age wouldn't make a difference and that love conquers all, but it's not a fairytale or stories from those damn Icha Icha books you love!" Sakura shouted as the tears that pooled at her eyes finally fell down her cheeks

Kakashi lifts his hand and cups her cheek, wiping away the tears, his searching eye stares in hers. Sakura lifted her's and grasps the hand that was at her face and nuzzled slightly, her eyes closed as she finds strength for her next words.

"This is reality and it hurts so much that people won't acknowledge us as a couple. Their stares make it seem like our love is wrong and taboo," she finally whispers. Her emerald eyes finally look up at him, "don't you understand?"

The silver haired nin closed his one eye and tilted his head down, sighing in admission of his girlfriend's worries. His hand slips away from her and Kakashi slowly pulled his mask down and hita-ate out of his hair, knowing fully well that she will be able to see his true reactions for his words

"You're right, Sakura. Age is not just a number. All those things that you said about experiencing pain and loss, all those things I do have that you don't does make it seems like our generational gap is bigger than it is."

Sakura breathes in deeply at his agreement, and her eyes downcast to the ground

"But you've gone through so much as well living your life as a kunoichi," Kakashi spoke as he lifted her chin towards his direction, "you've gone through a war that saved the world from being controlled. You were able to heal people, save lives, which many people can't do, which I can't do. You were the image of life during the times of death."

"Kakashi…" she whispers at his truthfulness, never had she seen him so serious when it came to his emotions. And here he is, just because she simply couldn't handle a couple of stares…

He interrupted her, "Sakura, age comes with bitterness. All the years built up of regret and guilt that I have had to live with all by myself, fourteen years that I had to go through life without someone."

Kakashi gently cups both her cheeks and tilts her face towards him once again. He moves in closer, resting his forehead on hers. Red and obsidian staring into green with assurance in his next words, "And now that I have you, I refuse to let you go just because of some damn elders that can't keep their eyes to themselves. I can't make those stares away, but give me the chance to make your doubts go away." He bends down and captures her lips gently and steadily finishes, "I already lived fourteen years without you; please don't make me live the rest of my life that way too."

"Ka-kakashi, wh-what are you trying to say?" Sakura stutters at his confession, unbelief at what he might have hinted, and a swell of joy of what he might have possibly meant

"Marry me. Give me the chance to use the rest of my life to make yours feel loved every single day," Kakashi states firmly as he stares into her eyes.

A reaction of shock crosses her face as Sakura continues to search for the teasing crinkle his eyes. There were none. Only certainty and maybe a slight fear of a possible refusal

This is a man who has killed thousands without a blink of an eye, and because of her and her petty doubts, she has put fear in his eyes…

Sakura smiled brightly at Kakashi, "yes...yes!" With relief washed over his face. He captures her lips once more and hugs her tightly breathing into her neck, "thank you for choosing me."

Please review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks :]