This is officially the LAST chapter! although there will be a short epilogue right after this chapter. Don't know if to cry or be happy :) I can't believe it has been 2 years since I started with this story and that it's actually at the end.
Anyways, THANK YOU for reading this story to the end, thank you for ALL the reviews and followings!
Enjoy!
Sakura's change of residence was an unspoken secret around Konoha that spread after few months of them not-living together. It was mostly the ANBU and hospital staff that knew, because in case of emergency they needed to be able to find her. In many cases it could be a life and death situation and she could not afford to be hidden when they needed to find her.
Therefore Sakura was not surprised to be woken up in the middle of the night by a late night nurse banging on Kakashi's door. He was due to come back any day from a mission so at first she thought it might be him, but as her sleepy mind cleared she came to the conclusion that he would not be knocking on his own door and would let himself in without the loud banging at this ungodly hour.
She sat up in the bed still hugging the big pillow and tried to separate dream from reality as she wasn't sure what the noise was that woke her up. When the banging repeated she became more alert and as her mind cleared she knew there were only two cases someone would be banging on the doors at this time of the night and in both cases she would have to get dressed. She quickly pulled on her clothes and went for the door prepared to head on a mission or to go to the hospital.
When she opened the doors, the young nurse Akime, currently in a relationship with Yamato, thanks to Sakura keeping her promise of setting them up, was slightly out of breath from running all the way from the hospital to Kakashi's place.
"Sakura-san! I'm sorry to wake you up so late but Shizune-san sent me to come and get you. Two ANBU teams just came back and several people are in critical condition. Hatake-san is-"Akime called to the retreating back of the pink haired medic without getting a response. "Sakura-san?"
Before Akime could finish the sentence Sakura was already running for the hospital, even before she said Kakashi's name. If Shizune called her to the hospital it must have been serious. The run to the hospital without the aid of chakra, she had to preserve as much as possible as she didn't know how much she would need for the procedures, took her just under five minutes. The longest five minutes of her life as her imagination ran wild with the images of possible casualties and gruesomeness of what she was about to find. The white shock of hair stained with blood, the lifeless eyes. She tried to wish them away and make the anxiety she felt go away and let her professional medic side take over, but it was too hard when she thought that one of those in critical condition waiting for her to save their lives could be Kakashi.
By the time she reached the hospital her stomach was tied in knots and her heart thumped hard in her ears. She rushed through the lobby to the operating rooms and took a deep steadying breath before she looked through the window on the doors. She couldn't see the patient properly as medics and nurses were obscuring her vision. All she could see was white hair poking from the end of the table and a pale hand that had fallen down from the table, where blood was pooling below it on the floor as droplets of blood were trickling down the arm. Sakura was frozen on the spot, not able to move forward or backwards. She could only stare and gape at the scene before her. She was brought back to the present when someone called her name.
Sakura looked to her left and saw Kakashi standing few meters from her with a questioning look. She looked back to the operating room and noticed that the white streak of hair she saw was actually pale yellow and the hand had no gloves and had a tattoo on the wrist that Kakashi didn't have. It was just her mind playing cruel tricks on her nevertheless she was sick to her stomach and she was not able to steady her wildly beating heart.
Kakashi was sitting just few meters from the operating room waiting for Sakura and Tsunade when he saw his sporadic roommate barge in. She stopped and kept looking into the operating room. He called her name but she didn't respond so he stood up and called her name once more.
When she turned around she was pale and her eyes wide as if she saw a ghost.
"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked with concern in his voice seeing her so shaken and pale. She took few steps closer to him, her hands coming up as if to embrace him, but she stopped just few feet away from him and looked over his shoulder.
"Sakura, good that you are here." Tsunade's voice came from behind him.
Sakura looked him in the eye again as if she wanted to say something but instead she diverted her gaze to Tsunade. "What's the situation?"
"I told Akime to brief you. Never mind. Kakashi's team came over another squad that was badly injured by an unknown party. They brought them back and are going back to pursue them but the enemy seems to be using some sort of unknown poison. Shizune used some of the antidote you were working on and it seems to counteract it. She said you have another stash hidden somewhere. Go get it so Kakashi's team can take it with them so they don't end up like these guys."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sakura nodded and went to get the antidote. "Hurry back to take over from me, there is still one more in critical condition and I need to get to an emergency meeting. This attack has been too close to Konoha to be taken lightly. "
"Of course shishou." Sakura nodded once more and with one last lingering look at Kakashi she resumed her sprint for the antidote.
By the time Kakashi got back to Konoha another three days have passed. He was tired, but the mission was successful. His ninken have kept the pursuit of the enemy ninja while he and his team took care of the wounded and once they got back on their track it was a quick take down. They even managed to take two prisoners that were currently in the capable hands of Ibiki and his interrogation unit.
He was dead tired on his feet but somehow he managed to drag himself to Tsunade to give her the good news of a successful mission and was now on the way back to his home. When he got there he found it quiet and empty. Somehow he managed to take off his boots and weapons pouch before collapsing in his bed. His last thought before he fell to sleep was that he wanted to see Sakura waiting in his bed as she usually did.
When Kakashi woke up from his dreamless slumber her noticed the absence of Sakura once again. He felt it was strange that she still hasn't shown but thought that she might have popped by while he was sleeping. He was dead tired and was sure that not even another invasion of Konoha would have woken him up in that state.
He dragged his still tired and aching body to the shower, to relieve some of the tension from the overworked muscles. Once finished he found some food to eat and went back to bed. He had few days off to rest and write a detailed report that should be on Tsunade's table tomorrow, so his plan was to sleep, eat and sleep some more.
After three days and quite a few of Tsunade's messengers banging on his door he got around to writing the report and walk in no haste to the Hokage tower to drop it off. In all those days he was back Sakura didn't stop by. He was starting to think she was avoiding him but it might be that she was just busy with work or on a mission. That was the real reason why he wrote the report so early, so he could have a good excuse to go to the Hokage tower and casually ask about Sakura's whereabouts.
He was in no mood to be thrown through doors or walls so he made sure he arrived at the tower precisely at the time Hokage had her weekly meeting with the elders. No Tsunade, meant no injuries to his person. He handed his report to Shizune who scowled at him darkly and informed him that this report was due several days ago. Well a lecture on punctuality from Shizune was better then the effort he would have to make to not flinch from Hokage's punch. He learned from experience that it's worse to dodge; it just makes her angrier and more determined to punch you into a bloody pulp.
Twenty minutes later he was casually hiding on a tree branch where he had a nice view of Sakura's office. As he learned from Shizune, after she stopped scolding him, Sakura was just busy as usual in the hospital. He wanted to make sure she was alright so he made himself comfortable and took out his favorite book out of the pocket. Unfortunately he wasn't able to enjoy it too much as his eyes kept looking into the window every few seconds to check if a pink haired kunoichi entered the room.
He gave up after fifteen minutes and even very briefly considered faking an injury so he could seek her out. Instead he scolded himself for acting like an idiot and took out the book once more and made himself read.
It took another hour before he saw Sakura enter her office with several books and patient folders balanced haphazardly in her hands. She sat them down on her desk and immediately started to list through them. Kakashi felt warmth spread through his body just by looking at her, seeing her that she is alright and just busy working made him realize that he was feeling restless and anxious when he didn't see her these last few days since he returned.
He got too used to being around her these last few months and now he missed her presence, her warm body sleeping next to him, the reading of books in silence, even her horrible cooking when he didn't have time to stop her. Now that he had seen her, his mind and heart calmed down and he went about his business knowing or rather hoping she will show up in his house within few days.
When few weeks passed and Sakura was still absent from his life he started to worry and what if's started to plague his mind. He swore to himself that he will not push her to anything she didn't want, that he will give her space if she needed it, that we will be happy if she is happy, but he didn't realize just how much he would miss her if she stopped being part of his life. He thought that he deserved at least an explanation of why she didn't come back, but he would wait for her to take the first step.
He kept accidentally walking by the hospital so he could at least get a glimpse of her; he would search the crowd for pink hair and would turn at every female laughter that sounded a little similar to hers. He kept telling himself that he wasn't stalking her but with every passing day it was harder to pretend he was not.
It was almost two months since he last spoke to her, if the time they saw each other in the hospital could be described as talking. He knew that that was the turning point, he wasn't sure what happened or why was she keeping her distance, but he was a patient man and he was almost sure that an explanation would come at some point.
It was almost two weeks after he made himself stop stalking her, when he entered his home and realized that he wasn't alone. It took him a second to steady his heart and prepare for a goodbye that this most probably was. He was happy that he had a chance to fall in love twice in his life and he would not regret the time he spent with Sakura, short as it was. Before he went further he took off his boots and unzipped his vest and put in on a hanger near the doors together with his unstrapped weapons pouch from his leg.
She was waiting for him in the living room, with few boxes of take-away food that they both liked on the table and a book in her hand. He wasn't sure how to react to this, it looked just like the times they spent together, as if nothing happened or changed over the last two months and a small flicker of hope curled around his heart.
She kept her eyes glued to the book, not acknowledging his presence so he walked to the couch and sat down next to her, far enough so they were not touching but close enough to feel her warmth. He didn't want to be the first one to break the silence, so he sat there, looking at the table and waited for her to say or do something, anything, even thought this silence was pure torture for him.
"I…" Sakura started with a weak voice and stopped. She took another breath and wanted to continue but the words just didn't form. She wasn't sure herself what she wanted to say. The distance she made between them didn't help at all. She kept going back to her lunch with Naruto from few days ago in her mind and that is where she was able to find her words.
"I saw Naruto few days ago," she started again and this time the words came out more easily, "he dragged me to Ichiraku's as usual. He asked me if he should kick your old ass for making me sad again." She snorted in a dry laugh at the memory. "He said that I looked finally happy when I was with you and that was the only reason why he didn't track you down and beat your sorry old ass for touching me, in his words."
"He knew that I was here the whole time and he didn't say a word. I think he is finally growing up." Sakura smiled sweetly at the memory of her friend's whiskered face. She finally set the book on the table and turned to look at Kakashi for the first time since he sat down on the couch. Her heart painfully constricted, it was almost as bad as when she wasn't with him. She heard and read in books that love was painful but she always thought the pain comes after death or break-up, not when the lovers were together.
This is when she needs to make up her mind and heart. This is when she needs to be straight with him as it wasn't fair to him.
"I'm sorry Kakashi."
"I'm not." This is when Kakashi finally spoke. Her heart made flips at the sound of his voice that she missed the last two months.
"I made a mess of things. I though being away from you would help." Sakura stayed silent, again trying to find the right words, any words.
"What happened in the hospital Sakura?" Kakashi wanted to know, needed to know, why.
This surprised her and she looked at his covered face trying to gauge his feelings, his sole uncovered eye had dark circles under it as if he wasn't sleeping well. Apart from that she wasn't able to read anything from his mostly covered face. She was used to seeing him without the mask and it was strange to see him with it in his home. He would keep it down; pooled around his neck for most of the time they spent together.
Sakura wanted to lie, she wanted to come up with a story as she didn't want to speak about it, but this wasn't the time to be dishonest to herself and to Kakashi.
"I thought it was you dying on that operating table. I thought you are going to leave me here alone again."
"Is that why you were avoiding me?"
Sakura nodded her head, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "How can you live with someone when you know he is going to die?"
"Everyone is going to die eventually Sakura. You just need to find someone that makes you happy during the time you have."
"Is it really that easy?" A single tear fell down Sakura's face and Kakashi brushed it away from her face with his thumb. He kept his hand in place, holding her cheek and she leaned into the warmth of his palm.
"You have to make it easy, otherwise you will be scared to even step out into the street. Thinking about the future in such way brings only sadness."
That is exactly how she felt these last two months. She was depressed, sad and no amount of work could take her mind off of Kakashi. And she was trying really hard to forget him this time. To guard her heart again from the imminent breaking once Kakashi died. She thought that cutting him out of her life now would save her some sorrow in the future, but it just made her life dark. That is how she felt; she lived in darkness without him. All her memories with him were filled with light and the smell of woods and rain that emanated from his every pore.
Sakura pressed her hand to his that was still on her face. "I don't want to be without you." She let her heart speak for the first time in a long time.
Kakashi pulled her into his lap and embraced her, kissing her head lovingly. She stirred and looked up to his face and pulled his mask down gently, doing it as if for the first time. Her fingers traced the scar on his face, the slope of his nose, the line of his lips. Her hand rested on his cheek and gently pulled him down to her face. The kiss was almost chaste, just a gentle touch of their lips. Kakashi's hand came up to her neck and pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss, trying to convey all he felt for her in this simple movement of lips.
As their kisses grew more passionate, their hands kept wondering around their bodies, feeling each other. It was not hurried, it was intense and every touch, every stroke and every kiss was full of emotion that made Sakura feel as though her heart will burst from the joy and bliss of the moment.
Only when she felt the soft bed press into her back did she realize that Kakashi had picked her up and moved them to his bedroom. She didn't realize up till now how much she missed the feel of his body pressing her into the mattress. The touch of his hands on her skin and his lips on hers.
Sakura felt her skin burn at his touch and she felt frustrated and trapped in the clothes. She wanted, no she needed to feel his skin on hers and she pulled impatiently at his garments that he willingly discarded. As he was busy with his own shirt she pulled her self up and ran her hands and lips around his firm torso. The smell, feel and taste of his skin were almost intoxicating and she kept kissing every part of his chest that she had access to. Kakashi let out a feral sound, almost a growl, when she ran her nails almost painfully over his back, effectively pulling him closer to her body. His weight on top of her was making her feel grounded, as if this was the place she belonged, in his arms. This felt so right to her that she almost wanted to scream at herself for being so blind and stupid and stubborn these past weeks about the feelings and insecurities that made her so reckless. She saw so many reasons of why this shouldn't be, so many obstacles and only darkness and confusion. Once she saw him, it was like someone turned on a light and she could see clearly once again.
Kakashi sensed that her mood has changed slightly so he stopped his nibbling of her ear and looked at her face, hoping she didn't change her mind. He was not sure if he would be able to let her go so easily this time. When he saw her it almost took his breath away. She cupped his face with her palm and smiled the most happiest and loving smile he had ever seen on a woman's face. She looked like and angel, whit a pink halo around her face as her hair spread on the white pillow she was lying on and a smile that would melt the coldest of hearts.
Kakashi smiled back at her, a smile that she knew was meant only for her. He moved his hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair out of her brow leaving a kiss in its place. He kissed almost every centimeter of her face, teasing her by kissing her just at the corner of her mouth. Sakura gave out an impatient whimper as she felt almost feverish as her body heated under those chaste, butterfly kisses he was leaving on her face. He happily complied, crushing his lips to hers, leaving her breathless from the overwhelming emotions behind it. His hands traveled down her side just to get under the fabric of her shirt. His warm palm pressed to her slim waist and Sakura arched her back as he moved his hand to the small of her waist and pulled her to him. Sakura's head fell back to the pillow to give Kakashi a better access to her neck and the sensitive spot just below her ear. Sakura bit her lip as he found the spot on her neck and sucked on it, leaving a red mark in its place as she had left red scratch marks on his back.
Kakashi moved down her body to lift her shirt up on her body, kissing her flat stomach on his way up. His kisses were making her skin heat up and tingle with the anticipation of his next touch and kiss. Once the shirt was discarded he moved his hands behind her back to unclasp her light blue bra and let it fall to the ground with the rest of their clothes and proceeded to kiss her until they were both out of breath.
This time it wasn't about lust, quick joining of two bodies searching for release. This time it was desire, it was about the touch, the kiss, the smell, the feel of the other person. She realized that this was truly the first time they were making love, instead of having sex. As hot and satisfying their joining was in the past, it was incomparable to the way her heart felt, warm as if it was about to melt just from the look of longing in his eyes before he kissed her silly. She knew she would not be able to cross the room of how weak her legs felt every time his lips touched hers.
Sakura moved her hands around his back and to the front to unbutton and unzip his pants and moved them down his body as her arms could reach and used her feet to tug them rest of the way with his help. All that remained from their clothes were Sakura's light blue panties and his grey boxers that as Sakura noticed has shuriken pattern printed on them. They were so much like Kakashi that she would have laughed if he didn't clasp his lips around her pink nipple at the same moment. The trained flick of his tongue around her nipple almost made her come and she let out a deep moan.
When he moved his hand to her other nipple it was almost too much for her and she gripped the sheets with one hand and his hair with the other arching her back into him. When he paid the same attention to her other breast she pulled him up her body and kissed him and aligning their sexes at the same time. The feel of his hard member pressing on her waiting and aching entrance was making her heart race with anticipation and the coil in her stomach tighten. She moved her hands over his back once again letting her hands go down over his defined muscles to his tight bottom. Sakura slid her hands under the fabric of his boxers and felt him shiver at her touch. She pulled at his underwear and he took it off while she slipped her own panties down her legs and to the floor.
For a moment they just looked in each others eyes as he positioned himself at her wet entrance, their faces close, and their breaths mixing. His right hand entwined and gripping hers, pushing her into the mattress as the world went silent and all they could hear was the blood pumping through their veins and their hearts beating in their ears. As Kakashi slowly pushed himself inside of her, Sakura let out a silent 'oh' as she opened her mouth and closed her eyes in ecstasy. His own head fell down to her neck as he willed himself not to come in that instant. Her warmth enclosed him and he lost himself in her softness. When he got his emotions a little under check he slowly started to move out and back again into her satin-like softness.
As their bodies started to glisten from perspiration their movement began to quicken. They both wanted to stay in this state of pre-climax but it was getting closer with each pump and it was impossible to stop their bodies from reaching what they ached for. In almost perfect sync Sakura climaxed and as her walls clasped around his member it forced him to climax with her. With last few irregular pumps and laud moans from both of them Kakashi collapsed on top of Sakura, but moved to turn them around, taking her with him unwilling to lose the contact of their bodies. He felt as her walls still pulsated with her orgasm as he was still inside her. She lay on top of him, her face buried in his neck and her arms resting on his chest. Kakashi pulled the side of his bed cover over them as the chill of the night reached their heated bodies and like that, joined together, they fell asleep.
When Kakashi was woken up in the morning by Sakura's kisses he didn't even mind that it was just six in the morning. When Sakura pushed away from him and looked him in the eyes.
"So, what now?" Sakura asked with a little insecurity in her voice.
"Now my dear ex-student," Kakashi answered and kissed a part of her face and neck with every word," I'll send Pakkun to the hospital to let them know that you are really, really sick and will be unable to work for the next week or two. Might get a little serious and I will have to quarantine you for a month or two, just to be sure of course."
"Oh my, that seems really serious. I should really stay in bed. Maybe you should send Pakkun also to let them know that I will need taking care off so you will not be available for any missions the next few months. Just to be sure you didn't get it from me." Sakura suggested and pulled his face closer to hers "As I am a trained medical professional I would start with a mouth to mouth and see if there is a way to save me."
Sakura smiled at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes and kissed him until they both forgot that they wanted to let the outside world to know that they were unavailable for the next few weeks. That proved to be very unfortunate for one ANBU agent that instead of knocking on the door went for the window instead. He had nightmares for the rest of his life that always had a pink and white tint to them.
Reviews are always welcome ;) and thank you again for reading!