Chapter Ten
As the darkness began to fade away, leaving Sakura feeling lightheaded yet strangely happy, she stirred from her horizontal position, slowly opening her eyes. Where am I? What happened?
"Good. You're waking up. I was worried, miss," said a deep, mumbling voice nearby. On instinct, Sakura sat up, hand reaching for where her kunai would be, if she were carrying them with her. At once, her head began to throb in complaint to the quick movement, and a groan escaped her lips. Oh God, bad move. My kunai…oh, right. I'm supposed to be a civilian, not a ninja. Damn.
"Easy, miss," came the easygoing voice again, this time accompanied with a strong hand that settled itself firmly against her back, helping her to sustain her sitting position.
When the dizziness faded and her vision was restored to her, Sakura took in her surroundings. She found herself sitting on a couch in a small yet comfortable apartment. With an imperceptible chuckle, Sakura grinned. It looks almost exactly like his old apartment in Konoha…although there's not as many bookshelves full of those gross books. As she sat there, the scent of home wrapped around her, filling her with a warmth she had not known in a long, long time. There was no doubt, now; she had found him. She had finally found him.
Smiling, tears began to race down her cheeks as she turned to the owner of the kind, comforting voice. Noticing the tears and the shift of attention to him, Obito shifted uncomfortably. "Is there anything wrong, miss?"
Slightly confused, Sakura shook her head. "No…but why do you keep calling me 'miss?'"
Equally confused, Obito frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure we haven't met before…um…"
Realizing he wanted her name, Sakura's brow furrowed. Is this not Kakashi? But I don't understand…even with a transformation jutsu in place, there's no mistaking his infamous eye squint…. Then, in a moment of pure genius, Sakura realized that the transformation jutsu she had used in order to wander Amegakure safely was still in place. With a smirk, Sakura watched the look of confusion on Kakashi's face turn to shock as her jutsu slowly dissipated, revealing her true features. "Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
Obito, also known as Kakashi, felt his heart grow still as the plain, travel-weary citizen faded away into the beautiful form of his former student. Completely forgetting all worries of being seen, he did away with his transformation jutsu. In the reflection of her green, green eyes, he could see the transformation take place, his dirt-brown hair turning to silver, his grey left eye bleeding red, his long, white scar winding its way down his face. With a smile, his voice hoarse, he said, "Of course. Sakura…"
Her tears flowing faster now, Sakura smiled through them, reaching a tentative hand up to his face. With the lightest of touches, she cupped his face, feeling Kakashi lean into her touch with a sigh. Still unable to believe what she saw, Sakura whispered in an amazed, wondering tone, "Kakashi."
Silently, Kakashi pulled her into his arms and held her to him as tightly as was comfortable. He closed his eyes, his heart nearly exploding at the feel of her in his arms. "I've missed you, Sakura."
She pulled away slightly, still enfolded gently within his arms, her tears still flowing as she gazed up into his eyes. Loosening his hold around her, Kakashi gazed down at her, his eyes warm with emotions usually foreign to him. And that was when she began hitting him.
"You idiot!" Sakura cried, sobbing in grief, her fists colliding with Kakashi's chest. "Why did you leave me all alone? How could you? You have no idea what I've been through, what I've suffered! And when I finally find you, after three years of darkness, you just smile and hold me as if nothing happened. You were fucking dead for three years, Kakashi! Three years!"
With each sentence, Sakura's hits weakened and her shoulders sagged, until she was leaning into him, sobbing her heart out. Kakashi, full of remorse, let her cry against him, holding her tightly, secretly glad she stopped hitting him. "I'm sorry, Sakura. But it had to be done."
"Is that all you're going to tell me? Is that the only explanation you can tell me?" asked Sakura softly, and it was then that Kakashi saw how dark Sakura's once vibrant eyes had become, full of pain and knowledge she should not have known for one so young. "You, Naruto and Sasuke are all I've thought about since your deaths. I spent the last three years trapped in memories, unable to move on without knowing why or how. It was my worst nightmare come true, and it killed me, shattered me, broke my heart. But I had to live. I had to know their deaths…your death. I had to exist, to breathe, because if I didn't we'd just fade away. The only proof of our existence would be our names simply engraved on a rock in the middle of nowhere. All the times we shared together, our friendship, our challenges…forgotten. How could I that happen?"
"I'm sorry, Sakura," repeated Kakashi, a long, slow sigh escaping his lips. "But if you got hurt because of me, the way Naruto and Sasuke did…" With a catch in his throat, Kakashi closed his eyes tightly against the memory, unable to continue.
Eyes full of sadness, Sakura said, "I nearly died every day that you, Naruto and Sasuke weren't in my life." Lifting up her sleeve, she exposed the ANBU tattoo on her arm. "And believe me, some days it was difficult to survive."
"You? In ANBU?" Kakashi asked incredulously, a slight frown on his face. Shaking his head, he gazed into her eyes. "You were supposed to live happily, be loved and get married, popping out kids left and right, living until you were a hundred…not trying to get yourself killed in ANBU. That is not life…not a real one, anyway."
"How could I possibly live, have a happy life without you by my side?" Sakura said softly and, hearing her own words, she paled, covering her hand with her mouth.
Kakashi, having stilled at her statement, searched her face with his serious, mismatched eyes. With a slow, calm voice, he asked, "What?"
Sakura bit her lip nervously, for he had voiced the very question she had been thinking. But it was her heart, not her mind, that knew the answer, so she began slowly, steadily. "Kakashi…you were my oldest and truest friend. You were always there for me, always a silent and constant reminder to keep going, even though I wasn't as strong or gifted as Sasuke and Naruto. They were like brothers to me, but you were more than that. Yes, I treated you the same as them, but I couldn't possibly think of you as my brother. It was…wrong. I couldn't…I wouldn't dare think of you as my brother. I-I guess, deep down, I loved you even back then.
"I loved everything about you, every quality, every attribute, every habit. I loved your eyes, both the grey one and the red one. I loved how your grey eye could warm, full of kindness, even though you had suffered through hardships. I loved your Sharingan eye, because even though it was deadly, it would twirl almost lazily sometimes, and it was a reminder that it was you who wielded its power, and I knew you would never use it to harm me. I loved how you treated me, giving me space when I needed it, or being a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on whenever I had problems. I loved how calm and cool you were, no matter the situation. I loved how you tilted your head up to the sky when it rained; embracing it as a gift instead of the nuisance I believed it to be. As the years passed, my love grew, but I never knew it existed within me.
"And then you died. You, Naruto, and Sasuke. That was the day my life ended, the day the world crashed down around me. I was haunted by it, by the end of all I loved and care about. No one knew how it had happened, no one would tell me the condition of Naruto's and Sasuke's bodies, even though I knew it was terrible by the look of Tsunade's face, and worst of all, no one knew where you had gone, if you were dead or alive. Without knowledge, I was trapped in the dark, and I stayed there for three long years.
"Everything reminded me of you, Naruto and Sasuke, and I couldn't escape it. I was tortured by the thought of how your lives had ended so quickly, how your death was like ripping out my own heart. I tried missions, but they were not nearly distracting enough, even ANBU missions. I started smoking to chase away the jittery, nervous feeling I had begun to have. When smoking didn't suffice, I began drinking, but that did not last long enough. I was cursed with a constant headache, no matter how many times I used medical jutsus to get rid of it.
"I was lost, wasting my life away, awaiting my end to be reunited with Naruto, Sasuke…and you, especially. How could I get married, have a family, and grow old and ugly with my heart crying your name with every beat?"
Taking a moment to fully comprehend all that Sakura has said, Kakashi shook his head. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."
With a sharp intake of breath, Sakura lowered her head, unable to conceal the pain in her eyes. She had just poured her heart out to him, told him things she had never voiced aloud before, things she had never even been able to think about, and he had responded with the coldest, cruelest sentence she had ever heard. Tears forming in her eyes, she tried to shake it off, but it was next to impossible.
Seeing this, Kakashi gently pushed her chin upward, forcing her to look at him. With a soft touch, he smoothed the lines from her forehead, brushed the tears away. "You'd never become ugly, Sakura. Not in a million years." With that, he placed gentle lips upon her own.
Taken by surprise, Sakura's heart filled with joy as she responded to his kiss, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. Feeling his arms snake around her waist, she sighed happily, eyes fluttering shut.
Slowly, their gentle, soft kiss became heated and passionate, and Sakura fisted her hand in his hair, moaning softly. With a grunt, Kakashi pulled her into his lap, their bodies pressed tightly against each other. Feeling her impossibly soft yet firm body against his, her curves molding against him perfectly, Kakashi nearly let out a moan of blissful agony. Breaking the kiss, Kakashi placed hot, almost frenzied kisses along her neck, sucking, kissing and biting the smooth, soft skin there. Breathing heavily, Sakura tilted her neck to give him easier access, her arms reaching around his back, pulling him closer, feeling her full, aching breasts press scandalously against his solid body.
With a soft sigh, still placing kisses along her neck, Kakashi murmured, "Sakura." With that one word, Kakashi froze, suddenly realized what he was doing, and to whom. In a split second, he had himself removed from her vicinity, standing stiffly by the stairs.
Blinking quickly, Sakura immediately realized that Kakashi was no longer holding her, no longer caressing her. Confused, she turned towards him, head tilted questioningly.
Kakashi gazed at her with a blank expression for a moment, and then quickly looked away. For, in that one moment, he saw her lips were parted, slightly pursed, still awaiting his lips to return. He saw how deeply she was breathing, causing her chest to heave provocatively. But worst of all, he saw her green, green eyes, still hazy with passion, pupils dilated with desire, her gaze filled with nothing but thoughts of him.
Turning away from her, his steps already leading him down the stairs, he mumbled, "I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened. Forgive me." Before she could reply, he disappeared quickly; the sound of his fading footsteps filled the air as he raced down the stairs, retreating to the sanctuary of his bookstore.
Whew! I've finished, I've finally finished! (*sobs with joy*) God, you have no idea how long that took to think up. Heck, it took even longer to type it up. Jeez. Ugh. I'm so tired! (*sigh*) Alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It should be a little longer than the last couple chapters. If it's not, then I'm sorry. It felt like I had been typing pages and pages...well, okay, four pages, but still. Okay. I'm done. I don't know how many more chapters this story will have, but we should be around the halfway point. So...yeah. I won't ruin the whole anticipation thing by saying a specific number, 'cause then I'd have to live up to it and make the story good and interesting, so I'm just go where inspiration takes me. But I do have a hint of an idea for another story...but I promise not to post another story until I complete at least one of my stories. I think I have...five(?) stories going at the moment. Waaaayyy too much, if you ask me. Too much use of my imagination!!! AAUUGGHH!!! Nah, I'm kidding. It's all good fun. Writing is fun. Whoa, I've just been typing and not even thinking about what I'm actually typing. I really am tired. I'd better go before I say something weird. Laters.
I do not own Naruto.
