A/N: Finally, the last chapter of this story! :D
I am so thankful for all the support this story of mine received, thank you everyone for reading!
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Her big pearly eyes seemed to swallow him whole.
'Daisuke–' she whispered, but all he could focus on was the movement of her perfect lips around his name and he found himself silencing her with a kiss. She felt soft and warm and perfect–
The door to his office shut with a click. "Yeah?" the Hokage asked, not even bothering to look who it was as he flipped the page. The gait in his walk, his breathing pattern and even the distance at which he stopped – the identity of his visitor was no mystery to Kakashi.
and she sighed into the kiss exactly like he imagined she would. His nose brushed against her hair and damn, her smell was heady, like a perfume he couldn't get enough of. The feeling of her body pressed against his was making his body act–
His book got slammed shut. Kakashi sighed. As he lazily dragged his eyes up, he found Sasuke's unamused face staring him down.
"I was listening," Kakashi defended, raising his arms to placate his ex-student.
"It's important."
Kakashi leaned back in his chair. "Then go on."
Sasuke licked his lips. Oh, so a tall order is coming. "Hinata and I want to leave."
"On or off the rooster?"
"Off."
"How long?"
Sasuke glanced to the side. Indefinitely, Kakashi supposed, the look on Sasuke's face was telling enough. He broke the silence, settling on another question instead. "Will you ever come back?"
"Maybe." Of course. It would permanently scorch his Uchiha tongue to admit for once that he didn't know.
"Who else knows?"
"No one."
Kakashi groaned. Fantastic, I'll have to explain to Naruto why his boyfriend left again… to tell Hiashi that an unsealed Byakugan user IS gone. Shit. "It's quite the situation you're putting me in."
He found little sympathy in the dark eye of the Uchiha. "They'd try to stop us – Naruto and the damn Hyuugas, the Inuzukas..."
"Supposing it was granted," Kakashi said, knowing well that he wouldn't deny Sasuke the one request he laid before him since returning, "what else do you need me for?"
"Marry us tonight."
"In secret?"
Sasuke nodded.
"I thought the future in-laws liked you and that no one opposed your… union?"
"We leave directly after."
"What a pain. You really didn't tell anyone?"
"Anyone but the witness."
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When Kakashi arrived at the cemetery, he passed by her without a second thought. In fact, even now, looking at her aged face bare of make-up and at the crinkles which had settled around her eyes, he could barely recognise the kunoichi he'd fought along all those years ago. When he heard Hinata had chosen the witness, he'd expected it to be her sister or maybe the Inuzuka, heck, even Tenten, but not Kurenai.
As their two students left at the break of dawn, Kurenai just brushed her palm against her plain, washed out cotton dress, looking in the direction they had departed towards lovingly. It just then struck Kakashi, as the early morning rays hit Kurenai's profile, that strands of silver had found their way in her coal black hair. It must've been years since they last really talked.
They hadn't seen each other much since Asuma. Since Mirai. Since she became a civilian. Since he took up the Hokage title and felt foreign amongst his peers.
"Have you asked why they left?" he finally managed.
Her ruby eyes were sharp as ever scrutinising him and maybe he's been a fool to consider her a civilian just yet. Her lips arched into a sad smile, as her manicured hand brushed against Neji's tombstone. Ah. Of course.
Even though the answer was obsolete, she verbalised it. "They bonded over their losses. Recently, it's been chaining them. I hope they find the freedom they seek."
His heart twisted in his chest, wondering if he had ever moved on, if he had ever let go. Those were meaningless questions, he was needed in office and he had his plate full as it was. For now, he should be content sweeping such questions under the rug and unpack them sometime later. Maybe during his retirement. Maybe when he'll retire he'll have that serene look on his face when talking about death like she does.
He left alone towards the Hokage tower, wishing he still had people to talk to.
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Naruto nearly went berserk. But Kami had enough of being a bitch and thankfully Sakura and the promise of being named Hokage soon were enough to keep him back in the village.
The Hyuugas were a whole other story. They threatened to leave the village altogether. Shikamaru did well enough to placate them. Hurt family, friends and teammates came knocking on his door over the last week, asking for explanations, eager to get their frustrations out. He let them throw all they had at him.
He was in the tower now well before sunrise to hopefully get some overdue work done. The door of his office clicked shut. Fucking hell, who is it now? The gait was unfamiliar. No shinobi. Civilians at this hour in his office?
"Listen–" he tried, raising his eyes from the pile of paperwork still to be done.
"Hm?" came her answer, mirth written all over her face. Kurenai laid two styrofoam cups on his desk, seating herself on the other end.
Ugh, the smell.
She had brought sweet tea. Disgusting.
Well, maybe she didn't know him that well anymore either.