***NOTES***
I know last week was a heavy hitter...the next two weeks are a steep incline of added tension dialogue...we're speeding up, and going up a hill lol (Just bear with me a bit.)
Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto, or Naruto-adjacent media
Chapter 5: I am your Medic
When Sakura woke up, her eyes were still heavy and refused to open. All she could hear were nearby voices—
One of them, she recognized right away.
"Maa, she should be fine...I think?" Sakura didn't have to see him to know his eyes were probably looking at the ceiling and a hand was at the back of his neck.
"What do you mean you 'think'? Aren't you her partner?" some woman asked with a raspy voice.
"It's sort of a new partnership."
"I see."
"...but she said 'don't freak out', so I think it's normal for her to be like this...?"
The woman sighed. "Alright. Let me call a healer to come and take care of your wounds then."
Well, that won't do,she thought. Wake up, Sakura.
With a scratchy cough and a dry throat, her eyes fluttered open as she tried to speak.
"H-he won't need a healer. I'll take care of him," Sakura forced out with her eyes still squeezed shut. Her voice came out raspier than expected, but at least her throat and lungs didn't feel like they were on fire anymore.
All good signs of recovery—Excellent. Love it when I'm not dead.
Sakura noticed they were in a traditional styled tatami room as she tried to clear her throat, and slowly shifted to sit up.
She felt the occupants of the room fix their attention on her.
Kakashi was standing next to her as she laid on top of the pompously fluffy futon in the middle of a simple, but ornate room. He looked exhausted; which was no surprise to Sakura. His silver hair was tousled and wind swept from travel, and a mixture of dried blood and dirt covered his ANBU uniform.
She noted that they both were not donning their ANBU mask for some reason, and since ANBU didn't wear hitai-ate, she came face to face with two mismatched eyes. Slightly glazed over. Definitely drooping.
He glanced over her one last time, and after being apparently pleased with her joining the land of the waking again, he slowly closed his left eye.
She could see blood was seeping through the bandages that she had tied around his torso earlier. Sakura knew she had stitched the wound clumsily before she passed out, but he must have popped the stitches on the run—to what she assumed—was the Fire Capital.
Oh, good. We made it, she hummed to herself.
There, next to Kakashi, was a short portly woman. Her brown hair was swept in a perfect low bun at the nape of her neck and without a single hair out of place. Expensive kimono. Several rings on her fingers. She carried an aura of overwhelming confidence and an air elegance that made Sakura assume she was aristocracy—especially after seeing the Fire Daimyo clan's kamon on the sleeve of her kimono.
"That's ridiculous. You're half-dead, and he's bleeding out on my floor! Let me get someone—"
"I'm his medic. No one is healing him, but me."
The room stayed silent at that. She realized her voice came out with a little more of a bite than she had intended. She attempted to correct her impoliteness and tried again in a softer voice.
"I appreciate your concern—" My Lady? Ma'am? Screw it. "...but we will be fine. I've taken care of him for years. I know his body inside and out—no one is better at healing him than me."
The woman did not answer her, but instead her eyes travelled over Sakura's face with polite distaste.
"I thought you said it was a 'new ' partnership...?" She asked Kakashi with a raised brow.
Kakashi crinkled an eye-smile at her. "Ah, well...new on my end."
If the lady thought it was odd, she didn't say. She just smiled back politely but her eyes shifted between them both. After a moment's pause, the woman clapped both her hands together in a loud single slap.
"Well, you two are welcome to relax here for the night. I believe sometime tomorrow my husband would like to meet you with you personally. You both have our greatest gratitude for saving our daughter." She bowed slightly. "Thank you for protecting Hikari, when I could not."
Without waiting for any kind of acknowledgment or reply, the woman turned on her heels and left the room through the heavy wood sliding doors.
***かかし***
Kakashi didn't wait for the door to slide shut before he turned to Sakura. She beat him to it.
"Yo." She teased, as she smiled wearily up at him from her place on the futon.
"Yo, yourself." His eyes caught the torn opening of her shirt and the faded pale scar that sat there on her chest. It was astonishing to see how fast she healed, as the scar almost looked weeks—if not months—older than the scar should be.
"Today was just not our day, huh?" She said as she stared at him. A little smile crept on her lips after a moment, and he felt his shoulders loosen. "Someday though, will be."
His lips twitched; he was tempted to smile.
"Are you okay?" he asked while keeping his eyes on her scar.
Her smile widened, but the dark rings under her eyes and the twitch at the corner of her lips spoke of her true exhaustion.
Otherwise, she looked acceptably alive.
"I'm fine...I've taken a lot of damage before while using that seal, but surprisingly I've never had to regrow part of my own heart before…It was actually very enlightening!—but let's not do it a second time. Deal?"
He felt his lips tug into a smile beneath his mask, despite his weariness. "Deal."
The Copy-Nin watched her eyes travel over the room as she sat on her knees on top of her futon.
Her eyes paused at the futon laid out next to hers. Kakashi had told their host they would stay together, as it was customary during ANBU missions to never split up, but it seemed she took as they were a couple. If it bothered Sakura somehow, she didn't say.
Instead, she patted the futon next to hers and motioned for him to lie down on top of it.
"Let me fix you up, then you can catch me up on what I missed…—Ah, actually you may want to grab a towel first? These futons look way too expensive for you to be bleeding all over it..."
He stepped into the adjacent bathroom and grabbed a big fluffy-looking white towel that was placed by the sink for them to use and spread it out over the futon before laying down over it. Slowly, he peeled back the blood-soaked compression shirt to let Sakura examine his wound.
It was a mess—dirt and grim were mixed in with the dried blood. Fresh blood too.
Her feather-light fingers traced over the line of her stitches and a green chakra started to flood into his system. He watched her pink brows flurry together as she bit her bottom lip in concentration.
"Let's see...somewhat minor chakra exhaustion. Major physical exhaustion. Some bruising and cuts...as for the large gash—it's really not that bad? The wound grazed right above the hip with a clean entry and exit, and was shallow enough that it didn't hit any major organs. It looks like the stitches popped while in transit and caused gradual bleeding, but overall it's just a flesh wound...It won't take long at all."
"How long are we talking—?" He felt her chakra flood into his systems.
It washed over him in a soothing burst that felt like menthol—tingling and cool—and took away any discomfort immediately. He felt momentarily dazed at the relief of it, so he bit his tongue and shut his eyes at the sensation. As quickly as it started, it disappeared only moments later.
"There! All done."
With nimble fingers, Sakura pulled the loose stitching out with a tug. She rubbed her thumb over the new skin, before wiping the wound with the towel beneath him. Kakashi quickly sat up, Sharingan swirling as he observed where the injury once was. There was no scar or any trace of it previously being hurt.
"How did you do that?" He gruffed out as his fingers traced an invisible scar on his torso.
"Do what? Heal you?" She looked at him confused.
"How could you do it that fast? I've never seen a medic do that before."
She snorted. "It's because I know your chakra so well. You're right for anyone else it would have taken me a little longer. But each person has their own chakra flow—their own frequency. And I know yours better than anyone, that's why I can match it instantly and apply medical jutsu without a second thought."
He stared at her blankly. "I wonder how many times I had to injure myself for you to get that point…?"
The Copy-nin felt exasperated just thinking about it. He shut his left eye again, in an attempt to slow the chakra drain from it, as she continued her examination of his other minor injuries.
"Oh, countless...if we are keeping a tally, I'm pretty sure I've saved your life more than you've saved mine." Her green eyes shined competitively.
"So, what you're telling me is that you are the absolute, single reason as to why I make it to the ripe old age of my forties?"
She smiled coyly, "Of course, I am."
Kakashi hummed appreciatively and watched her make quick work of several cuts and bruises along his arms.
Every once in a while, her soft fingers would linger over past scars. Some of them were pale and faded, others jagged and raised. Thousands of little marks littered his chest and arms, and he wondered how much worse it was in the future.
"...I had forgotten how many scars you had." He watched her trace a particularly deep nick on his forearm, as he studied the cool reflective green of her eyes.
"Forgotten? Have they disappeared somewhere?"
Her gentle fingers twitched as if she realized she was lingering, and she cleared her throat and moved on.
"Sort of. I wasn't joking you know, I'm basically your personal medic." She laughed under her breath, but the viridian pools of her eyes stayed on their task of healing a bruise near his rib.
"You refuse to go to the hospital like a normal person. So, I literally had to beg you to come to me instead. I do all your check-ups and post-mission healing sessions...but it's mostly years of you sneaking in through my window at all times of day or night already half-dead."
He raised a brow at her statement but didn't reply. He wasn't surprised to hear his adamant dislike of health institutions continued on in the future.
He was, however, surprised by his heavy reliance on her.
He sat up when she was done healing but remained silent. When he did not comment on her declaration, she gave another knowing coy smile with dancing eyes.
"Unsettling, isn't it? To have someone you don't know that well, know every inch of your body?" her fingers flitted across his shoulder mockingly.
He gave her a lazy unimpressed look. "You're exaggerating."
"Am not," she almost sang.
"Alright, then," he scoffed, "Prove it to me."
She blinked up at him.
"...are you sure?"
"Why not?" Kakashi shrugged to cover his irritation, "Tell me about my bum knee, and a stiff shoulder."
There is no fucking way…
Sakura snorted. "No, no that's far too boring."
Her smile grew even wider, but Kakashi stilled when he felt her fingers linger on a certain spot.
"Here, where your shoulder meets your neck—you have a small, almost invisible scar from where you barely dodged Kushina. When she threw a kitchen knife at you for saying something incredibly rude. You didn't tell me what it was, but you laughed and said it was 'justifiable, even with that temper of hers'."
Her cool fingers traveled upwards toward the indent on his hairline.
"Up here, you said you banged your head on a door when you were a toddler. You don't remember it, but you said your father would rub it sometimes and say your mother would kill him if she could see it."
She smiled wryly and dropped her hand to his knee that was resting between them.
"Right above your left knee you have a small star-shaped scar that Obito left from a stray shuriken during practice. You told me once that 'his aim was as bad as his personality '..."
He felt her fingers shift towards his right hand and ghost over the back of his fingerless gloves.
"And here, you have a scar from a kunai that went straight through your palm—just like Naruto's from that day when we were heading to the Land of Waves. Except, you didn't do it to yourself—Rin did it to you, when she attacked you right before she died—and you refused to fight back."
Her clear jade eyes finally met his. They searched his own in a moment of silence, and Kakashi was unsure of what she was trying to find.
He felt his mouth go dry, and that nagging persistent storm of multiple emotions brewed in his chest. He didn't notice until later that her hand didn't move from his.
"Why would you know all this about me? Why would you even care? "
She shrugged, "We made a deal."
"What deal? " He growled through gritted teeth. His left eye pulsed, and he struggled to keep it closed.
"I asked if I could heal your scars—all of them. You had so many from your ANBU days that you never tended too properly, but you wouldn't let me touch these select few–so we made a deal. I agreed to let you keep those scars, if you told me why."
"...And I just told you?"
"No, you gave me some pretty bullshitty answers at first," she said with a snort. "But you see I can be very persistent—and stubborn—truly, it's equal parts both my talent and my downfall. In this case, however, I was able to wear you down little by little until the answers started to sound suspiciously like truths."
She tilted her head to the side with a smile. Kakashi contemplated her reply.
"...You know every inch?"
"Medically? Yes, I do."
"...including my face?"
A cocky smirk painted itself on her face. "I was wondering when you'd ask."
"I thought you were bluffing when you told Naruto the other day. You laid it on a little thick, don't you think?"
"Naruto didn't believe me either!" she laughed, and then dropped her voice to playful purr. "And I didn't lay it on thick—have you seen your face? Your beauty mark? It's just not fair you look like that and hide it behind a mask."
He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. If they were as close as she claimed they were, he supposed it made sense that she would have seen his face.
"...It's okay though. Don't force yourself around me just because I've seen you without your mask. The one who showed me was Future-Kakashi, not you. He was comfortable enough to show me—I don't expect the same from you."
She gave a polite, but dimmed smile.
Kakashi just nodded in response.
"Speaking of masks, what happened to our ANBU masks? Why did you take both of ours off?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Hikari's mother said she wanted to see the faces of the ones who saved her daughter. Who was I to refuse a Daimyo's wife?"
The pinkette pointed at his usual mask with mirth in her eyes. "Ah, bet she wasn't expecting a second one underneath. Was she okay with that one?"
"...no, not really." he recalled with a breathy chuckle. "She ordered me to take it off too, but before I could refuse her and cause a diplomatic nightmare, the little girl came to my rescue."
"Your biggest secret—saved by a five year old! " She smiled wider, but it faltered a bit after a moment of thought. "Is Hikari-chan okay...? She was so scared, and I'm sure she saw far too much for any child, much less one so young."
Kakashi thought for a moment, he wanted to choose his words carefully. He patted her head like he had done before and tried to ignore the specks of blood that settled in her pink locks.
"She's alive and safe now. She's home. Pakkun told me how you handled the situation, you did everything right." Kakashi felt his voice quiet to a contrite whisper. "I'm the one that needs to apologize. If I had properly disposed of my opponent, then you wouldn't have had to take a hit for me...I'm sorry for that. And thank you for saving my life once again."
Her green eyes softened at his tone as she looked up at him under his hand.
"Well, I can't let you die before we even get started, Kakashi. Talk about a temporal catastrophe."
Kakashi snorted but felt another smile tug at his lips beneath his mask.
***かかし***
After Sakura had decreed that they were both chakra depleted and physically exhausted, she sent them both to clean up and to get to bed right away.
Kakashi felt somewhat like a small child that was being herded from one place to the next.
She practically pushed him in the bathroom to shower. Then, took his dirtied and bloodied uniform from him to get cleaned and mended. He knew she had packed some of his extra ANBU undershirts and pants just in case, and he heard her pop the storage scroll to retrieve them.
As soon as he was out, she all but shoved him into his futon and turned off the lights as she moved to the bathroom for her turn.
There he laid, after the fact, like a child during their bedtime thinking there was no way he would be able to sleep.
…But the sound of the shower echoed in the room and her soft humming resonated on the wall tiles of the bathroom. The smell of soap and Sakura's own scent wafted in the air, and Kakashi faded into sleep without his permission.
He awoke in the middle of the night–panting and sweating like usual when he had a nightmare.
He sat straight up trying to calm himself and take note of his surroundings. The sky was darker outside and long pale shadows cast along the room.
The shower was no longer running, and there was no humming.
Just silence.
And of course…His own crushing—Anxiety. Panic. Fear. Guilt. Remorse.
The usual.
He searched for her frantically as his chest heaved in the shock of his nightmare. Large broken breaths were pushing his way out his chest and he struggled to get them under control.
And then...
There she was, laying in her futon a few feet away from him, huddled under the ridiculously fluffy futon with nothing to be seen but a wave of damp bubblegum hair splayed out on her pillow.
She was close. So close, he could reach out and touch her if he really wanted too.
He couldn't see her face at first, but she mumbled something and shifted her face out from under her cocoon. Glowing feline—like eyes caught the moonlight as they blinked up at him sleepy. Her brows flurried and she stifled a yawn as she stared at him with blurry eyes.
"Mm-mmm...—kashi? " She mumbled quietly, but Kakashi was having trouble hearing her over the sound of his heavy heartbeat and gasps of air.
"Mmmm breathe...just breathe Kakashi..." her eyes slid shut again sleepily.
A lone arm stretched out towards him from her blanket cocoon. It rested on the tatami mat in the space between their two futons, like it was suspended in some kind of no man's land—searching for something.
"Breathe...just breathe," she grumbled as she continued to repeat herself again.
She told him to breathe over and over with the same quiet voice. At first, the words were seconds apart...then minutes...
...until Kakashi had at some point laid back down and fell asleep again staring at the small hand reaching towards him, and the soft voice that wouldn't let him be alone.
***さくら***
Sakura woke up the next morning with her mind clear, but her body was still aching and sluggish.
She was tired. Just so so tired…and there was definitely a phantom ache in her sternum that she was determined to ignore.
So, she slept. She deserved it, right?
She dazed in and out of sleep even as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. Kakashi did much of the same next to her.
It must have been nearing noon by the time she was forced awake by a knock on the door.
"Honored guests?" a voice called from the hallway. "Daimyo-sama requests your presence today. We would like to serve lunch for you both if you would allow us to set up...?"
She peeked out from her cave of blankets to find Kakashi sitting up in his bed, raking a hand through his messy silver hair and yawning underneath his mask. He stood and stretched his back, making Sakura note she would have to massage him again since she assumed he carried her all the way here.
He slid the door open and stuck his head out to discuss something with the room attendant. While Sakura pushed her way out her mass of blankets like some kind of birthed animal, and went about tidying away their futons. Kakashi slid the door shut when he was done and moved behind her to help stack the futons in the corner of the room.
He was wearing only his black sleeveless ANBU undershirt and a pair of cotton joggers, but he was all lithe muscles and pale scars. Sakura took in the sight sneakily.
Her own body was wrapped in one of his masked undershirts, but the mask laid around her neck in a pool of fabric. It fit like an oversized sleep dress, settling mid-thigh, and was comfortable enough to where she had no complaints. Who needed pants anyway?
"Go ahead and get ready." He called to her aimlessly, but Sakura caught his gaze before he shifted away. Was he eyeing her legs?
He cleared his throat.
"Our uniforms are still being mended, but apparently there seems to be a Tanabata festival tonight, so the matriarch is planning to dress us in summer yukata for the day. An attendant should be here soon to help us dress,"
"Are we staying here that long? I thought you would want to leave right away..."
"Ah, believe me—I tried." His eyes strained in an exhausted droop, as he pushed a hand through his hair again. "But we are being formally invited to the festival by the Daimyo himself. It looks like there is no getting out of this tonight."
He sat cross-legged on the floor and placed his cheek in the palm of his hand in a bored sulk. She'd seen that pout of his many times as Rokudaime. Sakura smiled at his child-like behavior as she crossed the room and patted his shoulder affectionately.
"Kakashi..." she warned cheekily, while catching his mismatched eyes with her own. "I'm afraid you're going to need to get used to diplomacy. It's inevitable. "
He questioned her with a raised brow, but she brushed him off with a grin and went straight towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.
She went through her morning routine, and stared at the extra pair of blue jonin fatigues he gave to her to change into. It was all about five sizes too large, but she would have to make do.
Sakura put aside the blue shirt and hoisted the pants in place. She rolled up the bottom several times until her feet were free of fabric. Then, tucked the masked ANBU undershirt she was wearing into the pants and belted them high onto her waist to secure them.
As she came out, the room attendants had laid out a small table. It was covered with multiple dishes that were all high-end and exuberant in nature—sashimi, nabe, tataki. Which was kind of them, but she was mostly pleased by the small woven plate of tempura instead.
Sakura hummed happily and sat at the table, as Kakashi left to take his turn to get ready.
When he returned, they ate together with quiet conversation and lulled silences in between. She could tell he was still worn out despite his never changing facade of nonchalance and ever present half-lidded eyes.
By the time they were done, a small army of attendants swarmed the room to remove the dishes and the table. Sakura fidgeted at all the movement, and was only able to relax when the last attendant fled the room. She was about to speak when the door slid open in a rush, surprising her.
"Hound-kun! Fox-chan! I hope you are feeling better today?" Sakura heard a girlish voice exclaim.
Hikari burst through the wood sliding door without a knock or concern at all. She grinned with a huge bright smile, and Sakura was instantly pleased to see the young girl.
As far as she could see she didn't see any signs of distress or tears from yesterday, and silently prayed that she would be okay after such an ordeal. With a huge jump, she tackled Sakura's legs and looked up with sparkling brown eyes.
"Hikari-chan! I'm so glad you're home safe." Sakura smiled and patted the girl's head. "Great job getting Hound-kun back for me! You did wonderful."
"You should have seen it, Fox-chan! I was riding on this big ol' doggy like a horse! Hound-kun let me ride him all the way back home!"
"Hai, hai~! Didn't I tell you? Hound-kun's doggies are the best!" Sakura stated with pride. Hikari jumped up and down in agreement with a tiny squeal.
"Hound-kun! Can I see the doggies again? Please, please...! "
Sakura followed the girl's begging eyes to their target. Kakashi was just staring at them both with utter amusement shining in his single grey eye, as he kept his Sharingan closed for the Hikari's sake. He was still sitting on the floor, with one leg propped up and a masked cheek resting on his fist.
Kakashi lifted his eye to Sakura in a questioning glance, but otherwise ignored the young girl still pleading and tugging at the fabric of his jonin pants as she crawled towards him to beg.
"...I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to take a look at Pakkun. Plus, some of the others may be injured too. Why don't you go ahead?"
His eyes crinkled in response, "Just don't spoil them too much…can't have them raising their expectations anytime soon."
Sakura grinned.
In a blur of movement so fast that neither of the girls could see, Kakashi summoned his pack in a cloud of smoke that encompassed the entire room.
Eight happy ninken appeared in front of them with eight happy thuds of tails pounding the tatami mats as they sat in excitement.
Hikari squealed in delight as she threw herself among the dogs as they crowded around her sniffing and licking her ticklishly. However, one proud little pug stayed behind to address his master.
"Yo, Boss. Pink-Lady. Looking much better today," Pakkun panted. Sakura knelt down scratch behind his ears.
"Pakkun," the Copy-nin greeted. "Sakura wanted to take a look at the pack to address any injuries."
A charcoal eye shifted to meet hers. Sakura ran her hand over the dog's hindlegs and ribs, checking her previous healing session.
"How are your ribs and legs, Pakkun? Any discomfort?" she asked.
"I'm right as rain, Lady. You did a good job fixing me up," the pug panted and gave a little lick to her hand. "The rest of the pack had some minor injuries but nothing they aren't used to...But I'm sure a few steaks would make all the difference?"
His large eyes gave a cute puppy-dog-stare towards Kakashi.
The silver-haired nin kept his chin resting on his hand but raised a brow at the little begging dog with a blank stare. Before he could answer, Hikari's girlish voice chimed in.
"Of course, Pakkun~! You all deserve the best! I'll make sure there are enough steaks for all the doggies!" Hikari promised eagerly as sat up among her swarm of ninkin. "Tonight is a special night after all! Please—Hound-kun, Fox-chan! You must enjoy the festival tonight! It's my absolute favorite."
Sakura laughed as she pulled the small girl to her feet, releasing her from the furry prison of dogs. "Your favorite?"
"Mmhmm! Mother says Tanabata is the most romantic story ever! Two lovers that can only cross the milky way to meet each other once a year," she sighed dreamily. "But I like the bamboo tree with all the pretty decorations in them! And the food—! "
Sakura's eyes caught Kakashi's lone eye as he watched the young girl with a gentle amusement. She couldn't see it, but she knew he was smiling under his mask.
Sakura had seen that look many times in the last few years. He always did have a soft spot for innocence.
"Yakisoba! Takoyaki! Ikayaki! Anything with 'yaki'~! But don't worry, Pakkun! I'll make sure we get some meat for you too!"
All eight dogs wagged their tails at the small girl's feet. Sakura giggled at the sight, as she moved to pat Hikari's head again, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
It slid open a second later, and the rich woman from before stepped into the room.
The entire room froze.
Eight ninken, immediately straightened up and aligned themselves as a pack of soldiers, all looking serious and stoic, as if no petting or belly rubbing had occurred only moments before.
Sakura also felt her stomach drop, it couldn't be the best manners to bring eight dogs into someone's home without permission.
Just as Sakura guessed, the woman was not pleased.
She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the room in clear distaste. Silent fury bristled on the woman's face and she squeezed the fan she held in her hand into a tight fist.
Behind her stepped in a middle-aged man with long brown hair and equally expensive white robes. Kakashi rose immediately at the sight of the man and knelt before him in a deep bow. Sakura followed his lead without question, as she too dropped to kneeling.
"Hikari dear, what in the world are all these dogs doing in here?" the Lady of the House asked with a high-pitched tense voice, and a wave of an ornate fan in front of her face.
"Mother! Father! These doggies helped save me with Hound-kun and Fox-chan! I promised them some steak since they were such good puppies!" Sakura watched Hikari run to her parents while explaining the canine situation. Thank the gods for the little girl.
"I see," she snapped the fan shut and held it against her chin in contemplation. Keen eyes shifted from the line of dogs, to her daughter's face. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, I suppose every debt must be paid."
"Hikari-chan, we will make sure they are all fed justly for their service," the Daimyo spoke as he placed a pale hand on his daughter's shoulder. His voice was soft yet demanding, it felt befitting for the country's leader.
The eight ninken yipped happily at the proclamation but quieted down as Kakashi cast them a glance. Sakura smiled at the girl's glee at her father's acknowledgement.
The Daimyo turned to the two ANBU kneeling in front of him and she stiffened at the sudden attention. She assumed the Daimyo wouldn't address them so informally, and she was hoping to be wearing her Fox mask as a buffer.
"Hatake Kakashi, I've been told. Your renown is well known even among civilians. The Hatake clan has always been valuable allies to my family for generations." His eyes shifted to Sakura. "And someone I do not know...?"
Sakura was sweating at the recognition. She wasn't sure if she should lie or speak honestly—after all he was the leader of their country. Before she could open her mouth, Kakashi covered for her.
"Haruno Chiharu, Daimyo-sama. A new ANBU operative." Sakura felt her muscles relax at his low voice.
Okay, half-truth/half-lie then. She could work with that.
"I see. I'm afraid I don't know the Haruno Clan...?"
"We are a family of civilian merchants, Daimyo-sama. I'm afraid I am the only shinobi currently in the family," she answered truthfully.
"A civilian ANBU? How remarkable. It's very rare these days..." He smiled but Sakura could tell he felt unimpressed with her. "How thankful I am that the esteemed Hatake Clan was there to oversee the situation."
How predictable. Sakura felt her jaw tighten. Of course, he would give Kakashi all the credit.
"Regardless, you both did me a great service. Because of you, my youngest daughter was brought home safely. I am certainly grateful for the shinobi of our great country."
He bowed slightly at the waist, and his wife and daughter automatically bowed with him, but a little deeper than his own. Sakura and Kakashi responded just as deeply.
The Daimyo straightened and backed slowly to the door to make his exit without another word. His tabi clothed feet softly stepped into the hallway and disappeared further down out of range.
His wife however, stayed for a moment longer.
"Please enjoy the night here. The Fire Capital is known for our festivals, and this one in particular is a delight. Everything tonight will be on us. And one must look the part of our guest, so we will dress you for the night as well…" she hid a small sneer of her lips with her fan.
"Tomorrow, payment will be sent post-haste to your Hokage. Please give him our regards for a job well done."
The portly woman patted Hikari's head, and with one last scouring look at the dogs, she moved to exit the room after her husband.
"Have fun, Hound-kun! Fox-chan! Don't forget to see the fireworks!" Hikari smiled brightly and gave one last little wave. Sakura waved back with an equal grin and watched as Hikari followed her family out.
The room visibly relaxed. All eight dogs dropped their statue like stances, panting resumed, and tails started wagging again. Sakura couldn't help but feel the same way.
Kakashi let out a deep sigh as he sat back relaxed on the tatami mat. His one leg hiked up as he laid his arm across it lazily and his half-lidded eyes looked slightly more droopy than normal.
Sakura chuckled lightly under her breath at the sight of the exhausted ANBU. Fighting was easy for the man, but customary socializing seemed like torture.
"I bet you're really regretting not taking Icha Icha with you right now."
The Copy-nin chuckled and ran a pale hand through his silver hair with desperation.
"Maa, Sakura-chan has anyone ever told you—you're kind of a brat sometimes? I feel like you're enjoying my misery a little too much."
"Don't worry," she flashed him a toothy smile as she breathed out. "You'll grow to love it."
He didn't answer her with some snippy remark like she thought he would, but instead just watched her with level eyes. The red one in particular was spinning dizzily in a way that made Sakura feel mesmerized, although she was sure she wasn't under any genjustu.
She licked her lips and felt her chakra flare under his gaze. She matched his stare–mismatched to green. And watched the lazy spin of the tomoe and wondered just what was going through his head.
"Honor guests?" A voice called from the hall. "We are here to help you dress for the festivities if you are ready. The gentleman can follow me to another room, and we will dress the lady here."
Why is this place always so busy?
Kakashi blinked and tore away his stare from her as if he was startled by the interruption. He stood up abruptly and slid the door open while never looking back at her and disappeared into the hallway.
Sakura turned to the ninken still sitting in the room by her side. All eight pairs of eyes were eyeing her steadily.
"What was that? " Pakkun asked her as a small army of attendants let themselves into the room.
"Not sure," Sakura hummed. "But don't worry, he'll get over it soon enough."
"How can you be sure?" Shiba panted. Sakura smiled softly.
"Because…he always does."
She wasn't sure the eight dogs entirely understood her, but they wagged their tails nonetheless and panted happily at the response. Seconds later, they collectively poofed out existence leaving nothing but smoke and startled civilians in their wake.
Sakura shifted her attention to the scurrying attendants in the room.
It wasn't long before the attendants brought in racks with several light-weight cotton yukata in many different colors and patterns. Sakura thumbed through them excitedly—there was a large array of pinks, reds, and purples that in her younger years she would have gravitated towards.
Ah, but she wasn't that same person anymore—
Instead, she chose a dark teal yukata that was a deep jewel-tone and reminded her of when the ocean couldn't decide if it wanted to be green or blue.
It was decadent and rich in color, and depicted small white flowers that were scattered across the hem and sleeves. Despite the depth of color, the fabric was light and breathable for the hot summer nights. Her fingers traced the flowers on it in appreciation.
"You have good taste, Miss!" the attendant said. "It's one of my favorites, but not many people can wear such a color. But I have a feeling with your unusual hair, it will be truly stunning on you... If you would allow me! I recommend this obi, Miss."
The attendant held up an iridescent obi that was a faded dark gold. It looked solid from far away, but on closer inspection Sakura could see it was thousands of diamond shapes chain-linked in a pattern of embroidered silver and gold.
Sakura smiled at the attendant—she was absolutely pleased.
***かかし***
"—You'll grow to love it."
Kakashi followed his own attendant down the hall and away from the pink kunoichi with a relieved heave of his lungs. He was happy to get some distance from her, even if it was only momentarily.
He was starting to worry about his own sanity at this point.
He could feel it. Like the nagging blur of pink that was always in sight—
She was forcing her existence on him.
…and Kakashi wanted her to.
He liked her. Four days together—and he—fuck.
He knew he would likely grow attached to his little students someday.
He knew Naruto was inevitable with his father's coloring and his mother's personality.
Sasuke was the last attachment to Obito and Itachi. The young boy was like him at that age, alone and in need of guidance. He owed the Uchiha this.
These he expected; he knew he would grow to care for them.
But Sakura—
Little civilian Sakura.
She was not in the plan.
And every second he spent with her, every moment she hinted at their bond—teacher to student, teammate, medic whatever it was—it felt like it was eating Kakashi alive.
Like she was clawing and ripping her way into his chest, and proving to him that as much he could disregard it, fight it, or run from it—it was inescapable.
She was inescapable.
And it scared Kakashi. That someone so normal (yet admittedly: also fucking extraordinary), could weasel her way into his life and his older self just accepted it. It scared the living hell out of him.
He vowed a long time ago—everyone in the village was important, but no one would be important to him personally.
He'd fight for them. He'd protect them. He'd die for them.
But…
He was also determined to keep everyone he ever cared about at a distance—to detach, and to disengage at any attachments. He couldn't handle those types of bonds anymore.
And his Future-self just seemed to throw all of that out the window.
Who else did he trust to this extent? Who else did he let within arm's reach? Did Naruto and Sasuke know him this well?
Did he have three little monster-like students running around with his heart/secrets in the future?
(What the hell happened in fifteen years for him to change that much?)
"Hatake-sama...? Your dressing room is right this way?" his attendant asked with mild concern, oblivious to Kakashi's internal crisis.
The Copy-nin blinked at the man and ducked into the waiting room with the intent to shut all further thoughts of the pink-haired woman out for the time being.
Inside, the room was a carbon copy of the room they were staying in. The room's traditional interior was transformed into a full-blown dressing room with several racks of clothing, shelves of geta, and full-length mirrors donning each side of the room.
Two female attendants stood at the ready, and Kakashi couldn't help but notice their sheepish smiles and blushed cheeks.
"Hatake-sama! Is there a style or color you would like to wear to the festival?" one of the women asked shyly.
Kakashi wanted to laugh—he could care less about the entire event, much less what he was wearing.
He wanted to be away from diplomacy and niceties.
He wanted away from the single room with the pink-haired woman.
(He wanted Icha Icha and a nice nap in a tree somewhere.)
"Hatake-sama?" the other meek woman asked while peeking up at him through her lashes in what he assumed was an alluring look.
The Copy-nin felt a shiver of revolt at her leer. He crinkled his eyes in a polite smile, but he could feel that his lips didn't move at all for the gesture.
"Why don't you go ahead and choose something for me. I'm afraid this is not quite my forte," He smoothed the words out politely.
The two women squealed in delight at his words. "Of course, Hatake-sama! Please leave it to us!"
They began chatting among themselves and fingering through racks of men's yukata and obi. Kakashi watched them in polite disinterest as they spoke to him every so often, but he struggled to not seem too bored and blatantly finding the process taxing.
When they finally settled on their pick, they turned to him with a little too much eagerness in their eyes.
Dread filled his stomach.
"Now, let's get you undressed. Shall we?" one giggled and they both stepped towards him.
They wanted to undress him. And by the matching leers and feral smiles–he could only imagine how handsy they'd be.
Kakashi watched as two pairs of feminine hands slowly stretched out towards him.
As they closed in, he felt his slumped posture straighten to his full height. He cocked his head as his carefully closed eye opened in warning. The Sharingan blazed.
They both froze and paled considerably. One of the woman's hands was still outstretched and was now trembling. The other had sweat forming on her brow.
"Ah, I think…I can take care of this part by myself ladies," he stated in a low voice with each word painfully slow and articulate.
He would only give one warning.
"O-of course, Hatake-sama! We will step outside. Please call us in if you need assistance!"
They backed away in unison—heads down, eyes on the floor—until their backs hit the door before they turned and darted out the room in a scurry.
He blinked at their exit and sighed, his slump returning again.
Maybe he overdid it a bit?
Despite the women's forwardness, when he found what they had laid out for him, he was pleased overall.
It was a grey yukata that transitioned from light to dark in an ombre effect. On his shoulders were lightest grey, closest to his own silver hair and it contrasted with the black of his masked undershirt as it hung slightly open on his covered chest. It grew gradually darker in different shades of grey until it was almost black by the hem and bottom of the sleeves.
It was simple. No fancy designs or patterns. No sticking out too much in a crowd.
Just what he wanted.
He tied it around his body and secured it with the matching steel grey obi they had left for him. Just for good measure, he slid a few kunai into the sleeve and an emergency storage scroll he tucked away in the back of the obi.
And of course, the nice little stamped seal that proved all bills would be sent to the Daimyo.
(How useful was that?)
When he went to slide open the door, he found both women standing off to the side of the wall waiting for him patiently. Their hesitant eyes shifted to ones of blatant infatuation again, so he figured they didn't take his warning too personally.
"You look wonderful, Hatake-sama!" they gushed as he nodded in thanks and tried to thank them appropriately. "Your partner also looked truly stunning! She just passed through to the main gate of the compound. We were told to bring you to her whenever you were ready."
Kakashi nodded and followed the women through the winding halls into the main courtyard of the Daimyo's estate. He slipped on a pair of geta they had brought for him and stepped out the genkan door to face the estate's red imposing gates.
There, standing underneath them—was Sakura.
—Little civilian Sakura.
Looking stupidly gorgeous. Like he supposed she ought to be: The Neo-sannin. Matriarch of the Uchiha clan.
"Kakashi! " She smiled when she saw him, with no urging and no real reason.
Pink lips spread in a radiant grin that was wide and genuine, and somehow made his muscles tense and his stomach drop. He could feel his Sharingan spin eagerly to capture the moment.
She was wearing some kind of—teal? turquoise?—whatever the green-blue color of her yukata was, it brightened the pink of her hair and made her eyes glow a whole new shade that Kakashi had never seen before.
Her bubblegum locks were swept up into an elegant bun that was poised on the top of her head. A gold hair pin that looked like a hanging wisteria blossom was tucked underneath the base of the bun and hung in a chain to the base of her exposed neck.
Her face was flushed from the summer heat, spreading across her cheeks, and when a delicate hand reached up and tucked one of the long bangs neatly behind her ear, he could see it spread to the tips of her ear too.
Up until now he had only really seen her in combat wear.
But there was something about seeing her like this. While the black uniform was all business, this felt more personal. He liked it—it was unforgiving. Relentless in her boldness. Proud to show off just who she was—strong and beautiful.
While Kakashi was subdued in his greys and blacks, Sakura was a beacon of pink, green, and whatever this blue-green color was that shined brazenly and unapologetically.
She was going to outshine the world with emerald green eyes and ridiculous bubblegum hair.
"Thank the gods you're not late this time." She continued to smile up at him eagerly. "Let's go! "
She grabbed the tip of sleeve just like she had before, and dragged him out the gates with little regard to his being. And Kakashi just went along, like he assumed he always would—or will.
"My my, no need to rush. The festival isn't going anywhere," he felt his eyes crease at her childish excitement.
"But Kakashi! It's so rare we get a night off like this...Let's enjoy it! Let's drink and eat to our heart's content—just you and me!" She grinned back at him but kept dragging him down the street, the clack of geta never pausing.
"Mmmm Sakura-chan that sounds suspiciously like a date, you know. Are you sure Sasuke-kun will be okay with that?" Her viridian eyes slanted to his.
"A date? ...if that's what you want to call it—" she grinned. "I wouldn't be opposed," she purred in a low sultry voice.
Kakashi's eyes widened at the tease. His step faltered.
Her smile widened a little further. "Besides...Sasuke never spoils me on dates like you do."
Ah, she was clearly joking.
"Then...I guess I'll have to go all out to impress tonight. Buy whatever you want."
"How gentlemanly of you, considering the Daimyo is covering all the costs?" She quirked a brow in amusement.
"Well, a man should never turn down a golden opportunity."
"How cheap." She laughed. "But somehow, still charming."
Right outside the gates, along a riverbank and nestled within the trees, sat a large temple that Kakashi noticed when he entered the city yesterday. A prime spot for a festival.
The riverbank stretched for miles; most of it lined with different booths, some offered food or games, while others had places to write your wishes to tie to the Tanabata decorated bamboo trees. Traditional paper wind ornaments and lanterns were hung along the walkway—colorful and vibrant. The rustle of the windswept ornament's guided festival goer's further into the event. The whole area smelled of fried food and sounded like people's laughter.
"What do we go for first?" Sakura asked while pursuing several booths with a very serious face that made her seem even more child-like. "Choco bananas? Shaved ice? Dango?"
"You want to start with dessert first?"
She shot him a blank stare. "Of course, we need dessert first. It stimulates the appetite."
"Is that what you, as a medic, tell your toddler? Isn't it usually 'eat your vegetables then dessert'?"
Sakura snorted, "This is a festival, Kakashi. Have some fun. We're both responsible adults, we can do what we want. Besides, who wouldn't want dessert first?"
He shrugged. "Never been one for sweets."
"Pfft! Well, that's certainly not true. You just need the right ones!" She patted a bench that was nestled under a tree near them. "Sit right here and I'll be right back."
Before he could protest, she had already spun around and was gone within the crowd. The sun was setting now, and everything was painted in shades of orange and red, but Kakashi's eyes were following pink and teal.
He watched the head of bubblegum hair jostle and maneuver her way through the people with ease. She seemed unaware of the wake of men that were turning their gaze to follow after her, oblivious to her attractiveness.
Kakashi did not envy Future-Sasuke for having to beat off hordes of men that coveted his wife.
The Copy-nin sighed and sat on the bench. He stretched out his arms along the back of it, and tilted his head back so his face was aimed towards the sky. With a tired huff, he closed his eyes and waited patiently for her to return.
It didn't take long.
"Kakashiii~! I have your favorite!"
He opened his eyes to see a plastic tray with three small pillows of white on them.
"...Daifuku?"
"Fresh. Strawberry. Daifuku."
Kakashi took the tray slowly. He placed it on his lap and sliced one open with a wooden pick it was served with. Inside the powdery white pillow of mochi was a fresh strawberry surrounded by a thin layer of red bean paste.
The floral scent of an-paste and the sweet, tangy smell of strawberries.
He didn't take a bite, instead his eyes shifted to the woman sitting beside him, stuffing her face with a stick tri-colored dango.
"Why would you think this is my favorite?"
She stopped chewing, and turned her attention to him with a puffed-out cheek that was stuffed with dango.
"...because it is?" She cocked her head at the seemingly odd question. "You showed me how to make it, and we've eaten it several times with the kids. It's the only thing that's not too sweet for you. Well–that and goma dango, but they didn't have any today."
He gave her a pointed look. Her green eyes bore in his suddenly serious, as she chewed the end of the dango stick hesitantly.
"But...but I know it's your favorite, because you told me one time that it reminds you of your mother—or at least the smell of it does. Her scent is one of the only things you can connect to her."
"Of course." Kakashi felt his face twist into a defeated grimace even as he tried to smile through it. "Of course, I told you that."
He felt a small hand rest against his wrist that held the tray of sweets. Her fingers rubbed small circles over his pulse point on the inside of his wrist.
"Hey...I-I'm sorry I keep doing that. I know it's frustrating for you. To have an openness that you're not used to with someone you don't know that well. I get it."
Kakashi didn't answer right away. It really wasn't her fault; she was just being honest in her knowledge. But it still felt like all his inner secrets, all his hidden memories, were being ripped out and put on display.
"I know you hate it, but I promise it's a good thing! You learn to trust again. You learn to talk about yourself and the things you went through. It's really good for you, ya know?" She smiled sympathetically at him.
"...Is it just you I'm divulging all my inner demons to, or is the entire village walking around with firsthand Hatake knowledge?"
She chuckled and twisted the dango stick in her fingers nervously. While her eyes were focused on the task, Kakashi ate his daifuku quickly. They tasted sweeter than usual to him, but he didn't mind this time.
"It's just me mostly. Naruto is too busy getting ready for his Hokage-dom and Sasuke—is well—Sasuke. He has the emotional range of a teaspoon." She laughed, "So, that leaves you and me. Always us together."
Kakashi lifted his mask into place after he was done eating, and silently grabbed the dango stick from between her fingers. He placed it on his empty daifuku container to bring to the trash. Her eyes travelled up to his with a small smile in thanks.
"I know I'm making it sound like you changed a lot, but you're still ya know, you. You still read Icha Icha—"
For some reason that made him laugh.
"—Oh, perfect. The future isn't doomed then."
"—and Gai is still your best friend."
"—Really? I was sure that he'd be bored of me by then."
She swatted at his shoulder playfully. "—for some reason, I still can't get you to show up on time?"
"—Cats need saving. Little old ladies always need help."
She rolled her eyes, but her lips were tugged in a smile, "—you're still ridiculously cheap."
"I'm saving for retirement one day, if I ever get to it—"
"BUT! " she laughed with a wide grin and amused eyes. She stood up and placed herself right in front of him. Her knees brushed his as she leaned over and looked him straight in the eye—green met his grey and red.
"You're still you. Even if you learn a few new tricks along the way."
Kakashi stared at the (again, sort of amazing) woman for a second before he felt a real, genuine smile beneath his mask. His eyes crinkled at her heartfelt attempt to appease his inner turmoil over the strangeness of this whole situation.
She was kind and always did have a big heart.
"Thank you, Sakura."
Emerald eyes sparkled at his words, and she gave him a cute little pat on the head like he was some kind of puppy. It should have bothered him, but he would indulge her just this once.
"Now, come on! If we don't hurry, we'll never eat all the things I want to get before the fireworks start!"
She didn't hesitate in grabbing his sleeve once more and continued to drag him from stall to stall.
The night ran on, and the sun was slowly creeping down as the oranges were fading to a purples and blacks. The string of lanterns strung up above the festival grounds were beginning to softly glow red, and the night was awakening around them.
Kakashi couldn't help but watch her with utter fascination. She was like a short, pink excited child with an enormous appetite–and an endless black hole of a stomach.
…And he somehow found that kind of charming too.
He recalled eleven year old Sakura's habit of dieting and was glad to see she grew out of it. She made it her personal mission to try every staple of the festival, and often forced him to eat right along with her.
By the time the sky was pitch black—Kakashi was stuffed beyond comparison.
He glanced at the woman next to him. She was still chewing on a candy apple as they had finally circled back to dessert somehow.
Pink sticky sugar-covered lips smiled up at him against the bright red of the apple she was biting into, and Kakashi felt like he was slowly getting attached to watching her.
She was short. And childish. Had a temper. Restless. But a perfectionist. Smart. Strong. And Stunning.
And Kakashi was worried he was growing a little bit more and more addicted to the thought of having her around.
She bit the apple with a loud 'crack!' as the red sugar encasing shattered at her ravaging. Her glowing green eyes grew half-lidded as she chewed, and she moaned—moaned—at the taste of the sweet.
Well, fuck.
The hair on the back of his neck couldn't help but stand up at the sound, and his stomach did a weird little flip again.
So, she was pretty—beautiful—and he was only a man.
He wouldn't welcome the feeling of attraction though–
How could he?
There he was growing attached (to his absolute horror). And what was he to her?
An old fart of a sensei, maybe? An odd teammate. Maybe even a friend (if he ever admitted that to himself).
…Definitely not someone who should be watching her eat an apple like it was a fucking salacious.
She wasn't his. She was Uchiha Sakura. She was Sasuke's future wife.
"Come on, you shouldn't walk around while eating that. Let's go get a seat for the fireworks."
He hovered a hand at the small of her back (ever careful not to touch, of course), and led her to a large tree off to the side of the festival grounds.
"Ladies first," he crinkled a smile at her and motioned for her to climb the tree.
"Such a gentleman. Where did these manners come from?" she teased as her chakra infused feet gripped the tree and she made her way up to a high sturdy branch.
"I said I would try to impress. It is a date after all."
She hummed happily and sat on the branch as carefully as she could in her yukata without damaging it. He sat alongside her as she began to bite into her apple again, but her eyes were far off. She was unfocused in her thoughts.
"You know, my first date with my husband was at a festival just like this."
Kakashi leaned against the tree trunk and listened as he stuffed his hands up the sleeves of his own yukata since he was currently lacking both pockets and a book. (What do normal people do with their hands?)
"It was so ridiculous. I didn't even know it was a date at the time! He pulled me out of my office—said I'd been working too hard and needed a break." Her eyes glimmered a little bit at the memory.
"He dragged me around and bought me snack after snack. All of my favorites, even though I never told him what I liked...I should have realized it was a date right away—I mean he was acting so strange. He always kept a hand on my back! He pulled out a chair for me! He even won me a prize at a shooting booth—a great, big stuffed animal that I still have at home."
She let out a breathy laugh as her eyes shimmered a little more.
"And I just blurted it out—with no thought, and a mouth full of taiyaki!—'Is this some kind of date? '...I thought I broke him for a second: he got so still, I was worried he wasn't breathing. And then his face turned so adorably red! He practically choked out a response."
The pink-haired kunoichi smiled widely behind her half-eaten apple. Her green eyes creased in mirth, and Kakashi swore they were glowing with happiness. Kakashi fought the sudden urge to ruffle her hair.
"And? What did he say?" Kakashi cocked his head and he continued to watch her.
"He said, 'Only if I want it to be'. He said it with a laugh like it was a joke, but it felt like—in that moment, it was entirely in my hands to decide." Her eyes softened in a small smile as her voice quieted, "And I guess it was."
She hummed for a second in thought.
"Have you ever met someone so damn beautiful—so unique, so intriguing, and thought 'There is no one else in this world like them'?"
Her voice was breathless and soft. Kakashi tried to swallow, his throat suddenly dry. He should hate this–he really should. Seeing how much she loved Sasuke.
"Every bad thing, and every good thing in their lives made them what they are. No one would ever be like them."
He wanted to look away, but a little voice in the back of his head said, 'don't take your eyes off her '.
"I thought I was done with childish love and romance. I thought I moved past it at that point! And the way I looked at him was like some kind of ideal. He was my 'ideal man'—everything I ever wanted but untouchable. Out of reach. I don't know, but I thought 'there is no way he would be interested in me'."
"So, I went on dates with other guys sometimes just to stay in the game. And he just kept popping up in the back of my mind—like some kind of silent standard to compare every other guy too. But no one would ever compare..."
She shook her head with a wry smile and tucked her long pink bang behind one ear. Kakashi watched on silently.
"But that's not good comparing everyone, ya know? I was just going to accept that no one would ever match up to him, and that's fine—" She let out a slow breath. "...But then there he was, offering himself to me? And I thought 'why have someone similar to him, when I could just have him?'. Everything I ever wanted! Right in front of me."
She glanced at him, eyes glowing again. "And every hesitation—every concern I had about us being together—just melted away."
She had a small, sweet smile on her lips that looked demure and soft.
It was a smile that Kakashi was absolutely sure wasn't for him to see—a secret glimpse meant to be between husband and wife.
"...So? You told him it was a date then?" He asked slowly. His words felt thick like molasses in his throat.
Her green eyes widened at the question and shifted into a startled stare for a few moments. Like she didn't expect him to have any interest in her story. Her life.
…And then, her entire face morphed into a man-eating grin.
Her eyes sparkled in glee, and her lips shifted into a haughty smile that was wide and full of teeth. She looked proud, like she conquered an unknown force.
"I did," She stated with a prideful boast. "I told him that I would consider it a date, 'but only if he was brave enough to marry me someday'."
She let out a hearty laugh that echoed in Kakashi's chest, and he stared at the pink-haired woman as in silent astonishment.
"Life is short for shinobi; and I didn't want to waste any more time. I knew what I wanted—and I wanted him. So, I just laid it all out on the table: we either date to marry, or we don't date at all."
She looked away from him then and studied that red glossy coating of the apple. Her expression was thoughtful.
"It's funny how when life boils down to important decisions, you're forced to be honest with yourself."
Jade eyes cut to him sharply, and Kakashi felt his body still. They were pouring into him—those glimmering pools that he swore were shifting and moving as if she had a spinning Sharingan of her own.
Her eyes narrowed and she smiled at him, but it simultaneously felt both sweet but predatory.
It was devouring to Kakashi, and he felt a shiver run up his spine.
"I'm a creature of want, Kakashi. And I have never wanted anyone more than how I wanted him at that moment. And after years of marriage together...I still want him just the same."
She lowered her voice to a breathy wistful sort of sigh, "I want and I want… and it's never going to stop. Sometimes, I think I'm insatiable."
Kakashi's eyes widened at her confession. He felt his own cheeks burn just above his mask and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut.
He found that insanely more attractive than he thought he should.
Fucking hell...Sasuke, you lucky bastard.
Was it right for a grown man to be envious of an eleven year old boy's future? Probably not.
…Was he? Uncontrollably so.
So, he did the reasonable thing, and suffocated whatever inner perversion was trying to set free. If all the blood in his body was rushing south—he was determined to reroute it by sheer force of will.
When he finally calmed himself enough to glance up at the pinkette, Kakashi was startled to see her watching from the side of her eyes. A nervous hand was covering her slightly pink face, but her eyes stayed on his in amusement.
"...Jeez that was embarrassing to say out loud," she laughed a small nervous laugh. "My boldness worked in my favor though. I was a little too forward—a little too eager, for sure—but he seemed to respond happily. We were essentially engaged by the end of our first date."
She twisted the forgotten apple in her fingers idly with a small smile.
"Apparently, he had been courting me for weeks—and of course, I had no idea. He would bring me tea or lunch, or sometimes we went for walks together or sparred in between work. But I thought it was all normal for us... I'm not sure if I'm just really dense, or he's too subtle, but it never even occurred to me that something shifted in our relationship until that day at the festival."
She was staring off now in thought, and Kakashi continued to watch her silently as the red lanterns dimmed.
"...I wonder if he'll remember this? How embarrassing... " she mumbled under her breath.
But before Kakashi could ask any more about it, a huge boom! exploded above them.
His first instinct was to reach for a kunai, but then the crowd gasped and cheered in excitement as the fireworks burst into life in the black sky.
A wonder-filled gasp left the woman beside him, and her eyes stretched to search above them. Her bubblegum hair changed color under the pyrotechnic light, and Kakashi was at a loss of words.
Instead, he shut his left eye after realizing it had been open this entire time without his noticing and leaned his head back against the tree.
He liked this night. He wouldn't mind replaying the memory in his head with his Sharingan.
But she would be gone soon. And with her, a seal would activate—
And then he mourned half-heartedly, that one day…he may not remember this night.
He may not remember her. Or at least, this version of her.
(And that thought quietly gutted him.)
***END NOTES***
FUN FACT#1: The Daimyo's rooms are set up like a Ryokan; which traditionally means all services are brought to a guest's room.
FUN FACT#2: it wouldn't be a Japanese Rom-com without the "summer festival" date lol. Tanabata (or Hoshimatsuri "the Star festival") is really magical though, and I get why it's so cliche. If you ever get the chance to experience it, I highly recommend.
FUN FACT#3: Sakura's first date story is based somewhat off my own experience with my husband. I was younger; he was older. And "Date to marry" is almost the exact words I told my husband years ago. It shocked the hell out him lol. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but again...self-indulgent work hehe. The context of Sakura's relationship/thoughts will be explained later.