Warm sunlight through her skylight awoke Sakura Sunday morning. She stretched luxuriously, kicking her sheets and blankets off the bed, arching her back into the mattress. Her head gave a dull throb in response.
She went through her morning routine sluggishly, brushing her teeth, washing her face, making her bed. She trudged at that slow pace out of her room, still in her nightgown, and into the living room, where she found Kakashi reading on the sofa, stretched out in his usual workout gear, but with a tank top on instead of being bare chested.
"Morning." He lifted a hand in greeting.
The sound of his voice had the previous night rushing back to her, accompanied by embarrassment and another painful throb of her head.
She had flirted with him last night. And now he was wearing more clothing than usual. Fantastic.
"Oh my God." She said out loud. At his quirked brow, she quickly covered. "The drill Sergeant actually let me sleep in? Unreal." The lie wasn't as smooth as she could normally make it, but she didn't care. Her brain was busy flooding her sober consciousness with hazy memories. She had flirted, and he had put up with it. As his job. The pain in her chest flared again, so she took a deep breath and told herself calm, cold, reasonable things.
He was being paid. They hadn't been spending time together very long. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
The mantra firmly running in the back of her mind like a 1990's GateWay Screensaver, she plopped down next to him, forcing him to sit up and move his legs off the end.
"Can't have you throwing up on me while we practice," he said pleasantly.
"More like while you pummel me," Sakura grumbled in response, tucking her legs up under her. Kakashi's eyes crinkled with humor.
"But, now that you're up, we'll get to the pummeling. You've got 5 minutes to get dressed and meet me downstairs." With that, he promptly returned to his erotica, content to ignore her.
She flipped her hair moodily and got back up, dragging her sorry carcass to her closet.
Sakura was an awful shot.
The paper target at the other end of the indoor range remained mostly unscathed, and the inner circle was entirely untouched.
After a morning and early afternoon filled with Kakashi's training, he'd announced that he'd also give her her first shooting lesson. At around 3pm Tenzo drove Kakashi, Genma, and Sakura to the range.
The other patrons had been entirely uninterested in her when she'd walked in, which was a little insulting, but better for her in the long run.
They'd spent the first hour going over safety. Kakashi and Genma were completely comfortable with the firearms they'd brought along, sleek black things that looked terrifying to Sakura.
They taught her range protocol, too. When she had passed their quizzing over safety, Kakashi showed her how to load and unload his pistol, then lined her up to shoot.
Her eyes and ears were sufficiently protected, but she could still hear Genma sigh when the target came rushing back towards them, her pitiful score apparent.
"Well, it's only your first time. This stuff takes a ton of practice. And using it out in the real world takes even more practice, of a slightly different kind." Genma told her sagely, his toothpick sticking to the side.
"My pistol is too big for you, anyways." Kakashi added from somewhere behind her, his voice clinical in his assessment.
She pursed her lips and slicked back her ponytail. Maybe this wasn't her thing. His pistol lay unloaded on the table in front of her, the chamber open. It was pretty big, she had to admit. And she didn't feel very great holding it.
"I'm not sure I want to try again," she admitted. "This really seems like a 'you guys' thing."
She stepped back and watched Genma send the target back. He smoothly loaded the pistol as it settled into place, and then fired. 5 unbearably loud bangs went off in rapid succession. Even with her headphones on, the sound hurt. The reverb in her chest made her feel like she was having a panic attack.
Genma's shots were flawless, as were Kakashi' after him. The accuracy with which these men could be deadly, the danger she'd never really thought about, made Sakura shiver. She wasn't afraid of them, no, but of what they could do. Other people should fear her guards.
A little bit of her competitive nature had her stepping back up and firing another 10 rounds. Despite the coaching of her men, her aim did not change. She unloaded the magazine, then slid back the slide over the barrel, locking it in place. She set Kakashi's pistol down.
No, this was definitely not her thing. She'd satisfied her curiosity, and now she was ready to be done.
"No big guns for you, Sakura?" Genma asked, implication heavy in his tone. Kakashi flicked his gaze to his friend.
"Don't worry, Genma, yours isn't big enough to scare me." She replied cooly, glancing briefly at his crotch and away, dismissive.
Kakashi made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort, and Genma's mouth dropped open.
"I'll have you know, my gun is plenty big, sweetheart, and if Kakashi's doesn't cut it for you-"
Kakashi released the slide on his pistol loudly, and Genma laughed, his hands up in surrender, even though Kakashi's barrel remained facing down range.
"Now, Kakashi, let's not get touchy over the difference in size," He smirked, hands still up.
She was relieved when the men were ready to pack up and call it a day. She had filming tomorrow, and she was exhausted from the weekend. Sundays were supposed to be for rest, she'd told Kakashi during practice. He'd only given her an indolent look.
The ride back home was quiet, Kakashi silent beside her. She noticed that he never fidgeted, never tapped his fingers or bounced his leg. She assumed it was his military training. He probably had better self control than she could ever accomplish. Her own fingers twisted restlessly in her lap.
When they arrived home, it was nearly dinner time, so Sakura got to work making pork katsu, playing music in the kitchen as she went. The dogs occasionally walked by, their nails clicking on the floor.
Her mind wandered to Kakashi, who had disappeared. She supposed he'd gone out, as he had ordered another guard inside. Guy was at that moment sitting at her kitchen table, flipping through a magazine. Kakashi's regular shift was technically over, so she supposed it wasn't a big deal. Though her eye twitched a bit at yet another person inside of her house.
She couldn't believe her behavior last night. And oh, it could have been so much worse, she knew. Deep down inside her, somewhere that she was unbound and reckless, she had…enjoyed it.
She'd learned very quickly that Guy was a chatty man, but he let her cook in peace, content to let her be for the most part, especially with her vague responses. It appeared from his constant talk that he and Kakashi had been friends for a long time.
Kakashi was not home by the time dinner was ready. Only a little bothered, she ate with Guy, who launched her into a tail of a daring adventure he'd gone on as a young man in the army. Sakura barely pretended to listen. The lives of her guards were not of much interest to her, whether they were in her house or not. Whether their captain was about to be her husband or not. This changed nothing. She needed to keep herself firmly on her side of the boundary she had drawn in her life.
Finding herself bored after cleaning the kitchen and running the vacuum in all of the rooms on the main floor, Sakura wandered into her library at the opposite end of the house from her bedroom.
It was furnished cozily, with a plush chair that had a fuzzy throw, and a chaise lounger, ideal for reading. The rug was soft under her feet as she padded to the bookcase that spanned one wall, before turning the corner and covering a second wall. A third wall was windows that rounded up into a roof of glass, like a greenhouse. The final wall, the one she had entered from, hosted her framed Music Theory degree, and pictures of Sakura with her friends. No movie posters. No awards. No records. Sakura preferred to let those remain either at Senju or with Naruto and Sasuke. In the corner to her left sat her instruments and writing desk.
It seemed silly to have her music in the same room as her books, but since she was the only person who ever read here, she could never disturb someone with her practice.
The wall and ceiling of windows had become a point of contention with Tsunade when her personal security team had been hired. Sakura had really dug her heels in about keeping this feature of her home, so Tsunade had compromised, and had the windows redone as one-way glass.
Sakura turned on the lamp standing above the chair, selected the fantasy novel she'd left off reading, and then snuggled into the seat, crossing her legs under her. The safe feeling of the library wrapped around her as she thumbed open the page she had last left off on.
The night settled in outside the glass, and Sakura only moved to get more comfortable as she read on. If she had it her way, she would work less and read a book a day. She knew the tomorrow she would be launched back into filming, recording, and promotions at break neck speed. As it was, she moved slowly through the novels she wanted to read. Sakura sighed as she turned another page and neared the end.
Sakura was startled awake by a noise. She blinked slowly in the light of her reading lamp, finding her book face down by her feet. She hadn't the slightest idea what time it was, and now that she was awake, she didn't know what noise had awoken her, either. The night outside the glass was deep and still. The house was quiet.
The hair on the back of Sakura's neck stood on end.
She stood up on silent feet, stepping softly toward the arched doorway that led to the hall. Darkness greeted her there. Unwilling to make the trek to her room in the dark, she flipped on the hall light, and froze.
She could see Guy slumped in between the kitchen and the living room. She couldn't see any blood. The world felt stretched and warped around her. After a second of hesitation, she rushed forward towards her fallen guard. As her feet hit the floor before the entryway, she was abruptly pulled backwards, a set of arms around her center. Panic raged through her system. Her feet completely left the ground for a moment while she was spun around with her captor, forcing her to face her door, a chest pressed to her back.
"Sakura-chan." The blood drained from her face. She recognized the voice. Of course, she recognized the voice. It was the same voice from Tuesday night.
She was in a nightmare.
"Sakura-chan, aren't you going to say hello?" The voice crooned in her ear. No, not a nightmare. This was reality.
Forcing herself to think, to calm down, she replied evenly, "I thought you were in jail?"
A dark laugh from behind her, his grip unrelenting. "Ah, I made bail. Wonderful, isn't it?" He nudged her towards the door. "Open it." He ordered.
Sakura wasn't feeling quite that compliant. She refused to move. Who the fuck did this guy think he was, giving her orders and treating her like this?
Something cold and sharp pressed under her jaw, making her go rigid. The knife bit into the thin flesh over her jugular.
"Remember this? You used one of these against me last time! How the tables have turned!" Her attacker's voice was light, delusionally happy. Sakura tried to remember what Kakashi had taught her, tried to help herself. But for fuck's sake, she'd had less than a week of practice.
"Open the door."
She opened the door. Her porch light shone down on the steps as he pushed her in front of him. Sakura's bare feet were silent on the stones, while the man's behind her echoed. The air was still. Her guards did not appear from the gloom, as she had hoped. She also noticed the distinct lack of Kakashi's dogs. She hoped they weren't hurt.
His hand slipped into her back pocket to grab her cell phone, which he dropped onto the stone. She shivered with disgust at the feeling.
He kept her moving, farther from the door, though she dug her heels in as much as she dared. Her mind was blank. Despite her lessons with Kakashi, this wasn't a movie. A few lessons did not make her a fighting machine. She was not suddenly a martial arts master. She was still just a useless pop star. Helpless. She bit down on a whimper threatening to crawl it's way up her throat.
"I think you're making a mistake," Sakura panted, still trying to remain within the porch light, trying to slow this nutcase down. But with a knife to her throat…she could only move so much. Already, a hot trickle of blood was dripping down the column of her throat. She did not want to die by impaling herself on a knife, but she knew she was likely dead if he got her to a secondary location. She watched a lot of true crime; you're dead if your kidnapper gets you to a secondary location.
"No, no, Sakura-chan! No mistake! I learned from last time." His breath was still in her ear, his voice reverberating through her back into her chest. He was a fucking psychopath. Sociopath? Now wasn't the best time for her to mentally debate his particular pathology.
"Did you?" They came to a stop. Sakura turned her head.
Kakashi was standing down the stone path, coming from the garage. His pistol was in his hands, aimed. His face was cold, calm. He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, and that unwitting whimper did manage to escape her at the sight of him.
"Good evening, Sakura," Kakashi's face lightened with pleasantness for a heartbeat. "Stay there for a moment," The ice set back in as he focused once more on her attacker. He was dressed in dark jeans and a dark t-shirt, which had allowed him to blend into the night until now.
Her attacker tightened his grip, practically strangling her. She wheezed. Tears threatened to well in her eyes, burning below the surface. Kakashi took a step. Sakura was dragged a step back.
"I've learned. I was here the other night, noting where you were. And the dogs, that's new. But nothing I can't get around." Kakashi's eyes flickered, his muscles bunching almost imperceptibly. Her attacker didn't know about the cameras, which was good. If things went south, they would still have evidence. Sakura wanted to cheer a little.
"Except a bullet." His hand didn't waver. The barrel of the pistol remained pointed at Sakura and the man holding onto her.
"Now, now, don't be so mean. I didn't kill any of your comrades. Such violence isn't necessary here. Besides, we don't want to hurt pretty, pretty Sakura, right?" Her captor purred, the tip of the blade caressing her skin.
The grey eyes she was coming to know so well locked straight on her. Where the fuck have you been and don't shoot me! She tried to tell him with her own green ones.
"I certainly hope you're telling the truth, because I don't want to have to kill you. But if I find out my men are hurt, I will have no difficulty having you killed in prison." His masked face was somehow vengeance incarnate. Sakura believed him. Kakashi must have a lot of powerful connections if he could pull that off. The man behind her just laughed again. He was truly unhinged.
"Not to worry! All is well. You relax, and I'll just get going." He constricted his arm around her waist, impossibly tighter.
"Well, I certainly can't let you walk out." Kakashi took a step nearer to them. Sakura was dragged back an according step. Small stones went skittering away from her bare heels as she scrambled for purchase. The look on Kakashi's face was sharp and vicious, a bird of prey.
"I think you can. In fact, I think-" The bang of Kakashi's pistol going off was a thousand times worse without ear protection on. The sound of a bullet tearing through bone and flesh? Indescribable. The scream of her captor pierced her brain. Too much sound. Too fast.
Sakura went down with her captor, landing hard half on him and half on the grass beside her pathway.
His hold loose, Sakura rolled away, pushed herself to her feet, and ran. Kakashi removed one hand from his pistol grip, holding an arm open to her. She withheld her sobs as she slammed into his chest, and he folded her into him, his other arm holding the gun steady.
She dared a peak at her attacker, expecting death, only to find that Kakashi had shot him in the shoulder. His shot must have passed unbelievably close to Sakura's own shoulder, just above it.
After a brief moment to ground herself, she stepped out of Kakashi's arm, and slid behind him, to watch from the safety that Kakashi provided. But she didn't need him to hold her up.
Her captor was as she had last seen him. Average height and build. Average face. Maybe 30 years old. Absolutely forgettable.
He was clutching his shot shoulder on the ground, blood pouring between his fingers. She could tell Kakashi hadn't hit any organs, undoubtedly on purpose. The knife, a formidable looking hunting blade, had been dropped in the grass.
"Sakura, you should call the police while I hold him." A brief pause. "And Tsunade. And Shikamaru."
She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her, so she agreed aloud.
Sakura ran into her house, snagging her phone off the ground without stopping. She slid to a halt inside the entryway just long enough to slam the 'EMERGENCY' button on the lock screen. As it rang, she rushed to Guy, dropping to her knees.
"What's your emergency?" Said a calming, feminine voice in her ear.
"I've been attacked in my home, my guard shot the intruder. Non-fatal. He's done something to the others here." She felt for Guy's pulse, which was found after a few fumbling seconds. Sakura tipped her head back, exhaling through her nose as relief began to set in. Something small hit the ground beside her with a small tink.
She looked down to see that it was a miniscule dart that had fallen from the back of Guy's neck. A tranquilizer. Her guards had been tranqued. Like animals. She'd bet that the dogs had been, too. Thanks to her new cameras, she should have footage of the entire incident. She would have that psycho locked up in a hole somewhere dark and distant.
What kind of nutcase tranqued people? What was this, some Vin Diesel movie?
"Please tell me your address, ma'am," The voice requested. Sakura told them. For once with no hesitation. They'd already been to her house anyway.
"Are they alive? The others?" The calm voice inquired.
"I think so." Sakura didn't move from beside Guy, just sat back onto her floor and hugged her knees to her chest. She rested her forehead on one of her kneecaps.
"And are you safe?"
"I think so."
"Officers and medical have been dispatched. Stay with me please. Your guard who shot the intruder, where is he?"
"He's holding the intruder outside. Please don't shoot him when you come." Deep breaths. In. Out. In.
She remained on the line with the operator for what felt like a lifetime. Seconds stretched out like taffy around her. Guy did not wake up.
Finally, she heard sirens. Heard brakes screeching to a halt, and officers barking orders at Kakashi to lower his weapon.
Her front door, which had been left ajar, was nudged open, and an officer appeared first, followed by an EMT.
Released from her emergency call by their presence, she dialed Tsunade, who dialed Shikamaru.
Sakura stood unsteadily to move out of the EMT's way as they made for Guy. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized that the paramedic was handsome, but it didn't really register.
She drifted into her living room and sat on the edge of her sofa, staring at nothing.
She continued to stare at nothing even when the police asked her questions. Even when the handsome young paramedic checked on her, taking her pulse, testing her pupil's dilation, asking her more questions. They inspected the cut on her neck, then cleaned and bandaged it.
Tsunade eventually arrived with Shikamaru beside her. It felt like another eternity had passed, but it had probably only been minutes. Sakura would bet Tsunade had violated a slew of traffic laws to get to her so quickly.
Her boss and PR manager convened with both the officers and medical personnel, making it clear that this was to be a very hush hush incident. Shikamaru was probably threatening lawsuits if word got out in any way. Sakura was glad.
And people did not cross Shikamaru Nara. He thought through every legal possibility, and he would see that things went his way. No small time managers to mess up this interaction like last time.
The entire time Sakura remained on her sofa, in the same jeans and sweater she had worn all day. There was blood on the shoulder of the grey sweater, and probably on her face. Still, she couldn't find it within herself to move.
She was suddenly blinking into Kakashi's eyes, unsure when he had appeared before her. He knelt down on the rug, and gently took her hand in one of his. Her fingers were freezing, his hot in comparison.
"Sakura." His voice was as soft as cotton candy, and just as sweet. He was so, so careful with her. It almost irritated her.
Remembering herself, Sakura sat back, straightening her spine and lifting her chin. She pulled her hand from him.
"Yes?" She assumed the aloof expression she usually wore. She was fine. This was nothing. She did not need anyone's pity.
He stood up, taking the hint from her change in demeanor. "Tsunade's sending us away for a while. Your camera system wasn't online, and after this…we'll have to sort it out later. But you can't stay here." Fuck, so her cameras hadn't caught the attack.
Rage. A fire lit in her veins, filled every cell in her body. Why was she constantly having her home invaded and taken from her? Where did people get off forcing her out of the place that was hers?
Just as quickly as it had filled her, the rage fizzled and cooled to a simmer. She couldn't stay in an active crime scene. It was perfectly reasonable to relocate somewhere temporarily.
She nodded and stood. She moved mechanically to go to her room, to her closet, and packed a bag. Kakashi hadn't mentioned how long she would be gone, so she pulled out one of her larger luggage bags, and filled it with about a week's worth of clothing and necessities.
She had plenty of star outfits at Senju, so she mostly packed casual clothes.
She trudged after Kakashi to the garage, carefully not looking at the displaced stones where she'd been dragged from the path, or the blood on the grass where Kakshi's bullet had eviscerated flesh.
No one must have thought to call Tenzo, if they were going to take her car.
But it wasn't her car Kakashi took her to. Since the last time she'd come inside the large, echoing space, a sleek black truck and an equally sleek motorcycle had appeared in the bays next to her little corvette.
It was clear they belonged to the man in front of her, so she withheld her comments.
Kakashi strode around the hood of the truck and opened the passenger door for her before snagging her bag to put in the bed. Sakura obediently climbed inside the cab, slipping onto the leather seat. It was cool beneath her and gave off a pleasant, clean smell.
Kakashi slammed his door getting into the driver's seat. She could practically feel the restrained anger dripping off of him. "Are you hurt?" He asked, voice low as he punched the button to open the garage door behind them. His muscles visibly shifted as he put the car in reverse and began to back out. She was impressed that he had chosen a stick shift. It was also incredibly sexy.
"I'm fine." She said to the window, eyes deliberately away from the movements of his forearm on the gear stick. "And the men? And dogs?" she asked quietly.
"They'll be okay within a day." his response was still low, bordering a growl. Sakura found herself relieved by the answer nonetheless.
He took them back through the city, taking quiet highways to a sleepy neighborhood on the north end. The houses were lovely, and well kept, each with its own little security gate, the streets clean around them. Kakashi pulled the massive vehicle up a drive to one of the gates and punched in a code. The gate slid silently open, and Kakashi drove through, up to a modest two-story home. It was of a more modern design, all elegant lines and symmetry. It reminded her of him.
Kakashi wasted no time parking in the garage and ushering Sakura inside the garage door to a dark hallway. She heard him hit the light switch, which illuminated that they were in a back hall, with a shoe rack against one wall and a hook for hanging keys shaped like a dog. He hung his keys off the dog's tail and slipped his shoes off neatly onto the rack.
Kakashi's face was a storm. She heard him inhale deeply, hold it for a count of 6 seconds, and let it out. His face relaxed just as she heard another door somewhere inside open. Kakashi passed through the doorway farther into the house, and Sakura followed.
Genma was leaning back against a wall in the central hall, waiting for them. He and Kakashi only nodded to one another. Sakura took in the space, noting the kitchen and living room, separated by an archway, and a dining room set off beside the kitchen. What she assumed was a hall bathroom lay before her, and she had only to turn left to enter the living room. Kakashi led the way to a staircase that was situated closer to the front door. Genma fell into his usual place behind her.
Kakashi took her upstairs and down the hall, passing two closed doors on his way to the one at the end. Genma slipped down the hall and disappeared into a different room.
"Here's your key." He handed a simple brass key back to her before pushing the door he had paused before open. "When the others are back to good, they'll be positioned here just like normal."
It was clearly the master bedroom, complete with a king bed and a small sitting area including a sofa, with a connected bathroom. The bed was made up in greys and greens, which didn't surprise Sakura in the least. The chairs and sofa were surrounded by stacks of books, just on the floor, like no one had ever bothered to buy a bookshelf. Plush rugs covered the dark hardwood floor, and the walls were a soft off-white color. A gigantic dog bed sat against one wall, practically a king sized bed in its own right. Sakura dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and went exploring.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi called as she stepped into the bathroom and examined the rain style shower and sizable bathtub. She returned to the bedroom. "Is this your house?" She made a face at him.
A silver eyebrow rose over his scarred eye. "Clearly."
"Fascinating." She withdrew back into the bathroom, opening each drawer. She was surprised by the size of the house and the care that had gone into furnishing it. She would have imagined a bare, grey kind of home, that was sparingly furnished with nothing but essentials and no personality. But it appeared that Kakashi had good taste, and while nothing was over the top, it was…nice. Like when he came home from dealing with her he wanted to rest in comfort. She felt a little bad about forcing him to move in with her, their interior taste so different.
Her eyes caught Kakashi leaning against the door frame in the mirror. "And you're going through my things because?"
Sakura looked back to the drawers with plush towels and toiletries. "Curiosity. This is much nicer than I expected. I'd have figured you lived in… I don't know, barracks or something?" Kakashi's eyes were still on her in the mirror, unwavering, that distant look back on his face. He didn't seem in the mood to talk about himself. "How old were you when you first came to Konoha?" He leaned his head against the frame of the door.
Sakura leveled him with a look. "What's it to you?" she asked icily.
His expression cleared. "Just want to know my bride better." His eyes crinkled playfully.
Sakura did not want to play.
Straightening up, she pushed past him back into the palatial bedroom. She was distracting herself from thoughts of the attack by exploring.
She halted. One king size bed. And Kakashi had not said anything about himself staying in another room.
Kakashi brushed by her this time, and patted the sofa, which his bag was resting by. "Not to fear, diva." He disappeared into the connected closet, so Sakura took the opportunity to put her own pajamas on, away from his eyes, then wandered over to the bed.
Two framed photos were propped up on the bedside table. Sakura scanned them quickly. One contained a smiling man and woman; the man silver haired and looking for all the world how she expected Kakashi to look at 50 or 60 years old. The woman was a brunette with soft, loving features, and while Kakashi looked a lot like the man, she could see that he had the shape of the woman's eyes. The second photo was three people, maybe in their twenties, arms thrown around one another and goofy grins plastered on faces, the kind that came from years of comfortable friendship. Younger Kakashi was on the left, his eye unscarred, his face unshadowed. In the center was another brunette woman, purple war paint on her cheeks, her eyes crinkled with mirth. On the right was a handsome, dark haired young man, his face turned slightly in the direction of the young woman.
Sakura hesitated to ask about the pictures; the lines were becoming blurred.
Kakashi, with his eyes that missed nothing, saw her interest as he reentered the room, even though she only glanced at the pictures briefly
"My parents," He said, voice gruff, as though the word 'parents' didn't sit on his tongue often. "And my squad," Sakura glanced over her bare shoulder at him, her expression carefully neutral. Kakashi had that distant look on his face. She didn't need to ask. She recognized grief when she saw it.
"They're lovely photos," she commented in a level voice. Kakashi made a 'hmmm' noise. She let the topic go.
She snuggled herself under the sheets and heavy down comforter, placed her phone on the bedside table and plugged it in. She stared at the molded ceiling as she listened to Kakashi trudge to the bathroom, then come out, shut off the light, and shuffle to the sofa.
She closed her eyes, but sleep eluded her. She rolled one way, then flipped back the other. She tried laying on her stomach. She returned to her back and flung an arm up over her closed eyes. Restlessness would not leave her alone.
"What the hell are you doing?" Came Kakashi's irritated voice. Sakura let out a noise of frustration, eyes opening, hands slapping down onto the comforter.
"I just.. I don't know! I was kidnapped!" She vented up at the ceiling. Silence. He was giving her time to sort it out. "I can't sleep. I feel…unmoored."
"That's a good word," he teased lightly. Even though he couldn't see it, she flipped him off. "Just sleep, diva." She heard him roll over.
Diva. Princess. Pop star. He was very good at nouns.
Kakashi didn't speak again, and it wasn't long before she could hear his breathing deepen and slow.
A clock she hadn't noticed ticked away on the wall.
After an hour, Sakura finally began to sink under the waves of sleep, tugged down into dreaming.
Knives to skin. No, it's a gun. Being pulled against her will into the dark, her porch light getting further and further. She cannot escape. Kakashi is not there. No one is there. Sakura fights harder.
She woke in a cold sweat, well after 3am. Unnerved and more than a little scared, she slid out of the massive bed, the moonlight turning her skin silver. She crept on bare feet around the sofa and knelt down by Kakashi's head. He didn't stir. A soft blanket was draped over him and he slept with his arms crossed, on his side. His face was soft and young in his sleep, despite his mask. More like the Kakashi in the picture by the bed. For a moment, she was awestruck.
"Kakashi," She whispered. The skin around his eyes tightened, but he didn't open them. Instead, he unfolded one arm, lifting up the blanket to create a space for her. Sakura crawled up onto the sofa and snuggled in, her back to his chest. He closed his arm and the blanket over her, pulling her close. Kakashi rested his chin on the top of her head. Unlike last week, she wasn't alone. Her nightmares were not true.
Sakura took a deep breath and relaxed against his bare chest, some peace returning to her. When sleep came, it was dreamless and deep.