It all started with that dream...

Chp10: Of almost kisses and masked balls…

Kakashi watched silently as Sasuke left. His heart still ached as he studied the woman he had fallen in love with, himself protected by the gently curving branches enveloping him in his private coven. She was as beautiful as ever. But he couldn’t stop his heart from aching. Was she lost to him forever? He gave a bitter laugh. That was obvious. When, in the last six years, had she loved anyone but the handsome Uchiha that had just left her midst? And to give him up for an aging jounin like him, who had both the fortune and downfall of calling himself her former teacher? It was like an intricately carved joke. Too good to be true. It would never be true.

Even as he silently digested these thoughts, even as he willed himself to stay away from her, to let her be, to let her have the dream she had pursued all this while with Sasuke, he couldn’t stop his legs from finally winning their silent protests. It was ironic that as his heart broke, these legs took over his weakened state and wanted to march over to the girl who would just innocently provide him with more grief. It was ironic. But it was happening. With panther-like grace, his long limber legs swung themselves off their perch atop the majestic tree, allowing him to jump onto the soft ground in a stealthy crouch. He slowly rose, his heart thudding, unable to do anything but let himself be guided by the mesmerizing allure she exuded. Unable to stop his legs from complying. He followed, his tight stomach growing tighter with their slow but effective twists. He moved forward.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura was still mulling over the strange occurrings of the few days gone past. What was happening? Of course, it all started with that dream… She coloured slightly at the memory. That was when she had started realizing, and therefore giving life, to her quickly overpowering feelings for her former teacher. It had been nothing but strengthened by her own traitorous thoughts and topped by her own interpretation of the moments that had transpired between them. The moment she had spent in his arms. ‘Delightful...’ The moment they had shared under the moonlight. ‘Perfect…’ She had been able to think of little else. In a short while- no, that was laughable…In hardly one night and one day, she had silently given her heart to the silver-haired man. She thought again to how he had looked that night on the bridge, his eyes just clouded over with sleep, his hair tousled, his mask appearing to have been put on in a daze, clinging dangerously low to the tip of his nose. It was all she could do to stop herself from praying that it would fall majestically to pool around his neck…It was all she could do to rip the offending cloth off with her own two hands! Then there was the whole thing with Sasuke…It was confusing. She was happy, of course, that he seemed to be happier these days, but sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder if he thought of her as more than just a friend. And she wasn’t yet sure if she was comfortable with that…

Sakura buried her face deep in the full, aromatic blossoms that she rested upon, before flipping her body around so she lay on her back, her face turned up towards the brilliant blue sky. She studied the soft cotton-wool wisps of white cloud that floated teasingly past. They appeared to hover just above her, an arm’s length away. She gave a laugh of silent mirth as she thought about how this was more to Shikamaru’s liking. ‘I should really call Ino soon…,’ she thought idly as a slim arm slowly raised it’s way to completing the impossible mission of reaching for the clouds. It just seemed so close…If she just inched up higher…Her fingers stretched themselves in preparation to pinch off a piece of the white, silver-lined clouds. She wondered about their texture. Would it be like velvet? Or unsuspectingly gritty to the touch? It was like the silver-haired man himself. Would he be the culmination of her dreams? Or would he break each and every one of them, along with her tortured heart? But still, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling as if she would capture a piece of him that she could claim her own, if only she managed to win a piece of the elusive clouds. It was symbolic.

She reached higher, her back arching off the ground, petals that had firmly adhered to her back, cascading in a dazzling pink-tinged waterfall. Her hair played with the falling petals as they cascaded around her on the ground. She touched nothing. She frowned in concentration. She could feel herself breaking with disappointment, panic rising within her. She had to have the clouds. Just a piece. ‘Just a piece of him…’ Was it impossible? For some unknown reason, she felt that the tears that had threatened to pool just a moment ago were now fulfilling their promise, and even worse, on the verge of spilling over. She reached higher, a lone tear racing it’s way down the arch of her cheek, glistening in the bright sunlight like crystal fire as it fell to the forgotten sakura blossoms cascading below. Was it impossible? Willing the tears to stop, she closed her eyes and reached higher.

She touched something warm. She closed her small hand around the intruding object, unwilling to open her eyes. Her fingers traced hesitant feather-like motions as they tried to discern this new identity. It felt like cloth over…was that a gloved hand? She felt the unmistakable cool kiss of metal on her searching fingertips. It was a ninja’s glove. Her hands tightened reflexively around the large, warm hand before she wrenched her glittering eyes open to look up at whoever had come. Her heart had started pounding. Her stomach had began their fluttering circles around and around and around…She swallowed. It was unfamiliar but growing to be quite familiar. Her eyes slowly focused to look up at the interrupting figure of darkness sheathed in the blinding sunlight that outlined his body in a blazing mimicry of his aura. His chakra. Her breaths came faster. How could it be anybody else? Her back slowly sank down to rest on the ground below her. She knew it. It was him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kakashi stared down at the vision of loveliness below him, feeling concerned. Had she been crying? Had the Uchiha made her cry? He growled unknowingly. Sakura didn’t notice, lost as she was, drinking in the sight of him. Kakashi felt like pounding the young man into a pulp if he had anything to do with her tears.

‘What’s wrong?,’ he silently asked. Somehow, she looked even more beautiful with her eyes glittering like light turquoise jewels in the sunlight. She displaced everything else. What was she doing to him?

‘It’s you…,’ her subconscious whispered. Sakura startled her way to reality. What was happening? Her hand tightened in his. Kakashi returned the grasp, holding her hand in his comfortably, his throat constricting in the unfamiliar yet familiar dance that always happened when he was around her. She slowly rose, sitting up. Supported by his strong, concerned arms. He held her there, trapped in a warm hug. She buried her face in his warm chest and inhaled his intoxicating scent. This was heaven. This was her heaven. It was the second time that morning that someone had entered her private haven but somehow, it didn’t feel like he was intruding. His free hand brushed aside the hair that had fallen forward between them, resting to cup her warm cheek. She looked beautiful. His brow furrowed. And she had definitely been crying.

“What’s wrong?” he voiced his silent enquiry. She smiled brilliantly up at him, her wet lashes framing the glittering jewels that were her tear-filled eyes. But they were ebbing away. He was here now. Everything was alright. She had him now. “Nothing,” she said, smiling. And sitting there, in the company of his arms, she truly felt that nothing was wrong. He hugged her closer. She buried her face in his hard chest once more. They shared the lover-like moment under the gaze of the bright, blue sky, wrapped closer together by the sakura-scented breeze rushing closer around the both of them. It was heaven, their minds whispered together. How he wanted to stay that way forever. How she wanted to stay that way forever. His silver hair fluttered against her hair. He looked down. It looked good there, against the pale pink backdrop of her beautiful tresses. He felt content. She observed her pastel locks winding around his muscled shoulder. It looked good there. She felt content.

He prised her away from him slowly. Her eyes looked up at his questioningly. “Have you been crying?” he asked quietly. She was stunned. She hadn’t realized that the tears had fallen. Was it that obvious? She remembered why. Her cheeks flamed. It was stupid. It was nothing. “N-no…,” she stammered. “Something got in my eye,” she explained further. It was stupid. It was nothing. He wouldn’t appreciate knowing the real reason, she almost laughed. He observed her again in a pregnant, uncomfortable silence. Sakura shifted uncomfortably in his comfortable arms. It was a beautiful, pleasant type of paradox. She smiled at him. After a hesitant second, she was relieved to feel him smiling back at her. His eye crinkled. She basked in his smile, her own widening.

“I’m glad to hear that you weren’t really upset or anything,” he smiled quietly, after a skeptical pause. “My offer still stands, if ever you need anyone to talk to…,” he continued, looking at her. She smiled, before allowing her happy smile to fade slightly as she remembered that he had presumed it was Sasuke she would need to talk about…Her heart sank lower. She must tell him. She wanted him that badly. Her mouth opened slowly, preparing to say the words. Her cheeks coloured in anticipation. Kakashi looked at her quizzically. Was she getting uncomfortable in his arms? Could she somehow sense his intense feelings for her, how he felt around her at that very moment? He shifted uncomfortably, preparing to slowly pull away from her as if nothing had happened. He hoped it wouldn’t be too awkward. His chest retracted by mere microns, he wasn’t sure if he had pulled away at all. But he was unwilling to leave her arms. He tried again, pulling away. He was stopped by the tightening of her arm around his neck and her small hand around his. He swallowed. Time stood still. How many more of these opportunities would he have with her? He had promised himself that, after this, he would just love her from afar and be a supportive friend. ‘Just this moment…,’ he promised himself. Just this one moment. He rested his chin on her head.

Sakura’s eyes widened against him. Was this a sign that she should go on? She pulled away from him slowly, preparing to confess her feelings, to ask of his. Her heart beat faster. Harder. ‘Kakashi…’ Her eyes were large as they took him in. He was beautiful. Her mouth opened again. How should she start?

‘Kakashi, I love you…,’ she thought.

‘I love you Sakura…,’ Kakashi wanted to voice his thoughts to the beautiful woman in his arms.

He inched closer, entranced by her soft, parted lips. She inched closer, drawn by his hungry one-eyed gaze. Closer still. They were now so close that his nose was a hair’s width from brushing her own, his warm breath rushing over her lips, driving her crazy. Kakashi just wanted to lower his lips to hers and sink the both of them to the inviting ground below her. He wanted her so badly. What was she doing to him? Her thoughts echoed his as her gaze spun dizzily, trying to focus on the spot where his lips would be. That annoying mask. She wanted to rip it off him and kiss him. Then she would satisfy herself with a view of his visage. Kakashi toyed with the idea of ripping off his suffocating dark mask and pressing his lips to hers. His breaths came faster. Sakura’s breaths paralleled his. The air was thick with silence. Waiting for the two lovers. Kakashi inched closer, if that was possible. Sakura tilted her head. Their eyes closed. A sakura blossom fell atop the tips of their noses, jolting them apart from each other, jolting them back to reality.

They breathed rapid breaths, eyes widened, unable to believe what had been about to happen. Each silently cursing the intruding blossom. Angered. They stared at each other, forging a secret promise that they would pretend nothing had happened. Just for that afternoon. Sakura knew that she’d let herself analyse it later. She knew she would die if she let herself acknowledge right then how close she had been, and how she had let the opportunity pass her by. She swallowed her disappointment. Kakashi cursed his at the same instant he welcomed the reprieve. He stared at her before looking away. He couldn’t believe what had been about to happen. Was it wrong? Apparently, nature had thought so. He had welcomed it. He hoped it just meant that the heavens wanted to give them another day. Under the bright sky, Sakura hoped, wished fervently for another moment to make up for the one she had missed. She was still in shock. But she couldn’t let herself think of what had just passed her by. In her vulnerable state, she would probably collapse in another uninvited bout of tears! She almost laughed in bitter regret. She had to think about something else. Kakashi mirrored her thoughts. Sakura decided she would focus on telling him of her feelings, although she wondered if he couldn’t already tell…

Sakura took a deep breath, holding it in for longer than she had to. “I…” Kakashi smiled, glad to be distracted from his intense thoughts, his regret at the interruption- would they have kissed?? - “what is it?” “I…how did you know I was here? How did you know about this place?” she blurted out. That was not what her heart had wanted to say. But her courage had up and left her at the very last second, prompted by her need to not scare him away. Otherwise, who knew if he would even stand to be around her, much less hold her as he was doing now?? Who knew if she could have another chance at kissing him? But she shared her heart’s disappointment. She had to tell him.

Kakashi gave a secretive smile, warming up to the distraction she offered. He embraced it, welcomed it. He winked. “This is your favourite spot isn’t it? I’ll tell you a secret…It’s really close to mine.” Her eyes widened. He enjoyed seeing her shock. Her mind whirled. How long had he been noticing her, observing her?? An even more alarming thought seeped into her consciousness. Had he seen her with Sasuke earlier, she thought uneasily. She prayed that he hadn’t. She prayed that he had just only come. “Yours? Where’s that?” she returned easily, laughingly, never betraying her chaotic thoughts. Her eyes roved over her surroundings. It could be anywhere. She peered over the dense foliage flanking the area in all directions. Was it one of those trees? He was always reading that book on a tree during their missions, she remembered the past six years. It was likely. But she came to her spot to relax. He was always on a tree, so he would want to relax away from one…right? Her mind couldn’t even process her absurd inner monologue as she continued her search over the surrounding environment. Was it the cool, blue river a slope below? She peered up at him, her eyes narrowed in thought.

Kakashi was charmed. He laughed at her obvious chain of thoughts. He enjoyed her puzzlement. “I’ll tell you…,” he winked, moving in closer to her. The pounding of her heart stopped. Her breath caught. Her mind grew dizzy. His warm, delicious velvet whispers teased her ear as he breathed huskily, “…one day.” This was dangerous. She couldn’t stop thinking about their almost kiss. She had to distract herself. She hit his arm, laughing as she straddled him in one quick move. “Would you like for me to tickle it out of you?” she intoned dangerously, peering down at he laughing man below her. He wondered if she could feel the thudding of his heart. If she was aware that he had stopped breathing. She made a beautiful, rather than dangerous, picture as she perched atop his pelvic region, bathed in sunlight, her lustrous hair floating in the gentle breeze. He could stay like that forever. She sighed. She could stay like that forever. Even as it was unsettling to be so near him. “All right, all right, I concede! You win! I’ll tell you!,” he yelled out before she could begin her tickling.

She had hardly tasted victory when, in one quick move, she found herself below him in a mimicry of last afternoon’s incident at Akagahara. She swallowed. “Now, where were we?” he intoned dangerously, taking hold of her two hands and grasping them at the wrists, above her head. She swallowed harder, rather enjoying her torment. She blushed as she remembered the last place this had happened. ‘That dream!,’ she cursed. “Were you about to tickle me?” his husky whisper teased. She laughed, hoping to overpower the loud thuds her heart was making. Really, love could send you into cardiac arrest! But she could stay there forever…Her soft smile undid him. He was in dangerous territory. He had to focus on something else. This was dangerously similar to his infamous dream. And they were all alone unlike last afternoon at Akagahara. He swallowed…

“All right, I won’t force you!” she laughed, before sneakily whispering, “bully…” His grip tightened and he looked down at her in mock menace, silently threatening her with his laughing, exposed eye. She laughed. He smiled. Now was the time. She had to tell him. “Kakashi…,” she began. It was unsettling to hear her say his name. Painful. But he revelled in the pain. It brought him pleasure, in a perverse sort of way. Sakura swallowed hard. She couldn’t do it! But she was suddenly struck with the perfect way to buy herself some time and get him thinking that she was interested in him. In THAT way. 'The dance!’ the thought happily came to her rescue. Yes, she would ask him to the masked ball that was a tradition during the second night of Konoha’s week-long holiday. She would ask him to the dance tomorrow night. Her mind quickly, excitedly tried to form the words.

“So…enjoying the holiday so far?” she began softly. She cringed. Definitely not the best opening, she decided, but it was hard to think when he was pressed against her that way. She felt as helpless as she did the afternoon before. She felt his grip loosen slightly as he appeared to consider her question. Kakashi thought back to what he had been up to. Nothing really. He supposed, in terms of holiday rest and the like, the first day had been a success at fulfilling promises of lazy hours. He had finally fallen asleep and later on, he had just whiled away the day atop his favourite tree. It had been uneventful really, if he didn’t take into account the way thoughts of her, of his feelings for her, of his wondering whether or not she would ever love him, didn’t grip his mind in a stronghold. Those very same thoughts had not ceased as far as he could remember, instead choosing to whirl about in their jumbled disarray, sending him to dizzying heights which he ironically clung to gratefully if only because they were centred around her. But he didn’t think she would want to know about that. “It was alright. Lazy…,” he said at long last, his words coupled with the lazy grin she could only envision but could not truly behold. That annoying mask...

“I guess the masked ball wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary for you,” she teased, “you’re always masked anyway.” She smiled. He laughed, the rich, masculine sound reverberating in his throat. “Maybe you could come unmasked! Now that would be an effective costume. I’m sure no one would recognize you!,” she continued teasing, enjoying the sensation of his laugh humming over her skin as they rolled over her in velvet waves. This was really heaven. He smiled. That was a thought…Maybe he would. The dance…He hadn’t really thought about it. He didn’t really want to go with anyone but her…'Should I ask her? How should I ask her…Should I ask her!?’ He didn’t like the thought of her going with anybody else. But he had never really asked anyone to any of these things. It wasn’t his style. “You are going, aren’t you? Assuming someone’s asked you, of course?” Sakura couldn’t help the slightest note of hope, tinged with anticipated disappointment, from colouring her question. Would he notice? Would it matter? She wanted to go with him so badly. She frowned slightly. She didn’t like the thought of him going with anybody else. “Who would ask an old jounin like me?” he voiced, laughing easily. “You’re not old!” she protested as Kakashi pondered the situation at hand. How should he ask her? He didn’t want to just blurt it out! He wanted to do it smoothly…He resisted the urge to blush. Such boyish thoughts…

“I…,” both began, shy faces averted before swiftly turning to look at the other’s in surprise, saying “what’s that? No, do go on…” Laughter filled the glade as both contemplated their individual awkwardness, shyness, embarrassment. How was he ever going to ask her? Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Kakashi sighed, freeing one hand for a brief moment to brush aside a lock of his silver hair ruefully. Sakura looked at him hopefully. How was she ever going to ask him? She hoped it was meant to be. Sakura sighed. “I…,” they both began again before stopping to listen to the unmistakable soft footsteps a distance away, sensing the intruder’s unhidden chakra. Both froze. Kakashi quickly let go of Sakura’s wrists, jumping off of her and finding himself reclining against a nearby tree in a lightning-quick move. Sakura echoed his swift movements, finding herself in a sitting position, legs propped up in front of her, hands busily brushing away the guilty blossoms that had adhered to her figure. Both waited in anticipation. The soft footsteps continued moving forward. Both held their breaths. Who was it? Both swallowed their disappointment. It had been so close…

The footsteps came closer. Like guilty teenagers, Kakashi and Sakura were too nervous to bother trying to figure out who it was, save for the recognition that it was someone familiar to them. They waited nervously. The footsteps approached closer still…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Updates soon hopefully;) As always, pls R&R=)