The Old Biddy

Note: THANK YOU as always to everyone who took the time to leave a review. They are insightful, encouraging, and make me laugh a little too loud and long sometimes! It quite honestly leaves me feeling happy and positive for the rest of the day and somehow that positiveness leaks out to everyone else I run into that day or week. Ah, the osmosis of positive thinking...

It's also about time I said thank you to asuka02redeva. Although the idea of "The Old Biddy" has come from several other KakaSaku stories I've read that has had an old biddy in some shape or form (there are surprisingly a lot), I remember the old nurse in asuka02redeva's "You Are My Only One" in Ch. 10 the most so I think it's only fitting to give her proper thanks. Thanks asuka02redeva!

Also, I've been told that my love scenes sound over-exaggerated. I can assure everyone that I try my best to only write down what I already know without over-exaggerating things. Some things really just turn out that way. Trust me on this...Yeah, a bit too much info there, I know. Just trying to make a point here. Moving on...

Chapter 13-Yours And Only Yours

Sakura moved slightly beneath Kakashi and he obligingly raised his weight off of her so that she could lay on her back comfortably, but otherwise he kept his position on top of her. At most, he readjusted himself so that his pelvis rested comfortably between her spread legs. He was still soft, to be sure, but in this position...

Sakura raised a warm hand to his cheek and gently caressed it with her thumb. He had apparently shaved. He must have done it while he was hiding in the bathroom.

"Why?" Sakura asked softly.

"Why what?" Kakashi asked, raising his hand to hers and rubbing it harder against him.

"Why the mask? There's obviously nothing wrong with you. If anything you're pretty damn hot! So why the mask?"

Kakashi laughed.

"It's a long story." He said shaking his head.

"We've got time." Sakura said gently.

Kakashi looked into the depths of her jade colored eyes looking up questioningly up at him and he could feel the walls crumbling.

"Please don't make me do this, Sakura."

"Do what, Kakashi?" She looked up at him confused.

"I just want to make love. Let's just make love." Kakashi insisted.

"We just made love, Kakashi. We've been making love over and over again, but I need to understand you. It can't all be about making love, especially since I'm marrying you. Most especially since I'm marrying you. Make me understand, Kakashi." She pleaded.

There was a pained look in Kakashi's eyes, but he relented.

"I...lost someone...A lot of someones actually. I loved them all deeply." Kakashi began.

"Who?" Sakura asked, feeling sorry for him already.

"My father, for one. He was on this mission where he had to choose between the mission and the lives of his team. He chose his team and was chastised for it. He killed himself from the shame of it."

"Oh my god, Kakashi! I'm so sorry!"

"Then, there was Obito. He was my best friend when I was younger. He...he gave me this." Kakashi said, raising Sakura's hand up so that she touched his closed, scarred left eye with the Sharingan. "He taught me what was important. He taught me to love my father for what he did and not hate him for it. He taught me that it's not all about following the rules. Obito and I were on a mission, my first mission as captain...he died. I killed...it was my fault." Kakashi said flatly.

"Kakashi..."

"It was my fault, Sakura."

"I'm sure you did everything you could."

"He was my best friend."

"You did everything you could."

"He still died."

"You're only human. You can't go through life blaming yourself. You can't...you can't turn into your father, Kakashi." Sakura said firmly, looking hard into his eyes. Kakashi looked just about ready to breakdown. "You are the strongest person I know. You can't blame yourself, Kakashi. It's not right. It's not healthy."

"Next came the Fourth." Kakashi stubbornly continued. "Then Rin, my other teammate." Hot tears were now rolling down his cheeks as he cried in silence.

Sakura cupped his face in her hands and kissed them all away.

"You can't blame yourself." Sakura repeated in a whisper, forcing herself to hold back her own tears that were dangerously close to spilling over.

"Everyone I loved, I lost. I thought I was cursed. I had to be. Why else would all that have happened? So I started wearing the mask...I can't kill who I don't love and doesn't love me."

"Oh, Kakashi!" Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "How could you think..."

"One after the other, Sakura! What was I supposed to think?!"

"You're a powerful ninja, Kakashi, but even you don't have it in you to change the past. No one is blaming you because there's no blame to be had. Don't you dare forget that! You can't hide behind walls and masks forever, Kakashi. If you don't let people in, you're only hurting yourself in the end. We all need someone. God knows I need you!"

"You think I'm a superstitious idiot now don't you?"

"I just think you lost a lot of people who meant a lot to you and when that happens, we tend to do crazy things. Just don't let it turn into a hindrance. You've got a lot to offer to this world Hatake Kakashi. It'd be a shame to have it all go to waste just because of a badly broken heart."

"I don't think it's broken so much anymore." Kakashi smiled down at her, his eyes still shining from some leftover tears.

"Well, I am good at mending people." Sakura joked and smiled playfully at him. "And to think, all this time I thought you hid your face because you didn't want fangirls chasing you!"

"They chase me anyway." Kakashi said regretfully, shaking his head. "Fanboys, too."

Sakura's mouth dropped then she laughed hysterically.

"Promise me this, Kakashi. Promise to always let people into your heart, but keep the mask on for both our sakes. I don't need anymore fangirls or boys chasing you anymore than they already do, and if they see this..." Sakura said, gently caressing his high cheekbones, strong jaw, and soft lips, "Then how on earth will I keep you all to myself?"

"I'm only yours, Sakura. Always have, always will be."

Sakura smiled warmly up at him feeling reassured.

"Thank you, Kakashi, but let's keep that mask of yours on when we're out in public anyway, alright?"

"Yours and only yours." Kakashi repeated, and Sakura closed her eyes for the gentlest, sweetest of kisses.

To be continued...