It all started with that dream...

A/N: First off, I’m really sorry for the delay in updating! I was almost done with the chps so I thought I’d be able to post them up in no time but then summer hols was ending, I had to start preparing n packing to go back to uni… *SIGH* n now I’m back here=/ heh and straight out of a drama, a parked bus exploded (*phewww* no one n no cars hurt in the process;D) while we were at the airport! So I had to say my goodbyes n board amidst evacuating ppl *sob!!*

Anyways, I’ve conquered jetlag, I’m settled, classes have started and the net has FINALLY been connected (*wheeeeee=D*) and at long last, I can give you the promised updates=) I thought there should be *some* semblance of a miserable wait for Sakura so from that came these 2 rather lengthy chps… Heh though who could be anything but miserable when you’re stuck having to wait for the damn hot Kakashi at the end of the 3-day tunnel;)

Anyway, long A/N this time ard! hope you like these chps (maybe Chp18 will make up for the wait?;D It'll be out real real soon) Thanks as always for all your reviews, I really appreciate you guys reading n liking the story so far. You really are the best! And ooh, do leave more;)

To reesechan: *rawr!* those DJs sound hot! Wish I could see… Is there a link?

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Chp 16: A looooooong wait!

*Day One…*

Three days… ‘Three days!’ What had possessed her to wait three days!? True, that was the average age of her Kakashi-oriented life post THAT dream, but she felt like she had loved him for much longer than that. And that probably was the case, she mused. Over the years, she had progressively fallen for the ninja casually standing in the corner with his trusty orange paperback, steadily coaching them, valiantly protecting them. And always reserving a crinkled smile for her, no matter how bad things got. He had been there for her as far as she could remember and loving him just seemed natural. ‘There totally wasn’t any need to wait three days! Great going, Sakura…,’ Sakura groaned. She should have insisted there wasn’t anything left to think about. She loved him and if his feelings really were as strong as hers, what WAS there left to think about?

Except she wasn’t sure what exactly it was he felt for her, Sakura thought, biting her lip, lazily rubbing a leg as she sat brooding on the sofa they had shared only yesterday. He had seemed to really care, the way he had looked deeply into her eyes, smiling that intensely gorgeous loin-warming smile. The way he had held her in his arms as if he wouldn’t let her go no matter what the circumstance. The way he had kissed her… Sakura’s spine tingled as she revelled in the delicious warm sensations spreading every which way through her body as she recalled the way his eyes had closed right before his sexy lips sought hers. A hand rubbed her warm cheek self-consciously. It had been really intimate sitting here with him all till late afternoon and now she felt really lonely without him. ‘Three days…,’ she groaned again. But then, he must care enough about her, respected her enough, to want to give her time to think about the idea of being with him. He simply had to love her, her mind reasoned desperately, or at least feel some serious like for her.

Three days, she thought mournfully, running a finger through a thick strand of damp hair. She was barely out of the shower! Sometimes she could really do without her ninja-attuned body clock. At times like these when she would have loved to sleep in, she had risen with the sun. It would be nice to wake up to the bustle of Konoha way into the afternoon for a change, sleeping in till noon at least. ‘Or for three days,’ Sakura thought wryly, staring out the window. Still, at least she didn’t have to wait a month… Sakura shuddered at the thought.

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*Day Two…*

Sakura was bored out of her mind. She felt like screaming. In fact, she vaguely remembered screaming into her pillow early that morning. Yup, she thought, an amused smile reluctantly gracing her features, she remembered waking up to a mouthful of fluffy pillow, much to her surprise turned amusement. Sigh. It was the second day of her inwardly dubbed torture as she prepared to slave her way through yet another day of waiting when all she really wanted to do was jump into his arms and declare herself his already. She sighed. Yesterday had been uneventful. She had remained on her sofa, alternating between looking out the window dolefully and slumping her head against the headrest as if trying to absorb the memories it held of the day before yesterday, trying to relive it. All in all, she had lain against the couch, lost in thoughts punctuated with regular dreamy sighs, for hours before she finally realized that the day had passed her by. She remembered being shocked to see the cozy room shrouded in a dark orange glow, fingering the hair that had obviously dried long ago, in surprise. It had been almost like the day before, sans Kakashi of course, the very best part. The night had gone by in a daze and she had been almost surprised to find herself awaking in bed as normal this morning. Judging on her less than stellar state of awareness yesterday, she had half expected to still be on the couch this morning, Sakura thought wryly.

She had to do something more time-consuming, more productive today. Something that would distract her from Kakashi and would stop her from acting like a total zombie again. Setting the coffeepot back on the kitchen counter, Sakura took a fortifying gulp of the coffee she had just poured. It was an effort at living normally, but by no means a successful indication of her having put the enigmatic Kakashi away from her mind. To her own resigned amusement, she noted that she was drinking from the same mug she had served him his coffee in that time. She might as well have been drinking straight from his cup as she also noted that she had concocted the exact same brew she had made for him then. ‘Cream, no sugar…You’ve got it bad…,’ Sakura laughed to herself. She resisted the urge to curl up on the sofa again as she had the day before and opted instead to finish the coffee where she was.

Taking a slow sip, she wondered what she could possibly do to distract herself today… It would probably be a good idea for her to actually leave the apartment this time, she thought with a light laugh. She didn’t exactly want a repeat of yesterday’s lost and lazy lounge on the sofa! Maybe she would do her groceries… Or better yet, maybe she would visit someone… Ino, or Naruto perhaps… What with everything that had been going on in her life, it felt as if she hadn’t seen him for ages! Besides, being safely ensconced in someone’s house would probably guarantee that she wouldn’t bump into Kakashi, the man of her lustful dreams and all-encompassing love. She didn’t think she could handle being around him and not being able to touch him… And kiss him… And feast her eyes on his totally gorgeous face… She would probably jump him right in public! With a strangled sound that was part moan, part chuckle and part disappointed sigh, Sakura washed the now empty mug with brisk, efficient movements. She wanted to be out of the apartment as soon as possible. The quicker she began her Mission Distraction, the better for her peace of mind!

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Walking along the silent backstreet that led away from Naruto’s apartment, Sakura watched her legs lope lazily in front of her, one before the other in a slow and casual gait. It had been nice to laugh with Naruto, catching up… Of course, he had teased her about Sasuke but she hadn’t felt like having a serious discussion of her love life. She had just laughed it off and worked the conversation back to safer topics. The visit had been a welcome distraction, just what she had been after. But it didn’t last long, she thought with a sigh. Apparently, he had an appointment with Jiraiya. Sakura chuckled. No holiday was going to get in the way of Naruto’s training! Sakura herself had opted to enjoy the holiday for what it was and planned to resume her medic-nin training under Tsunade once the week was done. With the recent emotional turmoil in her life, she was probably in need of the break.

Walking on, Sakura caught the first whiffs of sakura blossoms floating enticingly over her senses. Apparently, she had been walking towards her favourite glade. Her subconscious reminding her of her usual spot of solace, perhaps? Still, she doubted the wisdom of heading there. Hadn’t Kakashi said his favourite spot was somewhere there? She didn’t think she could respect his offer of a thinking period if he happened to be within her midst… Sakura sighed. She missed him. And now, there was nowhere to go to escape thinking about him.

She was about to turn through the alley that would open up to her street when she heard a voice calling out her name in the distance. “Sakura!” She turned questioningly. She saw a tall figure making his way to her in long strides. The figure was tall, dark and handsome, garbed in a blue that brought out similarly toned deep blue highlights from his soft raven-hued hair. He was once the guy of her dreams, almost an obsession even. “Ah! Sasuke…,” she said pleasantly. What was he doing all the way over here? The Uchiha complex was on the other side. Voicing her puzzlement, she asked him, “What are you doing all the way here?” Not too smooth but it got the point across. To her surprise, a semblance of a blush crept on his cheeks but he was looking down so she couldn’t be sure. Suddenly, he looked at her with a smile that bordered on embarrassed as he placed his hands in his pockets. “I was looking for you actually… No one answered your door so I thought maybe you would be at the glade…,” he said, his tone almost sheepish. Sakura was stunned. He had really been acting out of character nowadays. She didn’t know if it was just around her or if it applied to everybody. He had been really sweet the night of the dance but by the time the night was over, she had convinced herself that he had no romantic feelings for her. And yet, here he was going out of his way to actually search for her… What was going on with him?

“Is everything alright?” she asked with a start, her eyes wide as they ran over his features, searching for signs of distress. She found none. All she saw was the same awkward, sheepish embarrassment reflected in his eyes and his little smile. What could possibly be going on with him? Did it have to do with her? With a sinking suspicion, she remembered her instincts whispering that he was into her… Of course, it wasn’t true. Couldn’t possibly be true! This wasn’t just Uchiha Sasuke, guy she had been chasing for god knows how long; he was also Uchiha Sasuke, guy who had tersely rejected her with fervour that rivaled that of her chasing him! The latter couldn’t possibly be interested in being the former. Not now, not ever, and he had definitely made that point clear a zillion times before. Besides, there had been just friendly camaraderie between them every time they hung out. Nothing the least bit romantic. Well, except that carnation… And his compliments. Plus the way he had stayed with her endlessly throughout the dance. And the way he had looked at her… With an uneasy stirring of her stomach, she pondered the possibility she had already cast aside. Could he possibly have feelings for her!? With an imperceptible tip of her head, she exclaimed inwardly, ‘No! Impossible… He’s just being a friend… That’s just the way he is when he’s actually being friendly…’ Right? She didn’t actually know but that was the only logical explanation!

“Sasuke?” she asked again, placing a comforting hand on his arm, looking up at him as she replaced uneasiness with worry, “Are you sure you’re alright?” With a self-conscious laugh, he said, “No, no, don’t worry, I’m fine, it’s nothing bad, really… I just wanted to talk to you, that’s all.” Sasuke could see the relief in her eyes at his statement. His babbled string of incoherent words. He almost groaned. What was wrong with him? Seriously… It was like he completely lost his head when he was with her. When she was around, he couldn’t seem to act the same way he always did. Gone was his standard one-word replies. His seriousness… When he was with her, an irrepressible smile threatened to take over his lips and crack his face in all its goofy magnitude. It was like he was a different person around her. A better person. ‘So this is what it’s like to be in love…,’ he thought almost grimly. He wasn’t sure if it was the greatest idea in the world for him to BE in love… Inwardly, he sighed. He was the same person, essentially. He still kept to himself and no one was able to incite more than a growl or a smirk from him. And that was when he wasn’t ignoring them. But with her, it was like she had brought out a part of him that he thought had died. And sometimes, he imagined that he quite liked himself that way. No resentment, no anger, just a calm happiness. He wanted to resurrect his clan and he didn’t want to spend his life with anybody but her. He was sure of it, he loved her. And he would tell her…

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Sakura’s pleasant voice interrupted his thoughts, seeping into his consciousness. He registered how beautiful she looked today, her pink hair up in a ponytail, her bangs falling forward along with the few tendrils that escaped her loose knot. She was wearing a flimsy-looking dress with thin straps at the shoulders, the filmy material clinging to her slim curves. Sasuke gulped, remembering his dream. Had it really been a few days ago that he had cockily thought he could have her any time he wanted? The task didn’t seem so easy now… And he sure as hell wasn’t feeling as blasé as he had been, now that his feelings were officially involved. It was all he could do to refrain from taking her in his arms and sliding his hand over her back, professing that he was now ready to be with her. Except now, he wasn’t sure that her answer would still be a delighted heart-felt ecstasy at the thought of being with him. He cleared his throat. “I was thinking we could talk somewhere private?” He was a little nervous. But he was ready to do something about the way he felt. After that dance, he had no doubt anymore as to how he felt about her. He loved her and he would let her know.

Unaware of the thoughts going on in his head, unaware of his intentions concerning her, Sakura could only guess at what he possibly had to talk to her about. It seemed serious. “Of course… My apartment’s just near here. Why don’t we talk there?” A grateful smile lit his features as he nodded, saying, “That would be great…” As they walked through the narrow alley to her street, she stole a sideways glance at the quiet figure walking close beside her. What was it that he wanted to talk about? She hoped nothing was wrong, she thought with a frown…

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Sasuke was sitting next to her on the sofa, having just declined her offer of a drink. He was too nervous, he didn’t think it would go down too well. “What’s up?” Sakura began, for lack of a better phrasing. She just wanted to get whatever matter that was niggling him out in the open. Sasuke didn’t know how to begin. Somehow the idea of just blurting out a few revealing words didn’t appeal to him. He wanted this to be a smooth start to something satisfying. He didn’t want to start this off by mumbling some stammered words. Hesitantly, he began, “Have you ever had somebody in your thoughts every second of every day that you aren’t able to focus on anything else? Yet, if that person left your mind, you couldn’t function anyway?” He sounded so perplexed, his expression so confused, that Sakura couldn’t help but laugh. It was still unsettling to hear him say so many words in one go but she was thrown off by their obvious displeasure that she had no time to dwell on her fascination. Her eyes twinkling, a small smile playing about her lips, she teased him, “Don’t like the idea of that much, do you?” His demeanour relaxed as he laughed at his own obvious perplexity. With a wry smile, he turned to her, saying, “That depends… What am I describing exactly?” Mischievously, she replied, “I hate to break it to you but it sounds like love to me. Have you finally fallen for one of your fangirls?” He relished the sight of her eyes dancing in merriment, silently wondering if she still considered her own self to be, as she put it, one of his ‘fangirls’. “Maybe…,” he said laughingly, making his reply out to be a joke. Silently, he added, ‘If you’re one of them…’

“But you haven’t answered my question… Have you?” he asked again. Her gaze took on a faraway quality and he wondered if maybe, she was thinking of her feelings for him… As far as he was aware, he hadn’t notice her dating or being interested in anybody else. “Yeah, I can say I have…,” she replied with a soft smile, thinking of Kakashi. ‘Could she mean me?’ Sasuke couldn’t help hoping. “So, what did you do about it?” he asked, smiling, enjoying spending this time with her. “I told him,” she said with a wink. His heart hammered as he remembered her countless obvious expressions of her feelings for him. Could she still be into him? She had to be right? Who else could she mean? “So…if I were to feel this way, should I tell her then?” he began carefully. “I can’t guarantee it’ll work, of course,” she replied with a smile, “But there’s nothing to lose right?” ‘Except you…,’ Sasuke thought. If things didn’t go well, he might lose her. Yet, hadn’t she been talking about him? Why did he even doubt the possibility that she loved him? Hadn’t she always? He would have smirked out of habit if he wasn’t so nervous about telling her how he felt. “But you know, Sasuke, you have nothing to worry about,” Sakura said, her eyes glinting with amusement, “I don’t think any girl would reject you.” Impulsively, she took his hand and squeezed it. Sasuke squeezed back, smiling almost hesitantly as he said, “I guess I could tell her.”

“So, who is this mystery girl anyway?” Sakura asked, curious, her eyes wide. She was relieved that he didn’t seem to mean her. It would leave her free to be with Kakashi without hurting anyone important in the process. And now, she could have the added benefit of being able to help Sasuke with this mystery girl! “Is it someone I know?” she asked excitedly. Amused, Sasuke felt a small smile form about his lips, “I think so…” Her eyes widening even more, she grasped the first name in her head, quietly exclaiming, “It isn’t Ino, is it?” Maybe she had finally broken him down now that she already had Shikamaru! Wasn’t life unfair that way, after all? Laughing at her words coupled with her shocked expression, he was quick to reply in the negative, “No, not Ino…” He studied her with amusement, wondering how she would react to finding out it was her he meant. In an endearing gesture, her body sagged with obvious relief, “I’m glad! Cause you know, she and Shikamaru are really in love with each other. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt there…” “Don’t worry,” he said indulgently, the smile still curving his lips, “I don’t think she’s taken…” He looked at her, his eyes reflecting his smile. Sakura couldn’t contain her curiosity, “So, who’s the lucky girl?”

With bated breath, she watched his mouth open slowly as if in slow motion, about to reveal the identity of the woman who had captured his heart. Someone she knew at that. Her mind whirled. She frowned. She didn’t think she knew too many single women. It wasn’t Ino. Hinata was with Naruto. Tenten was with Neji. Who was it? She watched as he was about to reply when suddenly, there was a knock at the door. With a jolt, both looked towards the door. Sakura groaned. “Sorry about that, I’ll be right back,” she said as she dashed towards the door. Sasuke leaned against the couch, closing his eyes in disappointment. The moment was spoiled. He had been looking forward to seeing her expression change to pleasant surprise as he revealed the ‘mystery girl’ to be her.

Sakura hesitated for a moment before beginning to unlock the door. Could it be Kakashi? She didn’t want him thinking she was interested in Sasuke, not again! But surely he wouldn’t think so after what happened the time he was here, she thought with a blush. Besides, he said he would give her three days and she hadn’t heard from him all day and yesterday. He was obviously going to give her that time to herself, without any possibility of influencing her or something. With a resolute sigh, she finally moved to open the door. Turning to see Sakura fiddle with the lock, Sasuke looked to see her open the door, wondering irritably who it was. A voice interrupted the silence, singing out, “Sakura!” A female voice. Ino. Sasuke groaned inwardly. There goes his chance, well and truly out the window! He didn’t plan on sticking around with the blonde here now. He knew she was with Shikamaru and everything but he still felt uneasy around her, his mind faithfully reminding her of her past annoying, over-affectionate pursuit of him. He almost shuddered.

“Sasuke, I didn’t realize you were here,” Ino said to Sasuke in surprise. He avoided looking at her so he missed the sly smile she directed at Sakura. “Hnh,” he barked out, getting up as Sakura’s latest guest moved towards the sofa. Directing a sincere smile at his hostess, he nodded towards the front door. “I better head home now,” he mumbled, uncomfortable with the idea of showing any extra emotion in front of the third person in the room, who was looking on with barely disguised interest. To his relief, Sakura made her way towards him, obviously planning to show him to the door. As she held the door open for him in a smile, with wishes for him to take care, he discreetly took her hand, purposely turning his back to the remaining occupant in the room so she wouldn’t be able to see their interaction. “I had a really great time,” he said quietly to the expectant pink-haired woman before him. “I’m sorry we couldn’t finish our talk,” she said regretfully, “are you sure you don’t want to wait?” As she gestured towards the sofa, Sasuke wasn’t able to completely hide a tiny shudder from taking over his form. Noting her amused smile, he knew she had noticed. With a wolfish grin, he said, “I’d rather have you alone, you see…” ending the suggestive statement with an exaggerated wink, so she could perceive him to be joking. ‘Though that’s true…,’ he added silently.

Laughing at his preposterous statement and rather fascinated by the flash of perfect white teeth she knew was rarely awarded to anybody, she offered, “Maybe you could come by tomorrow if you still want to talk?” Now that she knew her suspicions were no where near right, she could probably use the distraction before her mind drove her crazy with so-close-and-yet-so-far thoughts of being with ‘sigh…’ Kakashi. Besides, she was pretty curious as to who Sasuke’s love interest was! Surprisingly, she didn’t feel any pangs of jealousy at the idea... “That would be great,” Sasuke said, letting go of her hand as he turned to head out the door. Safely out of view of the other girl, he flashed a white smile at Sakura, enjoying the sight of her smiling back as she stood at the doorway. A rather pleasant vision of her welcoming him as he returned from long, weary missions, a toddler hanging onto her slim, sexy legs flitted through his mind. He smirked. Somehow the idea appealed to him very, very much…