The Fragile

A.N. So here goes chapter six. Thanks to all those who have reviewed.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to one Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own.


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Chapter 6

Sakura was glad that she had the day off. It would give her time to deal with her personal issues before she had to return to work tomorrow. Before Ino left, she promised her friend that she would catch up with her later on. They decided that they would go out and grab dinner. Ino promised that she would not say anything about their “relationship” to anyone, but she made Sakura promise that she would let her know what was going on when they figured it out. Sakura reluctantly agreed, although she was filled with doubt that Ino could keep her promise. But what could she do?

Sakura needed some time to think. And she did her best thinking after a good workout. She put on her training clothes and made her way to team seven’s old training field. She took the time to meditate for a while before beginning her warm-up. Sakura trained hard for a good three hours. One hour each for ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. She felt some of the tension leave as she pushed her body to its limits.

~8~

Kakashi had checked in at headquarters, but there were no missions ready yet, so he made his way to his favorite spot to do some thinking. He sat, staring at the familiar rock that held the names of his friends. He had been there for a while when he sensed a familiar chakra. He knew it was her. He concealed his chakra and made his way through the treetops until he came to their old training field a short distance away. Kakashi watched her as she moved gracefully in the field. He was impressed how much stronger she had become since her time as his student. He was truly sorry that he was not the one to help make her so strong. He could only watch her, transfixed. He wondered if she was going to come over to his apartment later so they could discuss things. He reluctantly left her to finish her training. He thought it might be a good idea to get a few things done before he was to check back in to headquarters in a few hours.

Sakura made her way back home after her intense workout. She slipped gratefully into the shower to let the steaming water massage her aching muscles. She idly wondered if Kakashi was any good at massages. She was willing to bet he was. She wondered again what her feelings were for the jounin. What did she want to happen? She respected him, and she was certainly attracted to him, but how far did she want this to go? She could see herself in a serious relationship with him. But the question of the hour was, would he want one with her? She didn’t want to get her hopes up. Kakashi was never known to have a steady relationship. She figured that even if he had one at some point, there was no reason that she would even know about it. He was an introvert after all. Would he want to keep their relationship a secret? She thought about it and decided that if they were to pursue a serious relationship together, then she would not want it hidden. Love shouldn’t be treated like a dirty secret. ‘Love?’ She wasn’t sure why she was using that word in conjunction with her feelings yet. Did she love him? Yes at some level. But she was not ready to delve too deeply into that train of thought at this point. It would be a mental overload. She finished her shower and made her way into the bedroom to pick out her attire for the day. She chose a simple pink sundress and matching sandals.

Sakura looked at her clock. It was only half past three. Kakashi didn’t say exactly what time he would be home. She was supposed to meet Ino around six o’clock for dinner. She figured that by the time she arrived at his apartment she would have two hours before she had to leave for her dinner date. She wanted to take her time getting to his apartment. She wasn’t really nervous so much as gathering her thoughts. She made it to her destination within her set time frame. She knocked hesitantly on his door. There was no outward symbol that anyone lived here. Just a little silver plate on the door that read #44. ‘So impersonal, just like him.’ She mused. She was beginning to think that he wasn’t home. She turned to walk away but the slow creak of a door halted her steps. She saw Kakashi poke his head out of the door.

“Sorry, have you been waiting long?” He asked.

“Not really too long.” She gave him a small smile.

“Please, come in.” She entered his apartment. She had been here once or twice before. She was sure that it looked exactly the same. The same bare walls, the same black couch, the same coffee table, and the same neatly scrubbed kitchen. Kakashi was a neat freak. It was clean to the point of being sterile. But it looked lived in and comfortable.

“Make yourself at home. Can I get you something to drink?” He offered.

“Tea would be nice, thanks.”

“Alright. Give me a minute.” She watched him as he prepared the tea. For a man, his movements were very graceful. She chalked it up to so much training. Watching two people spar was like watching them dance. It was mesmerizing at times.

“How do you take your tea?” He asked

“Just one sugar, please.”

He finished up and placed her cup on the table in front of her. He returned to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of sake. She wondered if he was nervous about this. Why else would he need a drink this early in the day? Her father always used to say that alcohol was “liquid courage”. Maybe he was going to tell her that he was not interested in her, or that what they shared meant nothing to him. Now Sakura was getting nervous. She wasn’t sure why, because hadn’t she told herself that she would not be offended if it was nothing more than a one night stand? She was growing more confused by the second. What would happen if he turned her away? She would be back at square one, with no one but Ino. She sipped from her cup and stared into the murky contents while Kakashi seated himself on the couch beside her. She noticed that he put enough distance between them to make it seem, well, just friendly. Sakura cursed herself as she struggled to keep tears from welling up in her eyes. She was stronger than this. She didn’t want him to see her cry again. Wasn’t that why Sasuke didn’t like her in the first place? Because she was too weak?

“What’s wrong, Sakura?” Kakashi asked her gently.

“Oh, nothing.” She surprisingly kept her voice from wavering. She just continued to stare into her cup of tea. The silence was getting unbearable. She knew it had only been about a minute, but it seemed to last an eternity. ‘Might as well start. The answer will be the same regardless.’ She thought.

“What do you feel about what happened last night?” She spoke softly, as if expecting some horrible reaction to her question.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I have conflicting feelings. And you?” Damnit. She wasn’t expecting him to turn it around on her so soon. She wanted him to be the one to open up first. She would gage her responses based on his answers. ‘But that’s not really fair. He may be doing the same thing. If someone isn’t honest, then we’re at an impasse.’ She thought sulkily. Fuck it.

“Kakashi, I do not regret anything that happened. I enjoyed everything we did. I enjoy your company. And to tell you the truth, I’m scared that you may not feel the same. I don’t want there to be a rift between us. I feel like I’ve just found you…. and I don’t want to lose you.” Now it was up to him. She felt a little relief getting her feelings out in the open. She looked up to see him staring into his cup of sake, like a parody of her earlier position. He was obviously in deep thought.

“Sakura, in many ways I feel the same. But I would be lying to you if I told you I held no reservations about what a relationship between us could bring.” He finished his cup and returned to the kitchen to refill it. “People will talk…. they will say things. They will lie.” He returned to his seat, but this time he sat a little closer. “Do you really want to put yourself in a position where your reputation will be tarnished? Some things cannot be undone, Sakura. Just something to think about.” He emptied his second glass. Sakura set her cup on the table. She was not sure what to think at the moment.

“What about you, Kakashi? Do you care what people think about you? Are you afraid your reputation will be tarnished by being with me?” Sakura was getting angry. Logically, she knew that he was not turning her away, but his words struck a chord somewhere inside her. She was willing to do whatever was necessary to be with him. At that thought, she realized that she did love him on some greater level. It made her heart race upon realization. It angered her to think that Kakashi might be the weak one, not willing to fight for something that he believed in. Sakura grew impatient when he did not answer her quickly.

“If it takes that long to come up with an answer, Hatake Kakashi, then the answer is obviously yes. I’m sorry that this ever happened. I would have been better off without this complication. I’ll see you around. Have a nice life.” And with that she stormed out of his apartment before Kakashi could even get out the words to stop her. She ran until she found herself at a familiar house. She collapsed at the foot of the door, tears still stinging her eyes. She knocked on the door as she called out.

“INO! Please be home, Ino.” She cried softly. “I need you.”

End Chapter 6

A.N. Please review!