When Everything Changed - XIV - The End
Whoo! That's right, I'm done. I wanted to make the ending longer, but as I started it and got in the flow of things, I realized that it didn't have to be. I didn't want to fill up pages of text that were nothing more than pointless filler. So I cut it off, short and sweet and with a sense of hope. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. On to the next idea!!
When Everything changed - XIV - The End
Chapter Rating: T
Words: 2,492
= When Everything Changed - XIV =
As Sakura returned to work at the hospital, she found that her days began to slip by. Routine was easy to establish again, and besides the few empathetic glances and the (numerous and repeated) inquiries about her health, she was glad to be back.
Days turned into weeks, and soon two whole months had passed. Surprisingly, not much had changed: Naruto still dragged her to Ichiraku's, Tsunade still expected her to work her ass off, Ino still came to her house every Friday, and Kakashi was still in and out of the village. Only, now when he was in, he was usually at her place where they talked, drank, and ate together... and indulged in each other's company.
Sakura wasn't sure why she had thought that things would change. Sure, they hadn't told anyone that their relationship had progressed; Kakashi was a very private person and Sakura just believed that it was no one else's business. They still worked, and had their friends, and when they would be out together the atmosphere didn't feel awkward. On the outside, the pair just appeared to be friends that had grown closer over the course of their mission - and that was acceptable, and not far from the truth.
The intimate conversations, the kisses and touches, those things were meant for only the two of them anyway.
There was something delicious about the way his nails scraped against her scalp as he fisted her hair, holding her close as his tongue coaxed hers into dancing. His body - lean, solid, and strong - pressed to hers had become a sort of comfort that she had come to miss when he was away.
"There really is too much time between when we get to do this," he whispered against her lips before sweeping a trail of kisses across her jaw to her neck.
She hummed. "Well, as your attending medic, I could always just suggest that you need some more time off to recuperate."
He chuckled as he rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and enjoying her touch. "I didn't know your medical opinion could be swayed so easily."
"Well, when it comes to you, I may be just a tiny bit biased..."
His arm snaked around her as he pulled her in close for another kiss. Sakura sighed into him; she could spend all day just like this - no interruptions, just him and her, and the warmth shared between them.
However, it seemed that today would not allow for it to happen. They had been carrying on for weeks now, in the privacy and safety of her home, and they were both so secure and caught up in each other that Sakura didn't even feel it coming until it was right upon them: chakra, and not just anyone's.
The voice, loud and happy and unmistakable, broke through their haze. "Hey, Sakura-chan! I heard that Kaka-sensei's...."
Startled, the two pulled away from each other. Sakura turned to her window, and the blond boy inside it, with eyes widened in alarm. The smile dropped from Naruto's face and the light in his eyes flickered. His brow dipped as he turned his gaze to Kakashi. "What the hell is going on?"
Mask back in place already, the Copy nin seemed at a loss for words. "... Naruto."
He turned away from his sensei and shot a disappointed look at Sakura. His voice was gruff and angry as he demanded some kind of response. "Are you going to tell me anything?!"
Her face was panic-stricken as she took a tentative step forward. "Naruto, please..."
"I can't believe you, Sakura-chan... and you, too, sensei."
He disappeared from her window and Sakura rushed over to it, sticking her head out. "Naruto!"
But the boy was running and he never looked back. Sakura sank back, somehow feeling - for the first time - guilty for what she had welcomed with Kakashi. His larger hand came down softly on her shoulder. "Just give him some time."
Her hair fluttered as she shook her head. "I have to go talk to him."
"You do realize he may not want to talk."
She growled, frustrated. "Then I'll beat him up until he listens!"
"You can't use your fists to solve everything," he told her with a soft kiss to the back of her head.
"With Naruto I can." She spun around to hold his gaze. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"It's okay - it's one of the things I like about you so much." She offered up a little grin as he pushed some hair behind her ear. "I'll see you later, and go easy on him. I'm sure the last thing he expected was to see us doing that."
She nodded and then leapt out of her window and headed in the direction he went. After following his trail, it was no surprise that he was at one of his favorite training grounds: the place where he learned to master the rasenshuriken. Sakura slowed as she approached him; he was sitting cross-legged, back straight, and fists clenched in the grass on either side of him.
He let out a deep sigh as she stopped beside him, and his voice came out strained and uncertain. "I can't - Kakashi-sensei? Really, Sakura?"
"It was... unexpected for me, too," she admitted as she sat beside him.
He sounded bitter and confused. "How long have you two-"
"Does that really matter?"
The look of hurt gleaming in his eyes said that yes, it did matter. She clasped her hands around her knees and hesitated giving the answer. "It was during our mission in Imaicho."
She inwardly flinched as his mouth fell open and he turned away from her. A soft breeze swept between them and silence followed for an unusually long time considering it was Naruto. When he spoke again, his voice still hadn’t lost its edge. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because... I... I'm not sure...," she mumbled.
He snapped back around and glared at her. "Because you know it's wrong!"
The slap she delivered to his face echoed in the empty field around them. The inside of her hand stung like fire, but she was sure his cheek felt worse. After a stunned moment, he brought his hand up to gingerly cover the finger-shaped welts forming on his face. He was visibly apprehensive in facing her, but once he did, he was surprised and disarmed by the tears rolling down her face.
Although it was only a whisper, there was no concealing the shock and indignation she felt. "How dare you tell me something that I feel is wrong?”
"He was our sensei! You knew him when you were twelve and had your head up Sasuke's ass!" He jerked back as she raised her hand again, but the strike he waited for never came.
"What do you want me to say, Naruto? It just... happened. So what if he used to be my sensei? He's not anymore. To me, he's just a man that became my friend and that turned into something more. I care about him, and he makes me happy, and I'm not going to apologize for that."
"You mean there's actually an apology in there?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but we both feared that people would react just like how you did. And you're my friend. Maybe I was wrong for thinking you'd react differently."
"If you had just told me-"
"When? How? 'Great ramen, Naruto. Oh, by the way, I've been molesting our former sensei.' ?"
A low ewww erupted from him as he fell forward, head touching the ground. He sighed and turned to look up at her from his spot. "I'm glad you didn't tell me over ramen. I probably would've lost my taste for it for the rest of my life."
She smacked him, this time not as hard, and scoffed. "It's not that bad. Look, you never imagined that one day you'd be invited into the Hyuuga household, did you? Did you ever, once, consider that Hinata would be your girlfriend?"
He thought on it for a moment and then shook his head. "No. There are some days I still don't believe it. She's so great and I almost never noticed it."
"Naruto, I never once thought that there would be anything between me and Kakashi except for our roles in the ninja ranks. Everything between us just changed and I think we were both surprised by it. I didn't know how to handle it at first, when I realized I felt something beyond friendship. What we went through in Imaicho, it forced those feelings out. I was happy, and frightened, and then elated when I found that he felt the same."
"I still don't understand the two of you, together - yet - but I understand those feelings, Sakura. I'm... sorry I snapped like that."
She knew it'd take him some time to get used to it, but just hearing that made Sakura's heart feel lighter. "It's okay. I'm sorry I slapped you that hard."
"It's okay," he parroted, then added in a teasing tone, "But he's soooo old, Sakura-chan!"
She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "Maybe I didn't slap you hard enough."
He threw his arm around her, his perfect pearly whites showing as his huge grin returned. "So, wanna grab some ramen?"
She shook her head and fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You're unbelievable - you know that, right?"
"My treat!"
She pretended to take a moment to weigh out her decision, letting a smile break out as he began to pout. "Fine!"
He hopped to his feet and then held his hand out to her. "Hey, just promise me you won't actually give me any details about... you know..."
"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to."
They set off side by side, and Sakura felt more at ease. Naruto was going on about all the boring things Tsunade was making him do in the office, and grumbling about how she'd throttle him when he'd interrupt her and ask when they were getting to the exciting parts. For the moment, everything was back to normal, and she was happy.
Naruto grunted as if a thought just dawned on him and he took hold of Sakura's shoulder. "Wait! Tell me one thing!"
Her brow lifted in surprise, but then dipped in caution. "What?"
"You've seen his face, haven't you?"
She laughed and kept walking down the path back into the village. He ran up beside her and hooked his arm through hers. "You have! What's it look like?"
"You said no details," she replied.
He whined in a dramatic fashion. "Aww, Sakura-chan, come on!"
She laughed again; yes, things were definitely back to normal.
.x.X.x.
After they were done eating ramen, they made a pit stop to the market before continuing on to Kakashi's apartment complex. She was glad to see that he was smiling, even though she could still tell that he was a bit uncomfortable. He was making an effort, and she hugged his arm to say thanks.
As they reached his floor and stopped in front of his door, Sakura reached into the bag and pulled out the box of candy she had seen Naruto eyeing earlier. "Here, you didn't have to walk me all the way, but thank you."
He took the box and grinned. "It's alright. Besides, I kind of want to apologize to Kaka-sensei. Would you mind... waiting for a minute while I talked to him?"
She took a step back and rested against the railing of the stairs. "No, I'll wait."
There was a knock on Kakashi's front door and he looked up from his book just as Naruto let himself in. He had been wondering when the blond would pay him a visit. He lifted a hand. "Hey, Naruto."
"Listen, I'm going to make this short, Kaka-sensei," he announced.
The jounin shut his novel and set it down beside him, giving his full attention to his former student. The Hokage-in-training seemed to be searching for the right words, and after a few moments he looked up, his eyes set like stone. "I apologized to Sakura, and I'm sorry to you, too, for going off a little. I know that you know how much I love her; she's been my friend for half my life. So, if you hurt her I'm going to put a rasenshuriken through you."
The mask concealed Kakashi's smile; he didn't expect anything less from him. He gave a nod. "I understand, but you know that if that ever happens, you'll have to wait until I've recovered from her punching me into the ground, right?"
A wide smile spread across his lips. "Just as long as you're aware."
"I doubt you'll let me forget."
Naruto chuckled. "See ya around, Kaka-sensei."
He heard Sakura as she sent him off, and got up as she entered. He leant down and kissed her as he took the bags from her hands. "So, everything went well. That's good."
She nodded. "So he apologized, right? He said he was going to."
"He did, right before he threatened to end my life if I ever hurt you."
A smile began working its way across her face; she tried to stifle it, but then her expression broke and a laugh escaped. “He did what?” she howled. He had to laugh along with her.
"I'm sorry," she said with a giggle, her laughter finally subsiding.
"He's just looking out for you, I can't blame him," he said as he hugged her.
Her arms wrapped around his middle and her fingers fisted in his shirt. He didn't mind that they just stood there like that with the grocery bags still in his hand. "Can I stay here with you tonight?" she asked into his chest.
She had slept over on various occasions before, but her question sounded different today. He couldn't, and wouldn't, turn her down. "Of course you can."
.x.X.x.
That night was the first of many nights that they would share so intimately, reveling in the other's naked skin and discovering the places that made each other gasp, moan, and shake. It was the first of many curling toes, and clawing fingers, and needy hands. It was the first night that they fell asleep sated, comforted, and completely entangled with one another.
But just as important as the first night, was the first of many mornings that they awoke in each other's arms.
When Everything changed - XIV - The End
Chapter Rating: T
Words: 2,492
= When Everything Changed - XIV =
As Sakura returned to work at the hospital, she found that her days began to slip by. Routine was easy to establish again, and besides the few empathetic glances and the (numerous and repeated) inquiries about her health, she was glad to be back.
Days turned into weeks, and soon two whole months had passed. Surprisingly, not much had changed: Naruto still dragged her to Ichiraku's, Tsunade still expected her to work her ass off, Ino still came to her house every Friday, and Kakashi was still in and out of the village. Only, now when he was in, he was usually at her place where they talked, drank, and ate together... and indulged in each other's company.
Sakura wasn't sure why she had thought that things would change. Sure, they hadn't told anyone that their relationship had progressed; Kakashi was a very private person and Sakura just believed that it was no one else's business. They still worked, and had their friends, and when they would be out together the atmosphere didn't feel awkward. On the outside, the pair just appeared to be friends that had grown closer over the course of their mission - and that was acceptable, and not far from the truth.
The intimate conversations, the kisses and touches, those things were meant for only the two of them anyway.
There was something delicious about the way his nails scraped against her scalp as he fisted her hair, holding her close as his tongue coaxed hers into dancing. His body - lean, solid, and strong - pressed to hers had become a sort of comfort that she had come to miss when he was away.
"There really is too much time between when we get to do this," he whispered against her lips before sweeping a trail of kisses across her jaw to her neck.
She hummed. "Well, as your attending medic, I could always just suggest that you need some more time off to recuperate."
He chuckled as he rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and enjoying her touch. "I didn't know your medical opinion could be swayed so easily."
"Well, when it comes to you, I may be just a tiny bit biased..."
His arm snaked around her as he pulled her in close for another kiss. Sakura sighed into him; she could spend all day just like this - no interruptions, just him and her, and the warmth shared between them.
However, it seemed that today would not allow for it to happen. They had been carrying on for weeks now, in the privacy and safety of her home, and they were both so secure and caught up in each other that Sakura didn't even feel it coming until it was right upon them: chakra, and not just anyone's.
The voice, loud and happy and unmistakable, broke through their haze. "Hey, Sakura-chan! I heard that Kaka-sensei's...."
Startled, the two pulled away from each other. Sakura turned to her window, and the blond boy inside it, with eyes widened in alarm. The smile dropped from Naruto's face and the light in his eyes flickered. His brow dipped as he turned his gaze to Kakashi. "What the hell is going on?"
Mask back in place already, the Copy nin seemed at a loss for words. "... Naruto."
He turned away from his sensei and shot a disappointed look at Sakura. His voice was gruff and angry as he demanded some kind of response. "Are you going to tell me anything?!"
Her face was panic-stricken as she took a tentative step forward. "Naruto, please..."
"I can't believe you, Sakura-chan... and you, too, sensei."
He disappeared from her window and Sakura rushed over to it, sticking her head out. "Naruto!"
But the boy was running and he never looked back. Sakura sank back, somehow feeling - for the first time - guilty for what she had welcomed with Kakashi. His larger hand came down softly on her shoulder. "Just give him some time."
Her hair fluttered as she shook her head. "I have to go talk to him."
"You do realize he may not want to talk."
She growled, frustrated. "Then I'll beat him up until he listens!"
"You can't use your fists to solve everything," he told her with a soft kiss to the back of her head.
"With Naruto I can." She spun around to hold his gaze. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"It's okay - it's one of the things I like about you so much." She offered up a little grin as he pushed some hair behind her ear. "I'll see you later, and go easy on him. I'm sure the last thing he expected was to see us doing that."
She nodded and then leapt out of her window and headed in the direction he went. After following his trail, it was no surprise that he was at one of his favorite training grounds: the place where he learned to master the rasenshuriken. Sakura slowed as she approached him; he was sitting cross-legged, back straight, and fists clenched in the grass on either side of him.
He let out a deep sigh as she stopped beside him, and his voice came out strained and uncertain. "I can't - Kakashi-sensei? Really, Sakura?"
"It was... unexpected for me, too," she admitted as she sat beside him.
He sounded bitter and confused. "How long have you two-"
"Does that really matter?"
The look of hurt gleaming in his eyes said that yes, it did matter. She clasped her hands around her knees and hesitated giving the answer. "It was during our mission in Imaicho."
She inwardly flinched as his mouth fell open and he turned away from her. A soft breeze swept between them and silence followed for an unusually long time considering it was Naruto. When he spoke again, his voice still hadn’t lost its edge. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because... I... I'm not sure...," she mumbled.
He snapped back around and glared at her. "Because you know it's wrong!"
The slap she delivered to his face echoed in the empty field around them. The inside of her hand stung like fire, but she was sure his cheek felt worse. After a stunned moment, he brought his hand up to gingerly cover the finger-shaped welts forming on his face. He was visibly apprehensive in facing her, but once he did, he was surprised and disarmed by the tears rolling down her face.
Although it was only a whisper, there was no concealing the shock and indignation she felt. "How dare you tell me something that I feel is wrong?”
"He was our sensei! You knew him when you were twelve and had your head up Sasuke's ass!" He jerked back as she raised her hand again, but the strike he waited for never came.
"What do you want me to say, Naruto? It just... happened. So what if he used to be my sensei? He's not anymore. To me, he's just a man that became my friend and that turned into something more. I care about him, and he makes me happy, and I'm not going to apologize for that."
"You mean there's actually an apology in there?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but we both feared that people would react just like how you did. And you're my friend. Maybe I was wrong for thinking you'd react differently."
"If you had just told me-"
"When? How? 'Great ramen, Naruto. Oh, by the way, I've been molesting our former sensei.' ?"
A low ewww erupted from him as he fell forward, head touching the ground. He sighed and turned to look up at her from his spot. "I'm glad you didn't tell me over ramen. I probably would've lost my taste for it for the rest of my life."
She smacked him, this time not as hard, and scoffed. "It's not that bad. Look, you never imagined that one day you'd be invited into the Hyuuga household, did you? Did you ever, once, consider that Hinata would be your girlfriend?"
He thought on it for a moment and then shook his head. "No. There are some days I still don't believe it. She's so great and I almost never noticed it."
"Naruto, I never once thought that there would be anything between me and Kakashi except for our roles in the ninja ranks. Everything between us just changed and I think we were both surprised by it. I didn't know how to handle it at first, when I realized I felt something beyond friendship. What we went through in Imaicho, it forced those feelings out. I was happy, and frightened, and then elated when I found that he felt the same."
"I still don't understand the two of you, together - yet - but I understand those feelings, Sakura. I'm... sorry I snapped like that."
She knew it'd take him some time to get used to it, but just hearing that made Sakura's heart feel lighter. "It's okay. I'm sorry I slapped you that hard."
"It's okay," he parroted, then added in a teasing tone, "But he's soooo old, Sakura-chan!"
She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "Maybe I didn't slap you hard enough."
He threw his arm around her, his perfect pearly whites showing as his huge grin returned. "So, wanna grab some ramen?"
She shook her head and fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You're unbelievable - you know that, right?"
"My treat!"
She pretended to take a moment to weigh out her decision, letting a smile break out as he began to pout. "Fine!"
He hopped to his feet and then held his hand out to her. "Hey, just promise me you won't actually give me any details about... you know..."
"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to."
They set off side by side, and Sakura felt more at ease. Naruto was going on about all the boring things Tsunade was making him do in the office, and grumbling about how she'd throttle him when he'd interrupt her and ask when they were getting to the exciting parts. For the moment, everything was back to normal, and she was happy.
Naruto grunted as if a thought just dawned on him and he took hold of Sakura's shoulder. "Wait! Tell me one thing!"
Her brow lifted in surprise, but then dipped in caution. "What?"
"You've seen his face, haven't you?"
She laughed and kept walking down the path back into the village. He ran up beside her and hooked his arm through hers. "You have! What's it look like?"
"You said no details," she replied.
He whined in a dramatic fashion. "Aww, Sakura-chan, come on!"
She laughed again; yes, things were definitely back to normal.
.x.X.x.
After they were done eating ramen, they made a pit stop to the market before continuing on to Kakashi's apartment complex. She was glad to see that he was smiling, even though she could still tell that he was a bit uncomfortable. He was making an effort, and she hugged his arm to say thanks.
As they reached his floor and stopped in front of his door, Sakura reached into the bag and pulled out the box of candy she had seen Naruto eyeing earlier. "Here, you didn't have to walk me all the way, but thank you."
He took the box and grinned. "It's alright. Besides, I kind of want to apologize to Kaka-sensei. Would you mind... waiting for a minute while I talked to him?"
She took a step back and rested against the railing of the stairs. "No, I'll wait."
There was a knock on Kakashi's front door and he looked up from his book just as Naruto let himself in. He had been wondering when the blond would pay him a visit. He lifted a hand. "Hey, Naruto."
"Listen, I'm going to make this short, Kaka-sensei," he announced.
The jounin shut his novel and set it down beside him, giving his full attention to his former student. The Hokage-in-training seemed to be searching for the right words, and after a few moments he looked up, his eyes set like stone. "I apologized to Sakura, and I'm sorry to you, too, for going off a little. I know that you know how much I love her; she's been my friend for half my life. So, if you hurt her I'm going to put a rasenshuriken through you."
The mask concealed Kakashi's smile; he didn't expect anything less from him. He gave a nod. "I understand, but you know that if that ever happens, you'll have to wait until I've recovered from her punching me into the ground, right?"
A wide smile spread across his lips. "Just as long as you're aware."
"I doubt you'll let me forget."
Naruto chuckled. "See ya around, Kaka-sensei."
He heard Sakura as she sent him off, and got up as she entered. He leant down and kissed her as he took the bags from her hands. "So, everything went well. That's good."
She nodded. "So he apologized, right? He said he was going to."
"He did, right before he threatened to end my life if I ever hurt you."
A smile began working its way across her face; she tried to stifle it, but then her expression broke and a laugh escaped. “He did what?” she howled. He had to laugh along with her.
"I'm sorry," she said with a giggle, her laughter finally subsiding.
"He's just looking out for you, I can't blame him," he said as he hugged her.
Her arms wrapped around his middle and her fingers fisted in his shirt. He didn't mind that they just stood there like that with the grocery bags still in his hand. "Can I stay here with you tonight?" she asked into his chest.
She had slept over on various occasions before, but her question sounded different today. He couldn't, and wouldn't, turn her down. "Of course you can."
.x.X.x.
That night was the first of many nights that they would share so intimately, reveling in the other's naked skin and discovering the places that made each other gasp, moan, and shake. It was the first of many curling toes, and clawing fingers, and needy hands. It was the first night that they fell asleep sated, comforted, and completely entangled with one another.
But just as important as the first night, was the first of many mornings that they awoke in each other's arms.