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Denial	By : djserani Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Kakashi/Sakura Views: 4298 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the world or characters, I just like to torment them. Kishimoto-sensei gets to keep them permanently. (I make no money from it!)

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
I can become your eye�and I will see the future�

Kakashi sat bolt upright, his breath coming in pants, his face covered in a cold sweat. Obito's face floated before him and he shook his head to clear it. Where the hell did that come from? He buried his face in his hands. He hadn't woken to those nightmares in years. He dropped his hands and looked around the campsite. Maiko was still asleep on the mats, the driver was sitting up in his seat, a book open in front of him and Sakura�

Sakura was asleep next to him, curled up in a ball tight up against his side. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He must have looked as bad as he felt, because she sat up quickly. "Kakashi?"

He swallowed hard. "Go back to sleep. It's early yet." His voice wasn't as steady as he wanted it to be. Damn.

"What's wrong?" She reached up and touched the side of his face.

"You know, once upon a time, you used to listen to me." He tried for levity, but it fell flat.

She stared at him a moment and he could have sworn she saw right through him. It unsettled him, but not as much as what she did next. She reached up and touched the scar over his eye with just the lightest brush of her fingertips. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He stared at her, at a loss for words. How did she�? "You�know?" She nodded, brushing a stray hair back from his face.

He had no idea how to handle this, what to do. He knew there were mission reports, entries in the ninja books, but he didn't realize just how much was there. And how�if she knew, how could she be there, with him? After that? After what he'd done?

He looked again at her face, but there was no censure. Sympathy, and, yes, love. But no pity and no scorn. He took a deep, shuddering breath and looked away from her.

Sakura dropped her hand and sat back a little, giving him space. She had no idea how to comfort him, what she could say. Instead, she turned to go to her pack, but he grabbed her hand.

When she turned back to him, he was looking at her with both his eyes. "Thank you."

She nodded and knelt up on her knees, putting a kiss over his sharingan eye before standing up. She busied herself with the pot for tea and stepped away from the camp to take care of her own business. When she came back, he had rolled up their blankets and was measuring tea out to steep.

She sat next to him silently, getting their cups out for the tea. "Sakura�"

"You don't have to say anything. I�hope you're not angry that I know. I read the mission reports, and, well, I put the rest together myself." She retrieved the tea from the edge of the fire and poured some for each of them.

"I'm� not angry." She glanced over at him. His voice was low and rough. He took the offered cup and sipped at it. She tried for a smile, but didn't know if she pulled it off. She had her own nightmares of Sasuke and though they weren't the same by a long shot, she could understand at least a little.

Maiko chose that moment to roll over and sit up, yawning. "Morning. Is there tea?"

* * *

Humid though it was, they managed to make it with a nice, uneventful day, for once. It was, by far, their longest trip yet, but they made it the whole way to the Border Village at the Land of Tea. Kakashi had never been quite so happy to see another country before.

"You've been here before, haven't you, Sakura?" He asked as they pulled into the village.

"That was a very long time ago. Sasuke, Naruto and I were here to escort that runner. That was�eight years ago? Something like that. I'm afraid I don't remember anything about the area, though." She shrugged and looked around.

The Border village was a very small collection of houses. The inn was also the only teahouse in the area and only had one room available. Sakura sighed and tried hard to shove the disappointment aside.

Maiko was exhausted and begged off to head to her room. After a glance at Kakashi, she followed her. "Maiko?"

"I'm not hungry. I think I just go to bed early." She called from the bathroom.

Sakura was frustrated. She knew she could do something to help Maiko, but unless she got a chance to examine her� she suppressed a growl. When Maiko came out of the bathroom, she paused in surprise. "Sakura?"

"I've been thinking, Maiko, why don't you just let me look you over? If nothing's wrong, then it's no big deal. But if there is�" she trailed off and shrugged.

But Maiko was already shaking her head. "I told you, I'm fine. I just get tired easy, no big deal. You guys can go so much longer because you're shinobi." She smiled. "I really appreciate the concern, though." She finished drying her hair and hung the towel up before sitting on her bed. "Go on and get dinner. I'll be fine."

Sakura stood and looked her over for another moment. "Okay. Well, if you change your mind�"

Maiko just made shooing motions with her hands and Sakura could do nothing but go.

She down sat next to Kakashi out in the tea house with a sigh. "Is everything okay?"

"Maiko." She glared at the tabletop for a minute.

"Ah." Kakashi had nothing to say to that.

"It's just so frustrating." She said, her fist tightening.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and reached out to cover her fist with his hand. "Please don't break any furniture. We can't replace it right now."

She snorted. "I won't," then she sighed. "I just wish I could do something, you know?

"Not exactly, but I have a good idea." They lapsed into silence for a while, speaking only to order food. "The fishing village is close and there's an inn there. I hate to stop again so soon, but the trip between there and Degarashi is quite a distance for Maiko."

Sakura nodded. "Well, I'm glad we're here in Tea, anyway. This trip has been incredible. I don't remember it taking Naruto, Sasuke and I so long to get here before."

"You travelled like ninja. I don't believe it's ever been measured, but I'd guess it's at least three or four times the speed of the carriage." The server brought their food out and they turned their attention to dinner for a bit.

"That's true, I guess. I just don't think about it, you know? I've been travelling that way for so long�" She dug into her sweet bean soup.

"I know. I don't remember ever travelling like this outside of a mission." He shrugged. "If only I could read�"

She laughed. "Maybe it's a good thing you can't read Jiraiya's smut."

"It is not smut."

"Right. Then why is there an age restriction on it?" She was goading him, she knew it, but it was so much fun, especially about his books. He had no idea she'd read them herself and rather enjoyed Jiraiya's writing.

"It's for mature readers. People who can understand the� darker side of things." And with that he went back to his soup, not realizing she was holding in the laughter. Only when she stayed quiet did he look up. "What?"

She was trying so hard to keep a straight face, but she couldn't hold it and started laughing. She laughed so hard, her sides ached and she had to hold her stomach. Kakashi just waited it out, one eyebrow raised.

When she finally calmed down, she wiped the tears from her face and looked up at him again. "I've read them."

"Bullshit."

That sent her into another laughing fit. She almost spilled her soup, she was having such a hard time, but Kakashi rescued it quickly. The other couple in the teahouse turned to stare, smiles on their face.

"Okay, okay." She had subsided to snorts and after another minute managed to sit back up again. "No, really, I did read them. I was curious because you were always so buried in them," she said with a blush. Her face straightened. "He's�he was�quite good."

They paused a moment, both thinking of the late Sannin. "Sakura, do you think you could possible go one day without surprising me? Please?"

She fought the laughter again and managed, just barely, to keep it contained. "I'll try." She grinned up at him, a twinkle in her eye. He shook his head and they both managed to pay attention to their food long enough to finish.

They stayed together in the tea house much later than they probably should have. They'd gotten into a discussion about the Icha Icha series and both were loathe to end it. Finally, Sakura could hold the yawn in no more.

"You need rest." They stood up and Sakura paused.

She reached a hand up to his face. "I'll miss you. Will you�be okay?"

He knew what she was asking. "That was�unusual," he finished lamely. "I haven't had that happen in a long time." She nodded and looked down. "I'll miss you, too, Sakura. Sleep well."

He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, but she lifted her face at the same time and their lips met through his mask. They stood that way for a moment, a breath apart. To hell with it. He pulled his mask down quickly and kissed her. "Good night."

She stood there a moment, a stunned look on her face. "Good night," she said, then turned and headed to the back of the inn. She glanced over her shoulder just before she turned the corner and he was still standing there, watching her.
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Denial