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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
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Maiko was getting worried. Things weren't going quite as well as she'd like. Sakura seemed to have drawn into herself that day on the road and she couldn't, for the life or her, figure out what had happened.

They were getting closer and closer to Port City and time was running out. She had to do something.

When they found their campsite, she approached Sakura. "Hi. "

"Hi, are you okay?" She looked concerned.

"Yeah, mostly. I was wondering�would you go with me while I clean up?"

"Oh, um, sure." Sakura looked puzzled, but she followed along.

They got down to the stream and Maiko undressed to wade in. Sakura paused a minute, then shrugged and joined her. "So, what's wrong?" Maiko asked.

"Hm?" Sakura was concentrating on the cool water. The humidity of the southern part of the Tea Peninsula was awful.

"What's wrong?" Maiko asked again.

Sakura looked up and forced a smile. "I'm just a little tired."

"Don't give me that."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I might be tired after a day like today, but I don't believe for one minute you are. What happened?" Maiko was hoping that she wasn't pushing her the wrong way, but time was running out. If she wanted to help these two, it had to happen soon.

She'd heard them the night before - it was impossible not to. And she knew he'd stayed the night. So they were intimate, but they still weren't admitting their love to each other or, Maiko suspected, themselves.

Sakura sighed. "I ran into someone this morning that reminded me of something I'd managed to forget."

"Oh?" Maiko finished washing up and sat along the edge of the stream with her. "What was that?"

"Oh, just someone I knew." Sakura hedged.

Maiko sighed. "Well, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But could you answer another question for me?"

"Sure." Sakura looked at her skeptically.

"Why haven't you told Kakashi that you're in love with him?" Maiko watched as the color drained from Sakura's face and she sputtered as she tried to form an answer.

"I�but�I'm� not in love with him."

Maiko just raised an eyebrow and waited.

Sakura blew out a breath. "Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who has also been in love. Why haven't you told him?" She asked gently.

Sakura sighed. "It's�complicated."

"It always is. Try me." She said, patiently.

Sakura looked at her for another minute before turning away. She picked up a rock from the bottom of the stream and started playing with it. "I've been in love with him for a very long time. The problem is that he's my former sensei. And in our village, that means we can't be together. It's against the rules."

"That explains why you haven't told anyone else. But why not each other? And why are you lying to yourself?"

Sakura stared at her. "You're too perceptive for your own good."

Maiko laughed. "Okay, maybe. And that's not an answer."

Sakura skipped the rock along the surface of the stream. "I said I've been in love with him a long time. I don't know, exactly, how long. The ninja graduate from the academy at twelve. I met Kakashi the day after, when he was assigned as our teacher. I hated him at the beginning because of what he made us go through. It was the right thing to do, but�" she paused and shrugged. "Anyway, at the time, I thought myself in love with another person. I know I was young, but please understand that the ninja grow up faster than most others do. We see a lot of things - including death - long before most people."

Maiko nodded. "Anyway, I thought I was in love with one of our teammates." She smiled. "Sasuke. And he� had a lot of things to overcome. And, well, he didn't. Because of the influence of someone else, Sasuke decided to leave. I begged him to reconsider, I begged him to stay. Then, when I knew he wouldn't, I begged him to take me with him. I poured my heart out to him. And he left anyway." Sakura didn't notice the tears streaming down her face.

"Naruto and I tried for years to bring him back. I won't go into all the gory details, but suffice it to say, we never succeeded. Kakashi himself feels like he failed Sasuke, which is ridiculous. He did what he could. The other guy got to him first." She shrugged one shoulder. "He tried. But the next morning after he left, when I woke up on a bench on the edge of the village, I swore I'd never do that again. That kind of pain�" she shook her head and swiped at her face.

"I didn't cry again until nine months ago, when I lost a patient."

Maiko sat in silence while she listened. "I can't pretend to know how hard that must have been for you. My life, by comparison, was much simpler. But�you have to know that you and Kakashi are not the same as you were with Sasuke all those years ago. You have to know that he loves you, too, right?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, yes, it's different. And I know that he cares about me, that much is true. But love? No." She stared across the stream. "He's had too many of his own bad experiences. I'm not sure he can anymore."

"Sakura, I've seen the way he looks at you. Really." Maiko sighed in exasperation.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Maiko. Really. I appreciate what you're trying to do. It's just not�" she shrugged, leaving the thought unfinished.

Neither woman was aware of Kakashi sitting with a stunned expression against a tree nearby. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when he'd heard his name, it was too hard to just walk away.

He heard splashing and realized he needed to get away from there. He certainly had a lot to think about.

The next morning, breakfast was quiet as each was lost in their own thoughts. They ate quickly, packed up camp and got on the road as soon as they could. It was now only a day and a half or so to Port City. Maiko told them that, if they were up to it, to just continue and she'd deal with it, but by mid-afternoon, she had a really bad headache and was completely miserable.

So, they found a camp site and settled in. She curled up on her mat and was asleep before Sakura could make tea.

After they had dinner and Maiko laid back down, Sakura sighed. "I've got to find a way to get her to let me look her over before we head back. I'm convinced it's the gland I told you about. My medical jutsu would heal that." Sakura stared at Maiko's back.

"Well, I suppose we could stay in Port City for a couple of days, if you think it would help."

Sakura glanced up at him. She was very much not anxious to get back to the Leaf for once in her life. She didn't want to face what would happen to them now that things had changed. And face it, they'd have to. Because she was fairly certain the answer was going to be something along the lines of ending it. "I think I might like to do that. Let's play it by ear."

"Okay." He sighed, then smiled as Sakura yawned. "You might as well lay down and get some rest. I'll take first watch."

"Well, okay. Thanks." She stared at him a moment, trying to decide what to do, but he took the decision out of her hands, leaned down and kissed her gently through his mask.

"Get some sleep, Sakura."

"Night." She stretched out on her mat facing the fire. It would take her quite a while to fall asleep.

* * *

Port City made Degarashi look like a fishing village. It was almost as big as the Leaf, but Sakura thought that might have simply been her love for her village that made her think it was bigger. They'd made it there by mid-morning, and the city was bustling.

They carriage came to a rolling stop in front of a large traditional house near the edge of town. It reminded Sakura of the Hyuuga compound, it was so huge. As the large wooden gates opened and the carriage rolled through, Sakura couldn't help but feel relieved that the main part of the trip was over.

Maiko arranged for bedrooms for them and Sakura smiled to herself when she saw that they were next to each other. She bid them stay as long as they wanted and, since Sakura was still hoping to convince her to be examined, that was fine with her. She and Kakashi would decide how long later.

As she was settling into her room, Maiko came in. "Hey."

"Hi. Is this Hiroshi's home?" She pulled out her dirty clothes and set them aside to find a laundry later.

"Yup. This will be my home. My father wanted me to go to the hotel until the wedding, but I told him it was ridiculous. There are tons of servants here as well as all of his family." Maiko rolled her eyes.

Sakura smiled. "Well, be fair, you're his daughter. He just wants to protect you."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Hey, why don't you stay? Until the wedding? It's only two days away, and then I can tell him you've been here the whole time."

Sakura pretended to think about it. This would be her opening. "On one condition."

Maiko raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sakura grinned. "You let me examine you."

Maiko sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Then it won't matter, will it?" Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from celebrating.

"Okay, fine! You win. You can examine me if you'll stay for the wedding. But I think I got the better end of the deal." Maiko grinned at her.

"We'll see about that!" Sakura laughed. "Okay, lay down."

"What, now?" Maiko looked a little alarmed.

"Why not now?" Sakura put her hands on her hips. "It won't take long."

Maiko frowned, but gave in, in the end. "Okay," Sakura said, "just lay down here and give me a second."

Maiko stretched out on the bed and Sakura bent over her. She closed her eyes and channeled her chakra. Moving slowly over Maiko's body, she concentrated on each of the systems, each of the parts. Finally, a few minutes later, she stood up.
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Denial