When the Dark Clouds Clear Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no money from this. Masashi Kishimoto does.

...

Phase Three

To heal, you must fight.

...

Looking at Sakura through her window, Kakashi couldn't help but smile. She was on her bed, sleeping. The blanket that covered her even obscured half of her face, reminding him of his own hiding habit. Even if he felt somewhat guilty for visiting his teammate so late, he didn't stop himself from knocking on her window. The noise woke the kunoichi instantly. Only cracking one eye open, she directed her gaze to the source of the sound and narrowed her emerald orb as she saw who was making it.

Her former teacher crinkled his eye as he smiled, waving at her. As if showing up when the moon was high in the sky, at her window no less, was completely normal and to be expected.

Well, in his defense, she should be expecting him to do funny things like these. They made him who he was, after all.

Without waiting for her permission, he pushed the window open and slipped inside her bedroom. Her apartment was much larger than this. He'd been there a few times before. A tiny kitchen, a living room that also served as a dining area and her bedroom. Nothing spectacular, but it was more useful than his, since all there was was a bedroom.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted as he made his way for the door. For all he knew, Sakura always slept dressed, but then again, that had been on missions.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?" Sakura growled as she tore the comforter from her body and sat up, indeed clothed.

"I brought you a birthday present." He explained as exited the room.

"I wasn't faking to sleep to avoid you, if that's what you were thinking." The young woman grumbled as she followed, rubbing her tired eyes.

"I know." The Copy Nin nodded as he sat on her couch. "But I wanted to give you your gift in private."

"My birthday was three weeks ago anyway." The pinkette sighed as she entered the kitchen. "Tea?"

"Please." He answered. "And you weren't speaking to me three weeks ago."

"Fair enough." The sound of opening and closing cupboard filled the air for a few moments. "But you could have showed up earlier."

"Surpise?" Kakashi chuckled while he deposited her gift on the table.

"I felt you coming a mile away. I assumed that if I continued to sleep you would go away." Sakura muttered as she stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen.

"You said you weren't faking sleep." He said, chuckling.

"I was sleeping until I felt your chakra heading here." She explained as the kettle whistled, returning to the room with the tea set.

"So what have you been up to lately?" The older man asked, looking down at the small pot. Green tea, his nose told him.

"Nothing much, pretty much just working and spending time with Ino. Why?" She replied as she sat down on her other couch, facing him.

"Just wondering." He shrugged. "Why?" Another smile crept up on his lips as he mimicked her question, knowing how easily she was annoyed by his copy-cat tendencies.

"You're not a small talk type of person." She answered, imitating his shrug.

"True." He threw back before motioning to the gift. "Aren't you gonna open it?"

"And find another crappy trinket like the two years ago?" Sakura mocked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I think I did better this year." Kakashi mumbled as he picked up the box and handed it to her, trying to ignore the little painful pang in his chest. He had really meant well by offering her that trinket.

"Let me see then." The small smile on her lips gave him a little hope, let him believe that she hadn't loathed his previous gift as much as she pretended to. "A hair stick?" She exclaimed as she picked up, inspecting it closely.

"You seem to like wearing them when attending festivals." The Copy Nin explained as he slouched in his seat.

"I do, but..." Sakura sighed as she replaced it in the box and closed it. "White and pink aren't good colors for my hair."

Kakashi stared at her for a second, baffled. "But your hair is pink, and white goes with everything. Doesn't it?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." She giggled as she shook her head, then took a seat next to him. "But the pink of the stick will be lost in my hair, as for the white... Unless I'm wearing that color, it'll look bland."

Groaning, he reclined in his seat and let his head fall on the top of it. "I'm sorry, I'm lousy for choosing gifts."

When her arm wrapped around his, he lowered his head immediately to have a good view of her. Once more, her lips formed a cute smile, and her eyes closed as she leaned against him.

"It doesn't matter. Thank you." Sakura whispered against his shoulder before placing a soft kiss there. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"I'm a bit hungry, to be honest." Kakashi admitted, relaxing his stiff stance. In fact, breakfast had been the only meal he'd consumed today. Starving was more like it.

"I'll go heat you something up." She muttered as she stood up. "Like I know you, you probably haven't had anything at all today."

"False, miso soup and rice this morning." He chided, smiling. She knew him far too well.

"Here." Sakura let out as she returned with a generous portion of rice and barbecued pork.

"Do you cook extras just in case I show up?" Kakashi joked as he took the plate and chopsticks from her.

"Everyone shows up here when their fridge is empty." She mumbled, a small pout forming on her lips. "I don't know why, but I've gotten into the habit of always having leftovers ready for them."

While he ate, they remained silent. Peeking down at the girl who still leaned against him, a small smile appeared on his lips. To be close to her again was almost strange after so long of barely being able to catch a glimpse of her. He wished he could do better with gifts, but at least she still seemed happy; even if she would make fun of it later. When Naruto had offered her a necklace for her birthday three years ago, she had been overjoyed and had thrown herself at him as she thanked him. Maybe if he kept trying, he'd come to the same result some day?

"I brought dessert and a movie." Kakashi let out as his hand disappeared in his hip pouch before returning with both of the mentioned items.

"Don't you think it's a little late for a movie?" Sakura remarked, a pink eyebrow lifted. He simply shrugged. "Okay, just let me clean this first." She added before tugging at the plate he held.

"Don't mind it, I'll do it." He replied as he pushed himself off the couch.

As the water started running, Sakura appeared at his side and hauled herself up on the counter to watch him.

"Even after spending more than a decade with you, I still can't picture you doing mundane things like washing the dishes." She chuckled, eyes following the movements of his hands attentively.

"I'm only human, Sakura." Kakashi mused, showing off the smirk on his lips since he hadn't bothered to replace his mask.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

As the movie neared its end, Kakashi was fighting to keep his eyes open. He'd picked a romance movie since he assumed Sakura would enjoy it, but its dullness was really getting to him. These movies sounded all the same to him, causing him to wonder just what women found interesting in these sappy stories. On the bright side, his lovely Sakura had taken this as an opportunity to curl up against him, wrapped in his warm embrace.

Every now and then, he would stroke her arm or grasp her shoulder to pull her tighter against his body. His young companion responded by relaxing in his hold, sighing quietly. Playing with her hair was becoming a new hobby of his, he discovered. The knowledge that she trusted him and felt comfortable enough in his presence to let him touch her like this made his heart swell with pride and happiness. After receiving the cold shoulder for months, he had started believing that the new distance between them would last forever. What a relief it was to find out that their friendship could still be salvaged, maybe even transformed into something else.

When the credits rolled on the screen, Kakashi felt confident enough to try and show her what they could be together. He caught her chin between his fingers and tilted her head back gently, slowly, so he could lean forward and press his lips to hers in a quiet kiss. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Sakura's wide eyes looking at him. Fortunately, it wasn't long before she gave in and added some pressure of her own in the contact between them.

As the kiss grew heavier, a certain part of the Copy Nin stirred, reminding him insistently of the last six months of celibacy. Carefully, he pulled his partner in his lap so she would be straddling his hips and caught her sweet lips with his again. They tasted like tea, the tea that she prepared for them a few hours ago. Now more relaxed, the kunoichi settled more comfortably on him, sitting most of her weight on his thighs. He was pretty certain she could feel his erection against her stomach, but her lack of reaction made him doubt it.

The debate was immediately closed when she ground her hips into his, pressing her crotch against his in the process. Unable to hold back, he moaned in their kiss, hands shooting down to grip her hips due to the sudden sensation. After she had buried her nose in the crook of his neck, she continued the movement, earning herself a groan from the man. He knew he lusted after the girl quite intensely, but this was something else. Going so long without sex most likely hightened his sensitivity to her touch.

By the time his mind ran rampant with all kinds of scenarios as to how this encounter could continue, Sakura's mouth slanted over his, resuming their previous exchange. The first detail he wondered about was where. They could keep going right here, on the couch, or head to her bedroom. Or even take it to the kitchen, on the counter. Kakashi moaned again and cradled her head in one hand to press his lips harder against her, becoming more demanding with every second. His free hand roamed her body, avoiding all her sensitive spots for the moment to tease her. There was just something about imagining the pinkette sitting on the counter while he had his way with her that turned him on more than he expected.

Having had more than enough of the careful teasing, Kakashi tore his lips from hers only to assault her neck with hot, open-mouthed kisses, suckling on the delicate skin inbetween them. He kept one hand to her head, keeping her close, while the other slid up from her hip to her chest so he could fondle her breast. It was firm against his palm, the perfect size for him to appreciate. Using two fingers, he tweaked her nipple gently, all too happy that she wore no bra under her thin sleeping shirt.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura muttered as her small hands pushed against his chest.

"What is it?" The Copy Nin breathed out, noticing how his breathing came in short pants for the first time.

"Come with me." She whispered as she stood up. Her hand grasped his as she led him to her bedroom.

Before she could sit on the bed, Kakashi grabbed her arm and pulled her back closer to him, losing no time to remove the shirt that he considered far too annoying at the moment. Her shorts joined the other garment on the floor soon enough, her underwear still tangled in them. Resuming his ministrations on her neck, the older man ushered his companion to the bed, where he laid her down carefully before hovering above her. She was so damn beautiful. Did she even know it?

"You're beautiful, Sakura." Kakashi complimented as he lowered his head to trap her nipple between his lips.

The girl shifted under him, fingers gripping the blanket she lay on. As he gave the hardened bud a tentative lick, he looked up to watch his friend's reaction, only to be disappointed when she offered none. As much as he hated to admit it, she showed no sign of arousal. Her chest still raised and fell at a regular pace, her heart wasn't pounding... He had been so eager that he failed to notice whether or not she appreciated his touch.

Determined to make her moan his name at least once, even if it was selfish, he slid a hand down her stomach to her core. His thumb rubbed lazy circles on her clit, waiting for her to squirm or let him know that she liked this in any way. Instead, her arms hooked under his broad shoulders and she pulled him up for their lips to meet in another kiss. No matter what he did, her movements were mechanical and forced. His libido would surely make him pay triplefold for this later on, but he had to stop this.

"Go ahead, Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura whimpered as she undid his pants. "Please."

He froze for a second, holding back a groan in the back of his throat. A part of him begged him to pretend he hadn't realized what was going on and to comply to her demand. To let her free his throbbing erection and then sink into her. The idea was tempting, but he couldn't do it.

"Sakura." Kakashi let out as he sat on his heels above her. "Stop."

"Huh?" Sakura exclaimed, staring at him as if he had sprouted a new head. "What? Why?"

"You're tense, your kisses are forced, you're not aroused..." Her former teacher explained, sighing. "Why I would continue is what you should be asking."

"Because I asked you to. I want this." The kunoichi retorted, eyebrows bunching together.

"No. You're pushing yourself to do this." He replied as he shook his head. "Forcing sex won't make you feel better, Sakura. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"You want this." She growled, pushing herself up on her elbows. "And I'm okay with it. So why won't you do it?"

"This isn't what I want, Sakura." Kakashi correct as he stood, zipping up his pants. "I want you. It's not about sex, but the intimacy." He exhaled tiredly as he ran a hand through his wild hair. "I don't need to explain this. You're a very desirable girl but I can't take pleasure while you're hurting."

"I told you I want this!" Sakura replied, her voice raising too high for her former teacher's liking. "If you don't think I can make my own decisions then you can leave! You know where the door is."

"This isn't what I'm trying to say." He said as he leaned against the wall, staring at the floor. Looking at her, seeing the pain behind those wonderful emerald orbs was just unbearable. "I trust you. I can't accept this because you're obviously lying to yourself, Sakura."

"Fine then!" The kunoichi shouted as she jumped off the bed with the blanket wrapped around her. "Get out!"

"Sakura..." The Copy Nin pleaded, dropping his hands at his sides. "I want to be with you. We don't have to do this."

"No, it's not okay." She seethed as she grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the bedroom. "You're stopping something that we both wanted because of some stupid assumption that I can't be honest with myself!"

"You aren't!" Kakashi rasped back, unable to keep the anger from seeping into his tone. Why was she doing this? "Would you prefer I hurt you because you ask me to? I can't do this."

"Stop repeating the same thing and leave already!" Sakura shouted, tugging at his arm when he planted his feet firmly into the floor. Unfortunately for him, the girl didn't hesitate to use her chakra to boost her strength.

"All I want is for you to be okay, Sakura." He uttered as she pratically threw him through the front door. "I apologize if I'm going about it wrong. I know you'll get through this, because you're a strong and smart woman."

"Yet you don't trust my judgement." She snapped as she gripped the doorknob, glaring at him with eyes burning with all the pent-up frustration and anger she hid so well.

"I trust your judgement, Sakura." The Copy Nin scolded as he shook his head, burying his hands in his pocket so she wouldn't see them ball into fists. "But I can't believe your lies."

"Then go, leave me alone." The pinkette mumbled, staring at the floor to hide the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes.

"I will." Kakashi answered as he turned to face the exit of the building. "Because I believe you can take care of yourself. If you think you don't need me, then I won't stay."

The door closed, ending their conversation abruptly. Kakashi slouched as he walked away, baffled by how such a sweet time had turned sour so easily. Had he tricked himself into thinking that Sakura could possibly return his feelings? Had he been a fool to want to prove he could help her? The answers to his questions eluded him, his mind a complete blank as he fought to figure this out.



Chapter Four: Click Here