xXx

'But I can try for your heart
Our dreams and they are made out of real things
Like a shoebox of photographs
With sepia tone loving.
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart,
Like why are we here
And where do we go,
And how come we're so hard.
It's not always easy
And sometimes life can be deceiving;
I'll tell you one thing -
It's always better when we're together . . .'

~ 'Better Together' by Jack Johnson.

xXx

It started out small, like most things do.

She could see it – Kakashi so seemed strangely tentative every time they were alone now, locked away in the safety of their rooms, in places where he could drop his mask and show his face. She never prompted him to do so, just smiled at him in that patient way he had started out frowning at, but ended up appreciating. She could tell from the warmth in his eyes now and then that her quiet acceptance wasn't quite what he had expected, and it still surprised him even days, weeks after. It amused her to see that he was almost always on edge, unconsciously so, thinking such a good thing wasn't going to last.

But Sakura had learnt that she could be stead-fast, be patient. Waiting didn't seem such a daunting prospect anymore, because she knew now how to use the time she had been given and to make it her own.

She had been doing it all along, really. She had taken the time she had been given, filled it with moments she never, ever wanted to forget, with all the smiles she had given and taken, all those wonderful instances of meaning, of understanding. She had taken the time she had been given, shared it, lived it, and made it not only hers, but theirs.

And she wouldn't have had it any other way.

xXx

Sakura laughed, because she couldn't help it.

Kakashi was sitting on the end of her bed, as he had all morning, sputtering in shock, because in trying to take a sip of his tea, he had realised a little too late that he'd forgotten that his face was still covered by his mask. Sakura sat there, a pencil tucked behind her ear, watching him and the strange picture he made; balancing an almost full tea-cup in one hand, a scroll he was trying to protect from the tea dripping off his chin in another, caused Kakashi to look momentarily confused as to what he should do first and where to put what where.

He looked up at her, to see her chuckling behind her hand, then rolled his eyes, and said, 'A little help here?'

She raised an eyebrow, mirth dancing in her eyes.

He sighed. 'With this,' he said, gesturing vaguely at his mask with his tea-cup, the liquid inside sloshing dangerously close to the edge with the movement. Sakura briefly thought of complaining about his disregard for the safety of her new white sheets, then stilled when the implications of what Kakashi had said hit home.

He had never asked this of her. She never really considered he ever would. They had never talked about him dropping his mask, because Sakura knew it was something he had to bring up, and not her. But also, Sakura couldn't deny to herself that she was a little scared that if she forced him to explain, he'd clam up and go back to always wearing his mask around her again. But now . . .

Now this.

Sakura knew she had taken a bit too long in answering, and she was alarmed to note that in that small amount of time, the easy relaxedness of Kakashi's body had become tension. Sakura gave out a little sigh, then smiled at him as if she hadn't noticed the change at all. She reached forward, tugged his mask off gently, and sat back, leaning against her pillows again. She looked into his eyes for a moment, shrugged a shoulder, her mouth curling into a half-smile, then took her pencil from behind her ear and went back to her reading.

A while later, she heard Kakashi's tea-cup land with a clink on floor next to her bed, and the rustling of a scroll being rolled, and it was only then she glanced up at him. It was silly, she knew, but it was in that moment when Kakashi had pulled his mask forward and was inspecting the material with narrowed eyes, biting his lip and looking irritated – when he was being so bewilderingly and utterly human – that she realised she loved him.

It was a love that had caught her unawares. It had snuck its way into her head and heart quietly, while the years passed and as she wondered all this time at his smile, both in his eyes and the curve of his mouth. It was so unlike the puppy-love she'd had before for Sasuke. This time it felt achingly real.

'I love you, you know,' she said softly, suddenly, the words out of her mouth before she even understood what it really meant to say them. But in that very moment she couldn't not say them. She knew she'd feel embarrassed and awkward later, but right then that seemed very distant and she could only feel full of wonder – wonder at this revelation that surprised even herself, and most of all, at the immensity of the love she felt. It was humbling, daunting, but felt right.

'Sakura, I . . .' Kakashi stopped and stared at her almost helplessly, unable to look away. She could suddenly see the pained worry in his eyes, the kind he only ever had when he didn't want to hurt her. 'I'm . . .' he started again, then shook his head. 'I'm too old for you, and you're too young for me.'

It felt like a blow to the chest, leaving her breathless.

She sat there, her face curiously blank, till she realised Kakashi was still looking at her worriedly. She didn't know when he had done it, but he had her hands in his. It was then she realised he didn't want to hurt her, but saw it as inevitable. She wondered if he loved her as much as she loved him, and, strangely, felt like crying, not from sadness, but because the hope that had let her heart soar had left her, drained out of her without her making so much as a sound.

Part of her had hoped it would be easy.

She was tired of fighting and had hoped it would be easy to love him, unhindered by the fear of disapproving eyes. She wanted something simple in her life for once, as blissful as that moment she had told him that she loved him. But his words made her finally understand that she didn't want an easy love. She had always fought for what she wanted.

And she wanted him.

And that meant everything that came along with him; the good and the bad. That meant his infuriating mask, but also all his hidden smiles, uncovered just for her. That meant all the sadness and the silences, the empty look in his eyes after a battle, even the past and the dead that followed him closely in his step. But that also meant the deep friendship they had, and their memories that linked them together almost as closely as blood. She wanted him, and she finally understood what that meant – that she'd get all, or nothing, because that was just how he was. And she didn't want anything less.

'Then I'll wait,' she said quietly, but there was no mistaking the determination in her voice. 'I'll wait for that day when everything is over – when we bring Sasuke back home. I'll even wait until Naruto is Hokage if you make me.'

'Sakura . . .'

'No, listen to me. I'll wait, because I know this won't go away,' she said, then held his gaze steadily. 'I'll wait, because I know it'll be worth it.'

She placed a hand on his jaw and leaned up to kiss his forehead. When she pulled back, she saw that he still remained locked in a struggle with himself and his thoughts. She hadn't expected anything else, because it wouldn't be fair to when he'd hardly had the time she'd had to awaken this thought in his head. Though, he seemed awfully alone and sad, sitting there. But Sakura knew she had done all she could do – it was now up to him to choose. And she'd wait, because after all, she'd learned the virtue of patience.

She'd give him all the time he needed.

And she'd take the time she was given and would make it her own, because after all, she was only beginning to learn how to love him.

xXx

The End.

Here's a thank you to every single one of you who reviewed – you made sure I didn't give up on this story :) I thank you, for making me write, and for giving that little needed incentive to go on this journey - I frankly needed it. It's been a while, almost two years, but it's done.