DISCLAIMER: Really. I own nothing but my own OC!

-CHAPTER 3: Love Me Tender-

~ Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go. For it's there that I belong, and we'll never part. ~

Times were so much simpler back then. Just blessed childish naivety in ignorance of the cruelty of the world.

How was it, Tsubasa wondered, that the brat that used to rub her all the wrong ways became the man she couldn't live without?

How was it, that he became the first thing she thought of in the morning, and the last thing she thought of before going to sleep?

And lying here in the dark alone, injured and trapped beneath layers and layers of rubble with death certain to come soon, how was it that he – not even the other members of her team that she was sure was around somewhere buried in the rubble as well - was the only one on her mind?

I was intimidated by the silver-haired duo standing at the door. The White Fang and my father, Fujiwara Touya, were old friends, being genin teammates, so I knew that eventually I would be meeting the Hatake family. Father had recently been gushing about Sakumo's son - who was apparently the same age as me which somehow already made us best friends in the eyes of my father - so I had assumed the meeting would be happening soon but no amount of preparing had made me ready for this! Hatake Sakumo cut an intimidating figure; taller than my father – though, leaner compared to my father's bulky build - with eyes as sharp as steel. It also probably didn't help that the miniature copy of the White Fang was glaring hard, like he would rather be anywhere but here. The mask only made his eyes more intense. It took all I had to not cower from his glare. I was the daughter of a renowned ninja, yes, but even that had its limits! I definitely, most definitely, did not want to go anywhere near the Hatake family!

"Sakumo! You're here!" My father had all but rushed to grab his best friend in a big bear hug, unknowingly abandoning his frozen-to-the-spot-in-fear daughter. And there came my greatest dilemma of the year. Alright, two choices here.

A) Stay in my safe spot away from the scary dog duo.

B) Cling to the safety of my father even though he was near said scary dog duo.

No, I am a Fujiwara. And the Fujiwara clan, does not cower. We endure. The family pride and motto drilled into my head ever since I was old enough to comprehend words. And it's my birthday party. Mine. There's no way, no way at all, I would deign to suffering the whole of my party just because of these two. So, what else could I do other than to endure my fear and really, just suck it up?

"Hello. I'm Tsubasa. Nice to meet you." I toddled behind my father, clutching the back of his pants tightly, as though fearing something or someone would just snatch me and run away. My eyes darted up from the miniature one to his father, studiously avoiding the glare until necessary. Alright, so I guess my 'enduring' wasn't quite up to standard yet. How is it even possible for someone my age to look like that?! Geez, what crawled up his ass and died?

And then, it suddenly felt like I was bathed in the warmth of the sun shining again after a few days of continuous thunderstorms. Holy. Sakumo's smile was holy. He turned that beam towards me and out of the blue, I found myself in the air, held up in his arms. "Oh, look at this little princess here!"

I've just found my new favourite person after Father. Sorry, Father, but Sakumo cuts a close second. Sakumo was just a large overgrown scary but cuddly bear. If only he would stop pinching my cheeks. It hurts. And that exasperated glare and snort from your son hurts even more.

Sakumo smirked at Father. "You've outdone yourself, Touya. How could such a precious treasure have come from you?"

Ignoring the wails of my father (who was starting to look pathetic in comparison to Sakumo), he continued blithely, spinning me around to face his miniature. Oh no. "Oh, right, Tsubasa, this is my son, Kakashi. Get along well, you two."

"Tch." Kakashi only clicked his tongue, not even bothering to spare me a glance.

'Get along well' Sakumo said. I could only just about manage a twitch of my lips in what must have been a poor excuse of a smile. Could anyone blame me?! Kakashi was an absolute jerk!

"Ugly." He mouthed, smirking in that holier-than-thou way.

I could've punched him. Oh, I wanted to. Badly.

That was the first word he'd said to me. Ugly. Seriously? What in the world was his problem?!

(It was the standard – but ridiculous – mentality of a prepubescent boy, thinking that it was alright to tease the girl he thought was pretty. Or maybe he just liked seeing the way her cheeks would flush and her eyes sparkle when she was angry.)

"Kakashi, listen. I trust you." My father crouched down, looking Kakashi firmly in the eye. "Chase away all males that come near-"

Sakumo gave him a good whack on his head, and then, proceeded to ignore all of Touya's whines. "No, my daughter! My precious daughter!"

God, Father, what in the world are you doing? So embarrassing. I could already feel the eyes of all the other parents milling around the entrance of the Academy.

Sakumo smiled brightly, like he wasn't currently holding a blubbering grown man by his collar, laying his other hand on his son's shoulder. "Look after her, son."

"Nonsense, Sakumo, I don't need looking after! I'm going to look after him!" I stuck my tongue out at Kakashi behind Sakumo's back, causing his eye to twitch.

Suddenly, I saw his lips curl up in a slow smirk under the mask. Uh, what?

"Touya's worrying for nothing. No one's going to approach you anyway. Ugly."

I absolutely hated him.

I made it my life's work to irritate the hell out of Kakashi. Oh, I was indeed looking after him, just probably not in the way Sakumo had expected from my words. I could never forget the numerous times I had succeeded in pranking him. There was no joy like the joy of seeing his I'm-too-cool-for-you attitude crumble whenever he found his things missing. Never let it be known that Fujiwara Tsubasa didn't have a sharp mind or quick fingers. Serves him right anyway, his ego could stand to suffer a few knockdowns.

He was an insufferable prick. I knew that, but it didn't feel right when I saw how some of his classmates were treating him. I knew he probably wouldn't have many friends – not with that jerk attitude – but I never knew it was to that extent. They were only jealous of his talent, but a much more reasonable and productive thing to do would be to train and improve rather than just hang around bullying others. Even I could tell, that those were the ones that would never advance higher; they only pushed others down but never improved themselves. I couldn't stand them, and one day, a particularly mean remark pushed me past my limits.

"Hey! I'm the only one allowed to insult him!"

"You need a little girl to protect you, Kakashi?" He sneered, a mocking grin plastered on his face.

It was the first time I brawled with someone outside of physical training classes. May I just say though, I kicked ass and there was a glorious opening flying kick by yours truly. He called me short. And needless to say, no one ever bothered me or Kakashi ever again.

(Later, Minato would say I reminded him of Kushina. The way I always jumped to defend the people I loved without caring about the consequences was similar to the Red Hot-blooded Habanero. In fact, Kushina had gotten into many a fight for him too – he was kind of an awkward outcast during their school days, apparently. I laughed, because there was no way in hell I cared for Kakashi the way he was insinuating. Just imagining it gave me shivers, and not the good kind.

Much much later, I would realize that he was right.)

Kakashi cornered me one day, though, demanding to know why I beat up those guys for him. Didn't I hate him, he asked. Was it pity, or something? Because he, with all his talent and skills, had ended up an outcast in class? He was nearly spitting with rage at the thought that I pitied him.

I told him straight to his face that he was stupid. Why would I feel pity for him? Kakashi was a right pain in the neck to me, but those bullies crossed the line. I knew, all too well, just how much Kakashi trained. Sure, he was undeniably a prodigy – as much as it pained me to admit to his face - but half of his skills came from determination and hard work. I couldn't let anyone spit on his effort. It was one of the rare things I grudgingly admired him for.

Something changed after that. Kakashi seemed to have developed the same sort of respect I had for him for me. He never let anyone insult me after that either, though his own snarky remarks never stopped. And then, we started training together (because he insulted my skills. I punch like a girl? I am a girl!), and eating together.

We fought like cats and dogs, with each other and for each other. But we somehow gravitated towards each other, always together, always there for each other.

Even a blind man would be able to see the fondness beneath all the spats.

I didn't resent Sakumo. Those who break the rules are trash, or so they say. But how could I even look down upon the man who had tried his hardest to save my father, when others would have just left him there to die, abandoned by both his comrades and village? Screw the village and its people. Screw them for cursing a man who tried to save lives. Screw the rules. I'd never be able to live with myself if I had let one of my comrades die. I understood Sakumo's decision. I didn't blame him for trying to save my father, nor for failing to save my father. There was nothing to blame, no one to blame for this disaster of a mission. It just is.

And then Sakumo was gone too.

And both Kakashi and I were left alone, the last of our families.

I started to rethink my opinion. Did Sakumo doubt his decision? Did he regret it? What if he did? How would that affect me? His death didn't change anything, in fact, it only made Kakashi an orphan, and that was something Kakashi could have done without.

If there was something I resented Sakumo for, it was for making the choice to leave Kakashi behind.

I could see the changes Kakashi went through, day by day, living with all the nosy stares of the people, some pitying and some judging, as though the Hatake family deserved it. He became colder and colder, until one day, I couldn't recognize him anymore.

I would have fought for him, to defend him, to protect him, but there was nothing to fight. The villagers? They were civilians. It'd be pathetic to lay a hand on them. Sakumo? He was gone. Kakashi himself? The village itself? Fate? How did one even start to do that?

All we could do was move on. Try to find meaning in life, a new purpose when the old one was gone.

All I could do was watch Kakashi spiral downwards in his own self-created mixture of confusion and loathing, as I struggled to keep my head above water myself.

He wasn't the only one left behind. He was the one who left me behind. He wasn't the only one alone.

I had neither my father, nor Sakumo, nor even Kakashi now.

I was alone too.

It had been a while since we last had a proper conversation, so long since there was anything more than a passing nod of acknowledgement, so long since we had behaved like we were friends instead of just acquaintances. I didn't know if he would appreciate me approaching him, he who had lost the last of his team. But I did so anyway. Looking at that lonely silhouette in front of their graves, I couldn't bear it.

The last time we spoke more than a few words beyond the stiffly uttered standard greetings, anything beyond politely civil interactions, was when we fought about him distancing himself from me, about him calling his own father trash for not following the rules. If there was anyone that should treasure Sakumo's ideals, anyone who shouldn't insult Sakumo, it was Kakashi. It ended up in a lot of shouting, full of nasty words aimed to hurt – and hurt, they did. We knew each other's buttons so well after all. He was brutal, and so was I - until finally, I had slapped him and he stormed off.

We weren't on good terms, but still, he was my friend, and I didn't want him to be alone. He wasn't the only one who had lost people they loved. I loved Minato and Kushina too. Obito and Rin were my friends too. What was that saying? Friends divide your sorrows, and multiply your happiness. We could suffer together, so that he wouldn't hurt as much. That was all I wanted.

To be together, for each other.

Standing beside him, so lost in his sorrow, Kakashi gave no sign that he noticed my presence.

I didn't look at him either, staring at where his eyes hadn't wavered from ever since the procession ended – the names etched onto the tombstone.

I slipped my hand into his, giving him a gentle squeeze.

I'm here for you.

"What are you doing here?"

Kakashi's question, so innocently asked, only caused all of the pent-up worry from the past hours ever since he arrived in mangled bloody shreds to explode in the form of rage.

I snarled, brandishing a finger in his face fiercely. "You disappear off the face of the Earth for half a year, no contact at all, land yourself in such a critical condition I had to slog over you for hours – 'What am I doing here'?! I was the one stuffing your guts back inside you! Your guts! - just to get you back to some semblance of health, and that's the first thing you say to me?!"

How about a 'Thank you'?! Or an apology?! For nearly worrying me to death! Such a jerk!

I huffed, beginning to calm down after my rant but the sight of his honest-to-god perplexed quirk of his eyebrow set me off again. This idiot! So smart yet so thick! Did he seriously not know what was the problem here?! Whirling around to grab an apple from one of the fruit baskets – who would even give this idiot any gifts anyway?! Maybe it was a complimentary service? - I flung it in his general direction, hard. It didn't occur to me that in my anger, a little chakra flow was directed to my arm to strengthen the throw. It was accidental, really. Like, really really seriously. I didn't mean it.

Alright. So maybe I did it on purpose, just for kicks. Not like I would ever admit it to his face. (He probably already knew it.) I believe in 'Ignorance is bliss', yes. What could a measly chakra-enhanced apple do to a jounin of his level anyway? Meh, no harm, no foul.

He yelped in shock, hands reflexively darting up to catch the flying object before it gave him a black eye. "What was that for?!"

Huh, looks like my aim had gotten worse than I thought it had. I should probably start training again. I was hoping it would land somewhere around his middle, and maybe, you know, possibly reopen a stitch or two. I would be here to painfully professionally stitch him back up again, in any case. Nobody would know. Nobody.

"You're not supposed to throw things at your patient! I'm injured! An invalid!" Kakashi cried, gesturing wildly at himself lying on the bed. "What kind of medic are you?!"

I deadpanned. "You were just whining to my colleague about wanting to be discharged immediately. You're an invalid now?"

He blanched, stuttering in an effort to spin the situation around back to be in his favour. What was it with all ninja being so unwilling to stay in the hospital? His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

Inwardly, I grinned. Looks like Kakashi wasn't so smart after all. Foot, meet mouth.

"Well, Mr. Injured-so-bad-I'm-an-invalid, you're to stay for a month."

"Wha- a month?! No way. What about my missions?"

"Only the best for our patients, Mr. I-am-an-invalid. I can't deny you the care you need, Mr. Invalid." I hid a smirk behind the clipboard I was holding, but the glint in his narrowed eyes told me he knew exactly what I was doing. I wasn't surprised, I mean, we've known each other for years. It didn't affect me either way, and who was I to turn down a chance of letting him know he was beaten? By little ol' me, no less. I mentally shrugged. Even if he knew, there was nothing he could do to refute my decision. After all, the hospital was us medic-nins' territory.

"Oh, and there is to be absolutely no physical exertion or involvement in work of any kind for the coming month. I'll let the Third know to ban you from any upcoming missions. Bed. Rest. Only. You are not to leave this room. Is that clear?"

"What if I need to use the bathroom? Natural bodily functions, shower and all that. Hygiene, you know. Are you going to help me?" Waggling eyebrows. Die. I'll burn you off if you don't stop. You can cover the bottom half but you can't cover the top half, Kakashi.

I sent him one of my sweetest smiles. "Not me, of course. You silly. Don't you know there are many of your adoring fans amongst the hospital staff? They've been dying to get a peek under that mask and those clothes. Why, they've already been undressing you with their eyes. I'm sure they'd be willing to help you undress.. with their hands. Have fun."

I could barely resist the urge to give myself a pat on the back. Well done, me. I had managed to anger him enough before, but this was one of the few times I had managed to stun him to such an extent. That face – the horrified wide-eyed mouth-gaping expression I caught a glimpse of before shutting the door - definitely didn't happen often. It would be burned into my memory for many years to come. I sniggered. Take that, jackass.

(For once, he was the one staring after me.)

I sighed.

The lollygagging bunch of nurses and a few medic-nins were gathering outside of his room again.

The first few times were amusing, as I remembered Kakashi's horrified face – I was sure he would be scrambling away ungainly if he didn't have an image and reputation to uphold – but my laughter slowly ceased to be each time I saw them. Instead, there was a sickening lump in my throat and a rising annoyance, watching them fawn over my childhood friend.

Would he be inter- no, he wouldn't. Fangirls weren't his type, right? No, but he was a healthy male, and definitely straight, so would he..?

The moment that thought drifted in, I wanted to give myself a hard smack. Why would I be interested in whether he was interested or not? Why would I make myself out to be like one of the fangirls, chasing after a guy obsessively? No, I would die before I became one of those girls.

We were just friends, right?

"Ahem. Don't you girls have something better to do?" I levelled them with a pointed glare. "Like making sure you're worth the money the hospital's paying you?"

With a startled yelp, they all quickly scurried away, fearful of their superior in the hospital. Outside would be a different matter though, they probably wouldn't leave unless drastic measures were taken.

I sighed again. Why was I focusing so much on this? I used to enjoy watching Kakashi's awkward interactions with the fangirls..

Opening the door, I was met with a slightly desperate scowl. "How much more longer do I have to be stuck here? Those fangirls are driving me crazy!"

I laughed wholeheartedly, the kind that left me gasping for breath with tears at the corners of my eyes. Just one sentence banished away any of the ugly thoughts and uncertainties. How did he always manage to make me feel better so easily?

"Just deal with it a little longer, stud." I teased, finally lifting my head to look at him after my laughing fit.

I stilled, a little self-conscious. Why was he was looking at me like that? "What?"

It was a look I had become quite familiar with. Recently, he had been staring at me intensely with that warm look in his eyes. I would be talking, smiling or laughing and when I turned to him, he would already be watching me. It gave me butterflies, and my heart would race.

"You're beautiful." He uttered softly. His low voice caused the butterflies to rampage. Oh no. Oh no.

My cheeks flamed to the point where I felt the heat creeping up to my ears as well. I probably looked like an unattractive tomato. No, stop. Don't think of whether he would think it was unattractive or not!

I awkwardly coughed, forcing out a chuckle. "What are you talking about? You've always called me ugly. Don't you remember? In fact, that was the first word you said to me when we first-"

I caught sight of his smirk, looking oddly satisfied. Yet, that warm look never left his eyes.

"-Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." He smirked, clearly enjoying being the one to make me uncomfortable.

Why did I ramble? Why was it that I couldn't function properly around him nowadays? Kakashi was probably just playing around. Trying to get a reaction out of me as usual. I tried to beat down the disappointment that came with that thought. Focus! You're a medic-nin, do your job!

"Alright. Standard check-up. You know the drill." Sitting on the bed beside him, I automatically began to unbutton his shirt - the hospital clothes we provided for all patients - before I realized it, already back in medic-nin mode.

Prodding the bandages around his midsection, checking for any bleeding or infection, I routinely asked. "Any pain?"

"No." His breath ruffled the hair at the top of my head and I froze. Suddenly, my mind was thrust out of the professional medic-nin mode and all I could notice was the lean yet defined abdominal muscles – why was my hand still touching?! – and the close proximity. I mean, his lips were barely an inch from my forehead! The butterflies were fluttering around again.

"Tsubasa."

"Hm?" I didn't even dare to look at him. If I raised my head now, how close would he be? He didn't even have his mask on now!

"Are you having fun feeling me up?"

"What?! I'm no-" I snarled, instinctively looking up in order to glare him into oblivion. Oh, if looks could kill.

Oh, shit. I looked up. My mind went blank. He still had that look in his eyes, only it was more intense now.

Yet, I couldn't bring myself to break the eye contact or pull away. How long did we remain staring at each other like this?

"Tsubasa." He breathed out, eyes flickering from my eyes down to my lips, slowly inching closer.

Our noses were brushing now, and I still couldn't move away. No, I didn't want to. How did this happen? How did I end up having feelings for this insufferable man? Minato was right, after all. I did care for Kakashi, profoundly.

(How did he know - we were all still barely teens back then - even before I did?)

His lips landed on mine gingerly, tentatively, before drawing back slightly, as though gauging my reaction. I met his eyes silently, before slipping my eyes shut in consent.

The kiss grew more passionate then, lips parting and joining back together again. His hands, burning hot on my waist and the nape of my neck. The feeling of his fingers weaving into my hair and tugging slightly so he could get a better angle, demanding more, sent a pleasant tingle down my spine.

It felt like it lasted forever, but it was only a moment.

We parted, breathing ragged as we stared at each other in equal astonishment and wonder. A smile spreading on my lips, swollen and pink from his actions–

And then, he was gone. Out the window in a flash.

I didn't know how to feel. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't even angry that he had kissed me – probably the best kiss I ever had – and then bailed.

There was only a crushing emptiness in place of the exhilaration only moments ago.

The only thing I could do was stare after him, left behind yet again.

When was he going to stop running? I pondered wistfully.

When would he stay? By my side?

When would we be able to walk side by side? Instead of taking turns waiting for each other?

Trees flashed past in a muddy green and brown blur at the speed Kakashi and Gai were travelling at. A quick rescue mission, in and out, grab the survivors. That's it. That was all the Third had allowed for. Channeling the output of chakra was all but instinctive now, requiring no conscious control but these only left Kakashi's mind free to home in on the worrisome thoughts. Were they too late? He had only discovered her disappearance in the morning. Counting in the few hours it had taken to get the information out of the Third Hokage as well as permission to go after Tsubasa's group, it was well over eighteen hours now.

Missions could go wrong in seconds, he didn't even want to think about how disastrous a suicide mission could get in eighteen hours. Yet, against his will, such horrific images kept popping into his mind, each one worse than the previous. Truly, there was no greater horror than one's imagination.

"Kakashi, I didn't remember until just now, but I think Tsubasa has been heading down this path for a while now." Gai's expression had been somber, and a little guilty too.

Kakashi clenched his fists at the memory just before in the Third's office. It was just a reminder that he was a horrible friend (or lover? What were they anyway?).

"Kakashi, you can't beat yourself up over this." Gai's voice cut through his thoughts. He had noticed the familiar dark look on his friend's face. Oh, Kakashi, ever so noble. Not everything was his fault. There were some things that just happened, and nobody could have done anything to stop it. "You can't blame yourself for not knowing."

Kakashi didn't reply. Despite seeing the truth in Gai's words, he couldn't help but do so. He hadn't noticed it, despite keeping an eye on her. How could he have been so wrapped up in his own – misguided, now he realized - fears that he overlooked her troubles? Why had he been so complacent, so willing to believe that everything was alright, that he merely took her smile at face value? Had he been wanting to avoid facing her and what their relationship meant to the extent that he had buried his head in the sand, ignoring all the little signs and simply continuing on?

What were all their years of friendship worth if he couldn't even notice? He should've known, should've figured it out.

But no, he wasn't going down that path anymore. The path of self-loathing, the path of living in the past, the path of misery for him and Tsubasa.

Gai was right. What was done was done. There's nothing he could do to change it. All he could do now was hope that he wasn't too late. All he could do now was change the future. He would fix it.

This time, he wanted to walk beside her, make her laugh and smile, he wanted to make her happy with him. No more watching from a distance. No more pushing people away, in self-punishment, thinking it was for their own good. They would go through whatever happened, good or bad, together.

Channeling more chakra to his legs, he sped forward.

Please be alive, Tsubasa!

The first thing she noticed was that there was light. The second, that the pain was significantly lesser than before. The third, since when was the ground so soft? She distinctly remembered the annoyance of a rock digging into her back.

Am I in heaven? Am I dead?

The first thing she saw when her vision focused enough were grey and red. And then, her vision expanded to include the rest of his face, the shock of gravity-defying silver hair.

The low husky tone that she could recognize anywhere.

And she knew.

"Tsubasa? Are-" She didn't catch anything beyond the sound of her name on his tongue. How long has it been since she heard it? She didn't realize how much she missed it until she heard it again.

"Say-" She winced at the gravelly feeling in her throat. Her voice was hoarse and it hurt to speak - was it possible to feel pain in the afterlife? - but she had to get her point across. She ignored his attempts of getting her to drink water. She wanted to hear it again. She craved it. "Say it again, my name. Please."

He stilled, staring at her sadly. Why was he sad? "Tsubasa."

I'll say it as many times as you want, from now on.

"Kakashi.." Tsubasa breathed out.

She shakily raised a hand to prod at his figure hovering over her, wanting to check whether he was solid or not. Even if he wasn't real, she didn't want him to vanish like a hallucination. Surely, here in her afterlife, she could at least be allowed to have his touch. How pathetic was she; to still pine for him to the point of unconsciously conjuring up an apparition of him here. She had to give some credit to her memory though; she didn't know it was that good to create such a perfect replica of him. Or maybe it was possible? She had watched him for years, after all.

"I'm here, Tsubasa." He grabbed her hand, tenderly cradling it to his cheek. His body heat warmed her even through her gloves and his mask. Her fingers twitched, fingertips brushing against the small strip of skin below his eye that was uncovered by the fabric of his mask. Oh. He's solid, and warm. He's real? Her memory certainly wasn't good enough to replicate the feeling of his warmth and skin exactly so.

"You're here. You're really here.." Her eyes found his again, marveling at his presence by his side. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes, blurring her vision.

He's really here, with me. It's not a dream. I'm not dead.

"Yeah, I'm here, Tsubasa." As if to reinforce his words, his hand gave hers a gentle squeeze, handling her as though she was precious glass.

Each time her name rolled off his tongue, her heart fluttered.

Suddenly, her smile faltered. "Are you going to leave?" Again?

The last time we had a moment, you left. It wasn't an accusation, merely a sad observation. It went unspoken, but they both knew they were thinking of that day in the hospital. The day of their first kiss together. And the spectacular mess of a friendship that resulted from his disappearing act. God, the way he had run out of the hospital room like she had some contagious plague, and he hadn't even been discharged yet. It wasn't surprising that she would have such an insecurity of him leaving her behind. She was already steeling herself for his impending departure.

His free hand brushed the tear she didn't know she had let out from her cheek with lingering touches, as he gazed remorsefully at her.

"I finally get to look at you straight on instead of being like a stalker-"

She chuckled weakly. "That's my line, you idiot. I'm the one always looking at your back.."

You always leave me behind.

"I know." Kakashi stared into her eyes unwaveringly. "I chased after you, this time."

Not this time. I won't leave, not you, not again. So, don't leave me too.

"From now on, I'm not going anywhere without you. You're stuck with me now. Can't get rid of me even if you try." He promised earnestly, a flicker of happiness in his eyes. Her eyes, dazed they were, managed to catch the faint smile lighting up the corner of his lips through his mask.

"You're not.. scared anymore?"

"I am, still. But I won't let my fears rule the way I live. I don't want to regret not making worth of the time I have with you."

Finally, finally, they were on the same page. She saw the affectionate longing – the same longing she had for years – in his eyes. She could tell that he knew that he was the one that was the barrier in their relationship; his fears had prevented him from ever crossing the line and when they did, he had instantly pushed her away.

Funny, she mused, that all these years, they had both been staring after each other's back. What fools they were. But, they were now looking each other in the eye, with no more intention of beating around the bush. This was just how they were, she supposed. It was their story, and no one's else.

Even with all the detours, I wouldn't want it any other way. This is us.

They had mutual feelings, and none of them had any desire to leave the other's side. There would be no leaving the other behind. They were going to stay by each other and brave the world and all the hardship that came with it together.

He pressed a kiss into her palm softly, eyes crinkling in that way that told her he was smiling.

"Thank you for waiting for me, Tsubasa." Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for loving me.

"Anytime."

~I'll be yours through all the years till the end of time.~

THE END

A/N: Thanks for all the support! This was originally meant to be a oneshot but it somehow developed into a short multi-chaptered story.

If there are any requests for more snippets of Kakashi/Tsubasa, feel free to drop me a PM or something!

And I'd love it if you all would let me know what you think of this story in a review! ;)