What Should Have Been

The Getaway

Kakashi's POV:

I take her hand into mine, and we leave at the literal speed of lightning. It's as if we were never there, as if we'd dissolved into thin air.

The village is basically a ghost town today, with most of the population in attendance of the wedding that was about to not happen. We come to a stop right in front of the village gates. "Where to?" I breathe, turning to face her. "Anywhere but here." Her voice shakes slightly as she speaks, but she seems full of relief, her shoulders now relaxed. She looks like her old self again, her bright green eyes twinkling with a new light, ready for whatever comes next.

I crinkle my eyes at her. "Anywhere but here it is." I chuckle, and we fly off once again.

We glide side-by-side through the trees, our timing synced. It doesn't take us long to reach Shukuba Town, a popular vacation spot within the Land of Fire. "This should be far enough." I sigh and dust myself off once we come to a halt. She looks up at me, her shoulders heaving as she attempts to catch her breath. "You think they've noticed that I'm gone?" She asks breathlessly, pressing a hand to her chest. She asks this in such a serious way, her eyes so wide that I frown down at her. Suddenly, she breaks into a wide grin at my confused expression. We share a good laugh, then. "I think it's safe to say that they have, Sakura. It's been a couple hours, and a wedding's really no fun without the bride." I chuckle. "Well, the bride is having much more fun here." She laughs, linking her arm with mine. "Thank you so much for getting me out of there, Kakashi-sensei. I wouldn't know what to do without you." The gratefulness and relief is apparent in her voice as she smiles up at me sweetly. A blush creeps onto my face. "Oh, it was nothing really...." I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. "Do you, uh, want to check into an inn, get settled, and then go find something for us to eat?" "Sounds good!" She agrees.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We find a nice, peaceful inn in a quieter area of town. Upon us entering, the lady at the desk looks to us and smiles, clapping her hands. "Oh, newlyweds! Congratulations! Welcome!" Just like that, we're reminded of what we're wearing – her in an extravagant wedding dress and me in a nice suit. "Our nicest honeymoon suite is available if you're interested!" I can tell that Sakura is about to protest, but I place a calming hand on her back. "Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you." I smile at the lady.

"What the hell was that?!" Sakura punches my arm once we've made it down the hallway.

"Ah, Sakura!" I feign a gasp, rubbing my arm. "That almost hurt!"

"Well, why did you tell that lady we wanted the honeymoon suite?!"

"It's your wedding day."

"Not anymore!"

"Ah, regardless... this day started out as your wedding day, and you deserve a nice suite to rest in since this day didn't exactly go as planned for you. So why not the nicest suite in the inn? The honeymoon suite!" I shrug, satisfied with my explanation.

"And you do realize that we have to share this honeymoon suite together, right?" She stares me down.

I deadpan. I come to a sudden stop, starting to sweat. I slap my hand to my forehead. *Thwack!* Way to go, Kakashi.... You're so clueless sometimes. I start to feel lightheaded. "Sakura, I'm... I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't think anything of it. I... I'll go back and get a separate room-" I turn to go back, but she grabs my arm and spins me back around. "No, it's too late now. Let's just get settled in." She says in defeat. "Sakura, I'm really so sorry. I feel awful now. I just thought... I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn't.... I just wanted you to have a nice room, and I suppose I forgot about where I would be staying.... I'll sleep on the floor. You can have the bed all to yourself so you can rest comfortably." She shrugs, "It's ok. Really. After all, we did walk in here – me in a wedding dress and you in a suit. It would have looked strange any other way. And as for the bed situation, what's a bed between friends? As long as that's ok with you...." "Uhh... heheheh... yeahh, of course! That's... that's fine! Like you said... what's-what's a bed between friends! Heheheheh!" Now sweating profusely, I rub the back of my neck sheepishly and desperately attempt to seem normal for one second. Just one second is all I need, but instead, I feel myself blushing. All I want is for Sakura to not think that I'm thinking anything perverted, because I'm not, but acting so awkwardly is going to make her think that I am. Damn it.

Sakura's POV:

As we walk, I can't help but smile to myself at Kakashi's obvious discomfort. The nervous laughter, sweating, and rubbing the back of his neck nervously is typical Kakashi behavior, but I've never seen him like this before – babbling apologies, stammering, and desperately trying to find the right words to use. It's almost... cute. I shake the thought out of my head. What's with you lately, Sakura?

"Here we are." Kakashi's voice pulls me out of my self-scolding as he opens the door to our room. We step inside, closing the door behind us. Well, it's official. We're in a honeymoon suite together, I think bitterly. When suddenly, I take in the sight before me, which wipes all other thoughts from my mind completely. I'd assumed the room would look cheap and cliché and simply scream: "HONEYMOON!" I'd imagined reds and pinks and heart-shaped things. But instead, this room is all white – a white bedspread that looks so soft to the touch, tons of fluffy pillows, and a flowy canopy. There are sweet-smelling light purple and pink flower petals that run all the way from the door to on top of the bed. Candles are placed all over the room atop nice, lightly wooded furniture. Close to the bed is a nice, comfy-looking chair, and facing away from the bed, is a large, modern-style couch that faces a huge flatscreen. Then, in the farthest corner of the room is a big... hot tub. What is all this?! Am I supposed to believe that cheap, old Kakashi really paid for a room like this?

Suddenly, I hear the sound of babbling water coming from outside, interrupting that thought. Slowly, I cross the room to the farthest window and pull back the curtain to see a fountain spilling into a beautiful koi pond surrounded by luscious, green grass and gorgeous plants and flowers. It must be the best view in the place. To say this suite is breathtaking would be an understatement. "Wow," I breathe.

"Wow, indeed." Kakashi says lowly from close behind me, taking in the koi pond, as well. I jump slightly, not realizing he'd even moved. His fingertips land on my elbow in a feather-light touch. I can tell that his intention is to soothe me, but all he does is effectively give me goosebumps. "And it's all ours until we decide it's our time to leave." The words ring in my head like a bell, over and over: All ours.