Queen of Air and Darkness

xxiv. a serious problem with which we were intimately and passionately concerned

Sakura's face was already flushed as Kakashi handed her the bottle of wine. Somehow, the room had grown hot, and the fabric of her shirt too tight. They had stolen away to the quiet chamber she had claimed for herself in the rebuilt castle. When they had first returned, the new castle had seemed too big and too empty, and so Sakura had claimed a small corner room and tried to make it a home for herself. In the seven days since their arrival, she had barely slept here—there had been little time for rest. But tonight, it had seemed critically important to steal some time for themselves before tomorrow morning's battle.

In the corner, a fire crackled and snapped, not quite warm enough to ward the chill away but enough to make shadows dance along the walls and cast everything in rich orange light. Sakura was wrapped in a blanket, and she knew she looked tired and drawn. They both did—Kakashi had dark circles under his eyes and Sakura knew she had grown thin and wan as the days went on. He still wore the uniform of the guard, with his dark wolf-fur mantle hanging on his shoulders. These days it seemed as if he never cast off his duty to the realm, never stopped being the competent Knight-Captain of the Guard, with no demands and needs but those that his station commanded.

But when he looked at her now, it was not as a commander, but as a man. Despite her tired eyes and the exhausted slump of his shoulders, he looked at her exactly as he had when they had reunited in the underworld.

The intensity of the gaze made her thoughts swim, so Sakura took a swig of the wine.

It wasn't good wine—sickly sweet, but cut through with too much wateriness. But it was the best they could find, given the circumstances. The greatest disappointment of it all was that the wine wasn't even very strong; they had been passing the bottle back and forth for the better part of an hour and yet she was barely drunk.

It was a pity. She had hoped, despite her better sense, to get so drunk that she would black out and kill the thoughts of tomorrow. To murder her terror. An endless, demanding terror that thrummed through her veins. Terror for Kakashi, for Naruto, for Kurenai, for the hundreds of fighters within the city walls that would ride for battle. Terror for Ino, who stood on the enemy's side. Who had once been her best friend and had now joined Sasuke and his quest for destruction.

And yes, terror for herself.

It had never been like this in Sunagakure. There had been no time to linger on the threat before them. There had only been an attack and a need to react. A call to action. She had not had time to think before facing off against Sasori.

Now, this week had been the longest week of her life. Every minute had felt like the end, as she watched with dread the building of their fighting force. Despite the confidence in Kakashi's tone as he issued commands, she couldn't help but be swayed by fear.

"Are you sure we're ready?" Sakura asked, trying and failing to stop the concern from slipping through her voice.

Kakashi met her gaze, his expression level and firm. He wore no mask or eyepatch, and she could see the whorl of the Sharingan, as if even now it drained power from him. There was no need for disguise or distance between them—they were long past such barriers. In her tiny room that looked out over the courtyard where Tsunade had died, there was room for nothing but honesty. It was one of the few places no one would look for him.

Kakashi had become too central to their war plans. It was impossible for him to escape questions and requests for aid. Everyone wanted something from him. Sakura couldn't help the way her chest crushed in on itself when she looked at him. It was on his account that she had come back to this place. And now that they were back, Konoha had swept him back into the center of it, looking to his guidance at every turn.