And here he is again. On some random rooftop in Konoha. Confiding in Might-freaking-Guy for his problems and woes.
"Kakashi."
Guy's tone is firm, and Kakashi knows his age-old friend means business.
"This needs to stop. You're torturing yourself and Sakura the longer you drag this out. I know it's scary, but-"
"'But' what?" Kakashi snaps, none too nicely. "There is no happy ending for us, Guy. It's not an Icha-Icha book, I don't ride off into the sunset with the love of my life after I finally confess to her after four hard, long years. She's twelve years my junior, she's the Hokage's apprentice, she's got a bright future ahead of her...I'm not going to be the one to ruin all of that for a chance."
Kakashi abruptly stops, realizing his volume had gone up significantly the longer the spoke.
Guy's face changes. "Ah. So that's it, then."
The Copy nin scoffs. "What is?"
"The reason you're afraid to confess your feelings. You're afraid of what other people will think."
The wind picks up, and a heavy silence befalls them.
"You realize that none of your friends or colleagues will think any less of either of you if you decided to court each other, right? Kakashi. Most of us already know about it, and if they don't, then they suspect it. I can't promise that everyone in the entire village will approve, but you really shouldn't care about what-"
"I don't care about what a complete stranger will think. I don't care what half of the people in this village would think. I care about Sakura." Guy is silent, and now that he's going, Kakashi can't stop himself. "If we got together, if I finally got myself together and asked her, and by some unfathomable reason she said yes, and everything was nothing but sunshine and rainbows for us for the rest of our days, it still wouldn't change the fact that Sakura would be treated differently. By her friends, her family, her fellow ninja, her mentor, any students she might have...it would affect her. And maybe it wouldn't be in the negative way that I think, but...it would change things for her. It could affect her personal life, career opportunities, missions, social circles...there are ramifications, Guy. Even if you don't see them."
"So we should all just give up before we even try, then, is that it? Quit while we're behind? That's no way to live a life, Kakashi. For anyone to live their life."
"I'm well aware," Kakashi replies, voice dangerously low.
He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He had come to Guy for advice, for help, but...maybe it was doing more harm than good. Or maybe he just didn't like what he had to say, and what he himself had to hear. They say the best medicines are the hardest to swallow, after all, and this was definitely a tough pill to take. Then again, he had never been friends with Guy because it was easy.
"All I'm saying is that the time you take mulling things over in your head and coming up with all the reasons that things could go wrong, you could've already gone up to Sakura and told her how you feel for the one reason things can go right."
Kakashi scoffs a laugh. "Really? One reason? And what's that?"
Guy closes his eyes and tightens his fist, bringing it up towards his face, and Kakashi already wishes he had never asked.
"Heh...you arrogant fool..."
In one swift motion, the Leaf Village's Handsome Devil poses in a way that's far too provocative for a middle-aged man and flashes his brightest smile, nearly blinding Kakashi's good eye.
"IT'S LOVE! IF YOU TRULY LOVE SOMEONE THEN THERE'S NOTHING IN THE WORLD THAT CAN STOP IT! YOU NEED ONLY CONFESS YOUR FEELINGS AND THE REST WILL RIGHTFULLY FALL INTO PLACE! NOW GET OUT THERE AND GET YOUR LADY FRIEND!"
He slaps the copy ninja's shoulder so enthusiastically that he nearly topples from the rooftop, and Guy watches with a great (albeit sick) satisfaction as he sees the effects of his handiwork; Kakashi leaps from roof to roof, no doubt on his way to Sakura's home to go confess.
"Heh. I really should start charging for this level of rock solid advice..."
Guy gasps, a sudden thought coming to him.
"Oh, no...poor Lee's gonna be heartbroken."
Another gasp, stronger this time.
"And it's all my fault!"
A nearby couple walking by on the streets below overhear the sound of a man yelling, "LEE, PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEE!" but they can only shrug, for they have no idea who 'Lee' is.
