Always You

six: epilogue

20 years old - Kakashi

ANBU

Kakashi sat with his legs crossed on the floor of Sakura's room, his fingers trailing along the spines of the books on her shelf while she sat at her desk and poured over a medical textbook. He glanced at her and saw that her leg was shaking as she concentrated, with a small huff of annoyance she brushed her hair back over her shoulder and out of her eyes. He gave her a secret, fond smile before turning back to the books.

He noticed one of the books was just slightly more worn than the others and pulled it out carefully, knowing that Sakura was as particular with her books as he was with his own - it made him curious. He held it at the top with his fingers, and from the bottom, a small sheet of paper fell from it. He glanced at Sakura to see if she noticed anything, but she was absorbed in her book she hadn't noticed anything, and he slowly placed the book back in its place and then picked up the paper. He blinked in surprise when he saw his own name written on it, in a neat but obviously childish script.

Immediately his mind snapped back to four years earlier on that drunken night where she had spoken absolute nonsense during the night. Things started to click: this is what she'd meant when she said something about writing his name on a paper in a book. He wondered when she'd written it. Judging the script, probably while she was at the academy. That made him feel a little warm inside. He gave a low hum, drawing Sakura's attention.

"What's this then?" He asked, smiling and flashing the paper at her.

He enjoyed the way that her eyes went from annoyed to wide in shock and embarrassment.

"What? What are you doing with that?"

Her eyes darted to the book it came from.

"Oh, nothing," Kakashi replied. "Just wondering how old you were when you wrote this?"

She looked slightly alarmed for a moment before her face softened.

"It was the day you graduated," she replied, her eyes glazing for a moment with memory.

"What for? Something about me being a dream-goal?" Kakashi asked teasingly.

She frowned.

"What?"

"Oh, I suppose I never really told you about what happened that night when we were sixteen and you were drunk out of your mind," he teased lightly.

She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Didn't you tell me I stripped?"

Kakashi raised a cheeky eyebrow.

"Maybe if you reenact it you'll remember."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Nice try," she chuckled. She held out her hand. "Can I have that? It's...important."

"Maybe."

"Maybe?" Sakura sighed. "So what do you want then?"

"Tell me what it is first," Kakashi insisted. He was very curious. "Maybe I'll tell you a secret afterward."

Sakura looked at him with interest.

"A real secret? Not a silly made-up story?"

He smiled coyly. She knew him too well.

"Yes, a real secret."

It was too much for her to resist, she nodded and then bit her lip.

"It's a reminder," she answered with some embarrassment.