Copying The Pieces *Kakashi Hatake X OC*

Part 22

A/N Tobenaitori- Flightless bird, Kago no tori- caged bird

Sunlight had barely flickered itself into the world, a switch not quite turned upwards just yet. The night stars were still saying their farewells when her eyes blinked open. The first thing she realized was that she didn't have a single nightmare, that she had slept. She blinked in her confusion, the world still burning her tired eyes. She closed them once again, shifting in the place between consciousness and unconsciousness. The events of yesterday replaying behind her eyelids, the break in the pages of her reality. The sequel that she hadn't been anticipating, one that she was left authoring blindly. 

In some horrid blur of stupidity mixed in with unbridled bravery she had kissed him, he had kissed her. Emotions that she had yet to define had breached the surface. The part her brain didn't allow her to accept was his words, his admittances, the fact that he could care about her. It was unfamiliar territory, it was diving down into dark waters. They hadn't mentioned the kisses, they hadn't talked much past that point. Rather they spent their time laughing, Kakashi telling her about his time as a sensei. Memories of team seven had consumed a great part of their chat. They talked about the little things, like that Kakashi didn't know Rei was left handed before her injury, to the way she could read her constellations, that Kakashi was a chunin at age six. 

There was the fact that Kakashi could summon a pack of ninja hounds, that Rei absolutely despised loud noises. The little pieces being tossed into the night air around them so idly, so innocently. It was under that peaceful innocence that they had managed to fall asleep in the field last night. Rei didn't even remember closing her eyes, she couldn't think of being tired even. Yet, it was most definitely morning and the world was starting to awake around them. Whatever moment they had was about to be broken, shattered by the reality that was theirs. Tragedy danced in the corners, lulled in the shadows, reminding Rei that she could never have this peace. Never. 

Blades of grass tickled her face in the light breeze, brushing over her bruised cheek with the lightest of touches. She intended to ignore them, to allow herself to have this tiny moment and just enjoy the happiness that she was experiencing. As spiraling and questioning her mind was, it was silent at the moment. It was the silence that she was able to rest in, to pick up a shattered pieces of herself and try to find a home for it. With her mind weighed down by thousands of spiraling questions, there was the simplicity of the very moment that she was currently in. There was the bravery of her choice to not run, not yet anyways. 

She blinked heavily at the sun's rays, they hit over face, igniting reds and oranges behind her eyelids. She turned on her side to avoid them, to stay in the simple moment and hide from reality for a few seconds longer. She felt Kakashi's shirt brush against her nose, scrunching it in response she moved to rest her head back into the grass where it had been. Just to discover that her head had actually been resting atop of Kakashi's tone shoulder, his strength offering her head sanctuary from the dew that dampened the grass around them. At her slight movements, Kakashi's arm tightened around her waist. She hadn't realized that his arm had been around her until he used to keep her close to him, as if he was worried that she would dart away. 

She blushed heavily at the realization, at the same moment that his other hand wrapped around her squishing her to his side. Realizing that he was awake she grinned into his strong chest, the warmth from his body fighting off the morning's chill. He hugged her tight, their legs intertwining and she felt him nuzzle his face against the top of her hair. She couldn't help the smile that broke out onto her face at his actions. Her palm flat against his chest, she pushed her face up to look at him. The sun's rays highlighting his every feature in a way that was as devastating as it was gorgeous, a true polaroid of the good in this world.