Afraid of the Dark (KakaSaku)

The Morning After

Sakura woke in the middle of the night, her mind momentarily disoriented as she tried to remember where she was. Her head throbbed lightly as she rolled over in Kakashi's bed, surprise washing over her when she realized his form was still beside her. She hadn't expected him to stay. The moonlight filtered through the window, highlighting the contours of his muscular arms and casting a soft glow across his sleeping face. Sakura studied him, captivated by the stark contrast between the hardness he showed when awake and the softness that appeared as he slept.

She felt an urge to trace her fingers along his face, to run them through his hair, but she didn't want to wake him. Instead, she carefully sat up. The darkness of his bedroom, once something that would have filled her with fear, no longer bothered her. With Kakashi, the very man who had once been the source of that fear, lying peacefully beside her, she felt oddly safe.

Spotting her shirt on the floor, she slipped out of bed, retrieving it quietly before slipping out of the room and down the stairs. The kitchen greeted her with the sight of their discarded glasses on the island, and without hesitation, she finished off the remaining liquor in both. The quiet of his house was almost unsettling, broken only by the hum of the air system kicking on—a soothing sound in the stillness.

Sakura knew she shouldn't be wandering around his place, but she didn't know what else to do. Before long, she found herself in what appeared to be his office. A desk with a computer sat at the center of the room, and bookshelves lined the walls. Something hidden behind the rows of books caught her eye—an old, dusty ANBU mask. Reaching up on her toes to grab it, she was startled by Kakashi's sudden presence.

"You're not supposed to be in here," his voice was thick with sleep, startling her. Sakura jumped, spinning around to face him with a flush on her cheeks. She watched as he rubbed one of his eyes, clearly just waking up. He stood in the doorway, wearing only his boxers.

"Sorry, I—uhm—I couldn't sleep," Sakura stammered, her voice quiet in the tension-filled air between them. He shot her a pointed look. "So you decided to take a tour?" His tone was not as playful as before, a reminder of the man he could be.

She hesitated, then looked at him, curiosity taking over. "You were in ANBU?...What happened?" His expression hardened, his jaw tightening.

"Dr. Haruno, it's four in the morning," Kakashi said, motioning for her to follow him as he closed the office door behind her. As they approached the bedroom, his phone rang. Kakashi swiftly picked it up, glancing at the screen before answering.

"Hatake." He listened intently, his gaze flickering toward Sakura as he responded, "No. Leave them be, can't afford to get too risky. But find out what they're up to." He paused, listening again, then suddenly walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Sakura stood still, straining to hear through the door, but his voice was too muffled to make out clearly.

Determined, she pressed her ear against the door, catching snippets of his conversation—words like "listen," "done what," and "has no part in this" floated through, but she couldn't piece it together. Frustrated, she sighed and made her way back to the bed. The darkness of the room felt oppressive, only the soft moonlight offering any relief. She felt the familiar clutch of panic in her chest and searched for the lights, flipping them on to chase away the shadows.

When Kakashi returned, he looked visibly irritated. Sakura hugged her knees to her chest, hoping he wouldn't take whatever was bothering him out on her. His eyes scanned the room, noticing the lights. "Why are all the lights on? Actually, why do you always have them on?" he asked, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity, though still edged with irritation.

Sakura shrugged, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. "It developed after field duty years ago. Force of habit, I guess," she tried to sound casual, but her anxiety spiked as he began turning the lights off. Her eyes went wide, and she reached out, stopping him. "No, please. Keep them on... it helps me sleep."