In a new light

The Morning After

Sakura

A sharp pain throbbed in my head, pulling me abruptly out of sleep.
What the hell had I done yesterday?
Weary, I reached for the drawer of my nightstand where I had, in my foresight, kept a few painkillers. And oh, how grateful I was for that.
I swallowed the small pill and placed my arm over my eyes to shield them from the harsh sunlight.
What had gotten into me?

Slowly, I tried to piece together the evening in my mind.
Sasuke... he had disappointed me again. Of course, he hadn't shown up at Naruto's wedding—that was the first thing that came to mind. The ceremony had been beautiful, and Hinata had looked breathtaking. All our friends were there, except Sasuke... while everyone was rejoicing and celebrating together, I had felt increasingly alone.

And then... the sake.
Of course.
Now I knew why my head was pounding. I had drunk too much, far too much.
How much exactly? No idea.
But it had evidently been enough to make me pay for it now. I lifted my arm a bit and squinted into the glaring light.

I was alone in my bedroom. How the hell had I ended up here?
Suddenly, a thought sprang up from nowhere: A strange sensation surged through me, and then memories returned in brief, painful flashes.
Kakashi.

He had been sitting next to me at the bar... we had stood in front of my apartment... I had invited him in. And then—damn it!—he had leaned against my kitchen counter without his mask, and I... I had kissed him.
I pressed my lips to his.
No, this couldn't be real.
This was a nightmare, right? Please, let it just be a terrible dream.

I desperately tried to remember what had happened afterward, but my memory was a black hole. All I could recall was the sound of the door slamming shut. He had left.
And then? How had I even managed to get to bed?
The further memories of that night were like erased. The last clear memory I had was in the kitchen, when Kakashi left me standing... Everything else, I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried.

With a deep sigh, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My mouth felt as dry as sandpaper, so I decided to get a glass of water first. Maybe that would ease the headache a bit. Afterward, I needed a shower urgently—because the sake still lingered on me, and I felt sticky and uncomfortable.

As I walked to the kitchen, my gaze fell on the sofa in the living room, and I came to a sudden stop.
Unconsciously, a sharp scream escaped me, and I felt the "Shanaro!" automatically forming on my lips. But before I could scream it out, my senses caught what had confused me.

There were two outstretched legs—wearing typical shinobi boots.
My heart started to race. The legs clearly belonged to a man, and my first thought was that it might be Kakashi.
Had he come back? Had he decided to stay after that kiss? But why would he do that?

The tingling in my fist grew stronger, ready to release in a punch. But in the next second, the man on the sofa stirred and sat up straight in front of me.
I blinked a few times in surprise.
Then the startling realization hit me—it wasn't Kakashi who had spent the night there.
It was Yamato.

"Yamato?!" I exclaimed in shock, letting the Shanaro fade away slowly, while I still felt the rest of my adrenaline. "What the hell are you doing on my sofa?!"

He blinked a few times before rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Sakura... um... sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He slowly got up, still looking somewhat groggy. "I... am here on behalf of the 6th Hokage," he explained.
"Kakashi?" I asked in disbelief, my heart still pounding. "He sent you here? To my apartment? Why?!"
Yamato shrugged slightly, his expression calm and unreadable as always. "I don't know exactly. My orders were just to keep an eye on you tonight."