Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Snippets of KakaSaku ❯ What Lies Between ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
What Lies Between
Theme #8: Forbidden
Word Count: 445

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There were certain topics never brought up between them. Those things too morbid or filled with turmoil, namely his past and their lost teammate, were never acknowledged. To Kakashi they seemed out of place in a relationship that had started with such casual intent and light flirtations, a safe haven from the tragedy that existed outside the small little world the two of them had created.

Sakura had been his solace. He could escape in her for a few moments from the dark that had continually plagued him since his father’s suicide, since Obito’s unnecessary sacrifice, from the overwhelming guilt that pursued him wherever he went.

He knew the tentative peace was going to break. She was too curious for her own good, too concerned with his wellbeing to let things lie for long. He could see it in the way she looked at him from the corner of her eye, from the way her fingers sometimes lingered on his face, less a caress and more a way to simply reaffirm their humanity to each other.

So he couldn’t say it surprised him when she broached the subject, but it certainly didn’t mean he welcomed it.

“Do you miss him?” she asked one night as they sat in his apartment. He knew that she was being deliberately vague for his sake, letting him interpret the question so he could deal with whichever story he chose, if he chose.

He glanced outside, faintly satisfied to see it was late dusk. It seemed fitting to address this when all the world was turning grey. “Sasuke?” That bit of history was the safest route for him and was easier since it was shared between them.

She shrugged and replied, “Sure,” though her tone was careful, cautious.

“I miss the memory of him,” Kakashi said slowly, musingly. “He was always cold, distant,” she nodded in sad, grudging agreement, “and that wasn’t strange to me, being how I am, but I wanted more for him. I miss the hope of what he could become, who he could be.”

Sakura caught on quickly they were no longer talking about Sasuke as Kakashi’s eyes filled with old laughter and ragged pain from memories she’d only heard rumors about. “And do you miss him?”

“Yes,” he quietly acknowledged, “I miss him. I miss them all.”

She said no more as she moved to him, made no demands as she wrapped her arms around him.

And though he knew he should, Kakashi couldn’t bring himself to resent cracking the superficial barrier between them. He knew that nothing would be quite the same but the peace had returned and that was good enough for now.