A week passes, goes right by without either one of them really noticing it, and then another, and a few more days after that. Kakashi has finished his book, but has purposely refrained thus far from seeking her out in favor of his want to test a theory. A little harmless experiment, if you would.
The concept was quite simple, really; if Sakura had sought him out once before, surely she would do so again.
A bold, beautiful creature had grown from the small, fragile shell she'd started out with, and she no longer hesitates to go after what she wants.
And so, he waits her out, keeps to himself and discreetly takes care of the missions he's assigned, all the while waiting for her to pop her pretty little head into his small, enclosed universe.
It takes a bit longer than he expects, but eventually, on the morning of the 18th day, he gets exactly what he bargained for.
And then some.
"Psst."
...
...
...
"...Psst."
...
...
...
"Psssssssst! Hey! Kakashi!"
Kakashi slowly blinks himself awake, staring off into space as the morning sun streams through his open window. He's lying on his stomach, sprawled across his mattress, tangled in sheets, limbs flung this way and that. It's probably comical to Sakura, but if so, she doesn't say it aloud.
...Wait, Sakura?
Kakashi's eyes spring wide open, and he jolts into an upright position, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he furiously rubs his one good eye and tries to make sense of what he's seeing; Sakura Haruno in his windowsill.
He knows he can't blame it on the alcohol; he hadn't even drank last night. But the sight of Sakura crouched in his windowsill with her nice legs peeking out from those shorts and the zipper of her blouse hanging slightly open...well, it seems too good to be true. He's just thankful he's able to keep his composure...more or less.
Kakashi is the first to speak.
"Sakura? What are you doing here?"
She scrunches her face and blows a raspberry at him, then giggles. "Geez. Awful jumpy, ain't ya?"
She hops down from his windowsill and into his room, and he swears this whole encounter is just some sort of genjutsu somebody whipped up to play a trick on him. No way would the Fifth's student and the object of his affections - even a few fantasies - be taking it upon herself to literally drop right into his bedroom.
"So did you finish?"
Caught off guard by the question, Kakashi is thankful that his mask is up. Otherwise she could see his blush.
Finish?
"Erm...finish what?"
She rolls her eyes dramatically and cocks a hip, placing her fists at her sides. He nearly loses control of himself right then. "Oh my gosh, Kakashi, the book! Did you finish the book?"
He wants so badly to touch her. So badly. She's just right there in front of him and he could so easily shut that window and-
He blinks rapidly, clearing those mental images from his head, and tries to respond. "Oh. Uh...yes. Yes, I did. Here, you can have it back now."
She waves a hand in front of her face as though swatting a fly. "Oh, nah, you keep it. I've got my copy at home."
Her demeanor shifts and suddenly she is sitting on the bed - on his bed - mirroring his pose of one foot on the carpet with the other curled on the mattress as she leans toward his face excitedly.
"So what did you think? Did you like it? It was pretty sad, huh?"
He's all too aware of the pressure of her hands as they dig into the mattress right between his heel and groin, as well as the sensation of her toes brushing against his outstretched thigh, and he really struggles to respond while keeping his composure.
"Uh...yes. Yes, it was very sad. But at least her daughter was able to find true happiness in the end. I would've been rather disappointed if the entire thing was nothing but tragedy all the way through."
"Oh, yeeeeeess, I know, right?"
She launches off on her hands and sits upright so she can gesticulate along with her over-excited words, and he is immensely relieved.
Oh, thank God.
And so they continue to sit on his bed in his room and talk about the book and the characters and the events and all the thought and detail that the author put into it, etcetera, etcetera, and all the while, Kakashi is watching Sakura's lips move but picturing himself tackling her to the mattress and having his way with her, imagines her reactions to his actions, his kisses, his touch. But she will never know this, as he sits perfectly still across from her, legs and lap still covered by his sheets.
It's torture.
Pure torture.
But he puts himself through it anyway, because...well, why not? He loved Sakura's company. Loved her smile, her voice, her intellect...what wasn't there to love? And he wasn't about to let his long dormant hormones suddenly get in the way of things, wouldn't let them ruin their relationship. She's close. But not too close. And for now, he's happy, and wants to keep it that way.
They spend all morning in his room, and he makes her breakfast and wishes her a good day, good luck on her mission, and she exits through the front door like a true lady, nevermind the fact that she'd snuck in through his window hours before.
As he watches her petite figure disappear behind building after building, the last line from Birds of Thorn pops into his head, and he chuckles to himself as he closes the door and heads back inside to sleep.
The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immunatable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself, and die singing. At the very instant the thorn enters there is no awareness in it of the dying to come; it simply sings and sings until there is not the life left to utter another note. But we, when we put the thorns in our breasts, we know. We understand. And still we do it. Still we do it.
