His three-week mission turns into a four-week mission, and after a month of boring reconnaissance trying to find the suspected spy from he and Sakura's Okigawa assignment, he is more than ready to be home.
As he walks through the gates of his home village, the only thing he can really think about is sleep. But he has to report back to Tsunade, and he has to fill out a report, and sign a paper, and a bunch of other red tape before he can do so. And so, Kakashi stands in her office and pretends to listen to her lecture about how they need to find the spy before any further damage is done to any more of their shinobi, far too much time has passed to have not known his location by now, blah blah blah, nodding his head and humming at just the right times like he's done for several years now, and counts down the seconds on the clock hanging above her head as he waits to be dismissed.
Shizune's pig snorts and chortles, and he swears the little pet grins at him, knows that he's tuning Tsunade's ramblings out. Kakashi bows and reassures the Godaime Hokage that they will find the spy responsible for fouling up their plans for Okigawa, and takes his leave.
As he exits the building at the heart of Hidden Leaf, he wastes no time in making the short trek home. Though he's tempted to just leap and bound from rooftop to rooftop and get to his bed as soon as possible, he's feeling rather lazy today and, truth be told, he just doesn't have the energy.
He hasn't even made it out of sight from headquarters before he catches sight of pink hair and red clothes.
Sakura is in the market, about thirty yards off, shopping for what looks like vegetables. The basket hanging from her arm is half full already, and as she turns to go to the next seller, Kakashi thinks about waving, getting her attention, but her gaze passes right over him, and he decides to let her be.
He continues walking, weaving past the throng of passersby.
"Hey! Kakashi!"
His ears perk up and he turns, seeing Sakura happily coming towards him, all bright eyes and wide, white smile. Wow. Guess he didn't have to wave after all.
He tries his best to smile - he really does - but his body aches and his eyes are tired, weighted. Though he's not able to express it, he hopes she knows that he's happy to see her.
The basket of vegetables thuds to the ground and her arms go around him, and he's so tired that he actually sags into the hug. Sakura notices this, and, using her brute strength, steels her legs and hoists him upright.
"Oh, I'm so happy to see you again! I- woah, hey, are you alright?"
He forces his legs to start working again, but Sakura continues to assist him, and both his and her arms rest on the other's shoulders as he steadies himself.
"I'm fine, just...tired." he settles on the word carefully, knowing that should he use anything more extreme she will forget all about her day and go straight into medic mode.
"Where have you been?" She asks, lifting a hand to brush up his headband so she can lay her palm on his forehead, revealing his closed left eye. If it were nearly anyone else, they would've had a broken wrist by now.
"Mist."
"Oh, well, pfft! There's your problem! You've been surrounded by rain and mildew for the past four weeks. Of course you're tired!"
He's wondered all month how she's been (had she made a decision regarding Hisashi?) and judging from the way she's behaving and the fact that she is alone, he thinks it safe to assume that she's still single. He only hopes his wishful assumptions are correct.
Sakura picks up her basket of fresh produce and swings it over her arm, gesturing towards the direction he'd been heading.
"Come on, I'll walk you home!"
Though he doesn't feel particularly social, he's not about to reject the offer, especially from his pretty teammate.
"Alright, then. Lead the way."
They walk a few minutes, mostly in silence. Probably because Sakura senses his tiredness and fatigue. Though if he were being perfectly honest, just being around her light made his feet feel a little less like bricks, his eyes a little more alert. He is content with just this.
"Well, here we are."
"Here we are."
Why did this seem so familiar?
There is an awkward pause in the once peaceful flow between them, but this time Sakura doesn't let it drag on or try to draw it out. She turns and steps away, waving a little wave as she does so.
"Goodbye, Kakashi. Get some rest."
Even though he's dead tired, once the realization hits him - really hits him - Kakashi is flooded with a sudden burst of energy from he knows not where, and he wastes no time in calling after her. He already screwed up his first opportunity; he is not about to let this one go.
"Are you headed home?" he asks, and the questions causes her eyes to brighten.
There's a sudden spark as her face lights up, in such a way as she only used to do for Sasuke, and his heart picks up its pace as he waits in anticipation for her to say yes.
But then that look softens, sags into disappointment along with something he doesn't recognize, and he hardly has time to steel himself for her reply.
"Oh...that's alright, Kakashi. Hisashi is walking me home."
Hisashi.
Of course.
Of course she'd said yes.
Of course she'd said yes and taken the advice that he himself had given her, when all he'd really wanted to do was drive her as far away as possible from another potential suitor. And he could have. He so easily could have. But Sakura is special. And she deserves to go out and make her own choices, break a few hearts, and even get hers broken, without his influence telling her to tag along after him hoping for something that may never happen.
"Thank you, though. I really appreciate it!"
He rotates his wrist in a half-hearted wave, not even bothering to lift his arm. "No problem."
Like an insect coming out from the woodwork, Hisashi makes an appearance, sidling up to Sakura the way he'd done just minutes before during their walk, smiling at Kakashi but not waving, no greeting whatsoever.
He stands there at the door to his home and watches, not wanting to witness what he's seeing but also not being able to look away as Sakura is led to her home by the arm of another. By someone...someone that's not him.
His feet are able to move once they are out of sight, and he turns the key in his lock to head inside for some shut-eye.
He flops down on his mattress and sleeps, and in that moment, he doesn't really care if he wakes up.
