Okay I'm tired as hell so for all you EFFtards out there who hate "leik OMG sooper loooooooong A/N's", rejoice. And then go to hell.

So yeah. Last chapter. I personally hate the way the ending is written. But you be the judge.

See you after exams when I upload the first chapter of the sequel, Another Cliché II

~ Belle

He led me over to a tree with a large trunk and sat down at the base of it, pulling me into his lap. I immediately struggled to get out.

"No—" I protested quietly. "I'm too heavy—"

He laughed. "Not likely. I did carry you here from Suna, you know."

I stopped. "Right…" I let him sit me between his legs and curled up against his chest. I stayed quiet for a minute before speaking.

"How much do you know?"

He shifted uneasily under me, hesitating as if he knew his answer would upset me.

"It's everything isn't it. Ohhh no…" I put my face in my hands and blushed horribly, terribly embarrassed.

He pulled my hands away from my face. "Don't hide your face." He said softly. "It's okay."

"Tell me what you know, and I'll let you know."

He shifted again, and then began.

"After I brought you to Konoha from Orochimaru's lair Tsunade told me what she knew while she was working on you. She talked about your feelings for me and how they ruled your life. She talked about your frequent depressions… crying at night, unable to perform medicine, doubting your worth… it nearly killed me to hear that, you know. She… told me how long it's been going on, too."

I stayed quiet and concentrated on my breathing.

"So I stayed by your bedside to talk to you when you woke up, but you were clever and waited until I left the room to escape. Tsunade read your note and became angry with me. I found Naruto and explained what had taken place, as the last time he saw me he thought you were dead, by my hand no less."

"Naruto…" I said his name quietly and thoughtfully.

"I promised him and Tsunade that I'd come get you, so I thought Suna would be the only logical place I could go to start. When I got there I realized that I was being tracked, so I sent a shadow clone into the city and quickly moved outside the city to the other side of it, realizing that once you found out I was in town you'd leave on that side."

"And that was my downfall." I grumbled quietly.

"I know you well, don't I?" He smiled down at me. "So, I meant to tell you I loved you then but we were attacked. When I brought you to Suna they wouldn't let me inside at first but when I talked to the jounin outside he told me what he had seen, and he has realized the same things I had. So it was then I realized how much pain I'd truly caused you. Everyone was noticing. Then I decided that the moment you regained consciousness I was going to tell you my side of the story from the beginning. No amount of pride or cautiousness justified hurting you so deeply. That was one of the reasons I never told you I cared about you, even though I've loved you almost as long as you've loved me… I'm afraid of caring, or showing that care. Everybody I've ever loved is dead… except for you of course. But I knew if it was made known that I loved you, your life would be in danger."

"I don't care." I whispered.

He looked at me fondly. "I know you don't, but I love you too much."

I was taking in what he was saying slowly, and I began to wonder if this was a dream.

"I… also know you have nightmares about me."

I gasped. I'd never mentioned those to anyone, and I didn't even let myself think about them when they were over. "How?" I asked concernedly.

He ran his fingers through my hair. "You were crying and talking in your sleep. You said something about somebody leaving you…"

Horror washed over me. I'd had that one recently and it was the worst one yet. He'd heard it.

"I asked you who it was and you said it was me. I brought you close to me and promised—"

"—you'd never leave me again." I finished.

"You remember that?" His visible eye curved up.

"I thought it was part of my dream." I looked sad. "I didn't expect it to be real. Just like this…" my voice trailed off wistfully.

He hooked his finger under his mask. "Oh this is real. Do you want me to prove it to you again?"

I blushed. "No, it's okay."

He chuckled, leaving his mask pulled up. "Later then…"

"What else?" I asked softly.

"Well when we got back to Konoha for the second time I took you to Tsunade's again, and she brought us to the hospital. I told her what had happened, and I begged her not to let you leave. She agreed to let me dress as an ANBU… well in the cloak anyway. I still had mine…" he chuckled. "So I had already told Gaara and Temari most of this, that's how I got their permission to bring you here, that and on the promise I would tell you this as soon as I could, no more backing out. I told Tsunade everything too… and she agreed she'd keep you in the city for 3 days, but unless I told you this she'd let you leave again… her words were, 'I won't force her to stay where it hurts to live, or where she feels unwanted. Although it would pain me to lose her again, it would be more painful to keep her here so I could let her be tortured by your existence'." He narrowed his eye.

"I was not tortured by your existence." I protested.

"Yes you were." He said. "You'd just never admit it to anyone though it's completely obvious to us."

I looked down humbly. He lifted my chin to look into my eyes.

"See?" he repeated. "I know you." He teased.

"Too well." I grumbled.

"Apparently not, considering I didn't know my existence, or me I guess, could cause you this much pain."

I wrapped my arms around my middle. "Well now you do." I said bitterly.

He touched my arms where they crossed over my stomach. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked, confused.

"Cross your arms over yourself like that. You do it every time you're upset or hurt."

"Oh." I said, uncrossing my arms in an attempt to break the habit. "I guess I do it to hold myself together, and almost protect myself from whatever's hurting me." I shrugged.

"Hmm…" he went on thoughtfully. Suddenly he quickly stood us both up.

I was worried. "What's wrong?"

"I think it's time we go back." His eye twinkled and he winked at me. "They'll probably be looking for us."

He walked past me and I called out to him softly. "Kakashi?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

He looked confused. "What?"

"I mean, you were stabbed right? How are you feeling?"

"Well, we have matching scars now." His eye curved up as he lifted his shirt and showed me the unhealed pink line on his stomach where the katana had stabbed him.

"Oh." I gasped, running over to him. I held up my hand, which I had lit green with healing chakra. "I can fix that."

He gently pushed my hand away and smiled again. "No, no. It's alright. I actually kind of like it. It has a… certain charm to it."

"Okay." I walked past him towards the village. By now it was dawn. I sighed sadly.

He caught up to me, walking beside me. "What's wrong?"

I stopped, and so did he. I turned to him. "Well," I said sadly. "This is how it ends, right?"

"How what ends?" He asked confusedly.

I looked down. "This." I mumbled. "Don't we have to go back and pretend this never happened?"

"Maybe I wasn't clear." He took the cape clasp and twiddled it in his fingers for a minute, and then looked into my eyes with his lone grey one. "I love you, and we can be together, if you want it."

My eyes widened. "We can?"

He laughed. "You're so naïve." He pressed his masked lips to my forehead.

My heart was beating unsteadily. I wrapped my arms around his middle and hugged him to me.

"Kakashi," I began.

"Hmm, yes?" He encouraged me.

"I… I love you too."

He sighed happily. "I've been waiting to hear you say that."

And then, before I could stop him, his mask was down and his lips were on mine again. I kissed him back with all I had. My arms made their way around his neck and his hands cradled my waist. After a few more seconds he drew away from me and looked into my eyes. I was blushing again as I looked at his face.

He chuckled and pulled up his mask. "What?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I'm never going to get used to that."

He smiled. "Would you be mad if I said I hope you don't?"

I giggled. "I guess not. Let's go home."

We turned and started walking towards town again.

Suddenly he reached over and grabbed my hand. I jumped.

He laughed. "Nervous?"

I blushed. "No! Just… surprised."

He yanked on my arm so we were walking closer together. "You're so adorable when you're nervous."

Cheeks still a dusty pink, I looked down and away.

"You… don't have to do this." I said sadly, releasing his hand. I half expected it to drop, but he held mine tighter in his.

"I know," his eye curved. "But I want to."

We walked a few more steps and he leaned over and whispered, "I love you."

I shivered. "I'm never going to get used to hearing that."

He grinned under his mask. "Would you be mad if I said I hope you don't?" He asked, repeating himself from earlier.

I giggled again. "No, and I love you too."

He kissed my nose. "Thank you."

We kept walking towards town, his hand in mine.

I sighed as we got to the first set of houses. I stopped and dropped his hand. He looked at me curiously.

"I should go find Naruto, and let him know what's going on." I said. "Before my guilt gets the better of me."

He smiled and laughed lightly. "Ever since you'd left he's taken to wandering the outskirts of town at dawn, and training early in the morning. He said he was waiting for you to come back, and he wanted to be the first one to see you." He gestured down one side of the Konoha wall. "You could probably find him somewhere along there."

I half smiled. "Thanks." I wrapped my arms around his middle.

He patted my head. "You're welcome."

I drew away and looked at him. "Where will I be able to find you when I'm done?"

He smiled. "Oh I'm sure we'll be able to find each other."

I laughed quietly. "Okay."

He looked at me. "See you later."

I nodded. "Bye."

He disappeared into a cloud of leaves and smoke while raising his hand for his trademark wave, and I turned and started walking in the direction he had pointed, ready to find Naruto.

I could hear some noises in the distance, so I started walking a bit more quickly. "Naruto?" I called.

The noises got louder. I started jogging. "Naruto!" I called again.

Soon I was running towards the increasing din. Soon my blond Team 7 team mate came into view. I darted towards him and threw my arms around his neck from behind. He lost his balance and we both fell.

"Naruto!" I squealed as I landed on top of him.

"Ow, Sakura!" He got up slowly. "That was my ear."

"Sorry." I smiled as I stood up. "I'm just happy to see you."

He looked solemn. "So…" he said slowly. "How have you been?"

I reached behind my head and ruffled some of my hair. "Um… good, I guess. You?"

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess." He paused. "You're back I see."

"Yeah, and I'm staying." I smiled.

"Good…" he trailed off.

I sighed and told him everything that had happened.

"Well," he said. "I'm less angry at him now that I know he's told you that. I can tell he's been keeping it to himself for ages."

"What's happened to you? I thought you were the hyper one."

He shrugged, still solemn. "After you left… I guess things changed. I've just been training—"

I cut him off by throwing my arms around him. "It's okay." I said quietly. "I know I hurt you by leaving. But on the bright side, I'm going to stay now."

He didn't hug me back and looked away. "Okay…" he looked at me and smiled. "Good to have you back, Sakura." He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. We let go and Naruto's face lit up.

"Oh! I just remembered there's something I'm supposed to be doing! Ohhh man!"

"You're worse than when we were 12!" I laughed.

He started running into the city. He waved over his shoulder. "See ya later Sakura!"

I giggled as he ran out of sight. "Oh Naruto…"

"Well he took that rather well." I whirled around.

"You were listening?" I glared at Kakashi.

"Of course!" He smiled, saying it like it was obvious. "I've got to keep an eye on my girlfriend."

I was shocked for a second and then I blushed.

He chuckled. "What?"

I looked at the ground shyly. "I… like how that sounds."

His arms suddenly wrapped around my stomach from behind. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Me too."

"Okay, enough!" I said.

He laughed quietly. "You're right. We have plenty of time for this."

I shivered. He laughed.

"I love doing that to you." He smiled at my fondly and ruffled my hair.

"Yeah, I can tell." I grumbled. "Come on, let's go."

He looked confused. "Where are we going?"

"Into the city I guess… to tell everyone I'm not leaving."

"You're not leaving?" His face lit up.

"Well no," I said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Why would I?"

He picked me up and spun me in a circle.

"You won't regret this, Sakura." He whispered into my hair. "I love you."

I sighed into his chest. "I love you too."

...

Oh right. Here's where I "beg" for reviews. But wait just one gosh-darn minute, I don't do that! WTF?

P.S. This is NOT Beta-ed as it's 12:15am for me and I am just too damn lazy and way too tired lol. I'll leave the editing to my anonymous corrector :p