Hikari found some strange happiness in knowing that he thought that they could do this again, and more so that he seemed to want to do it again as much as she did. She didn't miss that he was watching her, nor did she miss the small smile that spread across his face. The pink on her cheeks deepened slightly at the thought that he was smiling because of her. It occurred to her that she was letting her guard down, that she wasn't bothering to really keep her emotions in check or at least prevent them from showing so honestly on her face, but she didn't actually care. She was enjoying just being herself for once. With him, for whatever reason, being open like this felt like the most natural thing in the world. Why? She didn't have the answer to that. Nor did she have the answer to why he seemed different around her than he did with others. She couldn't help but wonder if he, perhaps, felt the same way about her as she did about him. What did he think of her? Did he like her, as a person? Did he think of her as a friend? Or perhaps something else? She felt her cheeks grow slightly warmer at this thought and glanced away from him, staring at a random spot in the room.<br/><br/>She snapped herself from her thoughts and looked his way when he spoke up again. She wished he didn't have to go, but she knew he did. All good things must come to an end, after all. At least she could look forward to seeing him again. She smiled sweetly and nodded, "Anytime... Really." She replied honestly, standing as he did and walking him to the door to see him off. She smiled again when he turned around and thanked her once again. "You don't need to thank me, you know... But... You're welcome." She smiled softly, her eyes staring softly into his. As she stood there she found herself getting lost in them. Her heart seemed to run away from her as she stared into his eyes, not missing the way his eyes seemed to grow softer, which somehow only seemed to make her heart beat even harder, making it feel as though, for a moment, standing there with him, she had forgotten how to breathe.<br/><br/>She took his hand when he held it out, before he, surprisingly, leaned forward. She stood there, frozen and blinking as she felt his lips against her skin. Her cheeks grew hotter but she made no move to escape. A million thoughts filled her head in an instant as she stood there, frozen for several moments until his next action wiped all the thoughts from her mind. Her eyes instinctively slid shut as she felt his soft lips press gently against hers. She returned the kiss with a soft, if somewhat timid kiss of her own before he disappeared in a heart beat and she was left there alone with nothing but a light tingling feeling and the lingering taste of his lips to confirm that it wasn't just her imagination. She absentmindedly touched her lips with her fingers as she stared into the darkness where he'd disappeared. She felt a tinge of regret that'd he'd gone so quickly, but she couldn't be too disappointed, as the whole thing had been completely unexpected and she was still somewhat in shock. Still, she felt a warmth growing inside of her, an unusual happiness and a feeling she couldn't quite describe.<br/><br/>She stood there, frozen, for what felt like an eternity, before she realized she was just standing there, probably looking like a crazy person to anyone who passed by. She then turned and slipped back through the door and closed it, leaning her back against it. What was that? Did he really...? Did that mean that he might actually feel something for her, too? What exactly was this feeling? Too many questions swirled into her mind as she stood there, leaning against the door for several minutes, trying to sort through the thoughts. After a few minutes had passed she smiled somewhat absentmindedly to herself as she brushed her fingers against her lips once more and fought back the pink that was forming on her cheeks once more before pushed herself away from the door and decided she should clean up.<br/><br/>Her mind never stopped thinking about him, about what had happened, what could happen, what it meant. Yet, strangely enough, the fact that it might be a bad idea to allow herself to care so much, much less allow herself to fall for him, never really crossed her mind. It was as though she had resigned to the fact that where he was concerned, she couldn't control what her heart wanted. Or perhaps she'd simply decided that even if somewhere along the way she got hurt, it was worth holding onto this and not letting go, chasing it to the end and never giving up. Whatever the reason, for once, she'd let go of her worries, her fears, and the ghosts of her past. All she cared about right now was him and what the future might hold.<br/><br/>Once she'd finished cleaning up she changed into some shorts and a tank top before hopping into bed. She stared at nothing in particular for several moments, her mind still racing with thoughts, before turning to stare at the moon, which could be seen from her bedroom window, until her eyes grew heavy and she slowly began to drift off to sleep, her thoughts never drifting from him, from what had happened, and the possibilities of what was to come.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Kakashi watched the exchange from the shadows, just close enough to watch the scene unfold while remaining far enough away to avoid detection. His chakra was completely suppressed, knowing that either of them would sense his presence otherwise. "Well, that's an interesting development." He quietly mumbled to himself. He had to admit, he hadn't seen that coming. He wasn't honestly sure how he felt about it, either. Of course, his  opinion wasn't really the one that mattered in the grand scheme of things, but still. He was worried and proud of her all at once. She'd taken some pretty big steps already and he was certainly curious to see how much more she was going to open up to him. Was it possible for her to finally move past all the darkness in her past? He supposed only time would tell.<br/><br/>And as for the other, he had mixed feelings about him, too. On the one hand, he was assigned to watch him for a reason. There was darkness in him, and up until now it had seemed that this darkness was stirring, just waiting for a chance to strike. He hadn't known how or when it would happen, but he'd been certain that something was brewing and whatever it was would come to fruition soon. But regardless of all of this, he couldn't deny the changes he was seeing in Hikari, even after such a short time. Nor could he deny the changes he was seeing in him. Never in a million years would he have predicted his actions moments before. Perhaps it was best for him not to get involved. He trusted Hikari and her judgement, and it wasn't like he had any real authority to tell her what to do even if he wanted to. For now, he would continue to observe and see how things played out. Yes. That seemed like the best course of action. Only time would tell how this tale would end. He just had to hope that it would work out for the best, and that Hikari wouldn't be hurt too much in the end.<br/><br/>While the thoughts ran through his mind he made a shadow clone, which followed Kuronotsurugi from a distance, close enough to avoid losing him, but far enough to avoid detection. The original moved so that Hikari was visible even once she'd gone inside. He couldn't help but smile a little when she did, and once again hoped that things would work out the way she wanted. His clone followed Kuronotsurugi until he returned home. It was evident that he was just going to sleep, but he still watched for a moment, watching the look on his face until he appeared to be asleep, at which time the clone disappeared and Kakashi left the shadows he'd been hiding in, this time actually leaving for the mission he'd told Hikari he was leaving for before.