Rebirth
Chapter 1
Sarada giggled joyfully as her Unka-Kashi blew raspberries on her exposed belly, red-rimmed glasses threatening to be tossed off her face as she squirmed from side to side. Unka-Kashi was the name Sarada had given to her 'uncle' Kakashi, of course. It was Sarada's third birthday, and many of her parent's friends and their own children had been invited to celebrate. Sakura and Sasuke had only been back in Konoha for a few months, so it was the first of the children's birthdays that all of their friends were able to enjoy together. Watching the scene take place from her patio, Sakura chuckled into her hand.
"Who would have thought he had it in him, huh?" said Naruto, arms crossed and a large smile playing on his face.
"None of Team Seven, that's for sure." Sakura chimed in,
Sasuke gave a nod, a small smirk the only sign of his enjoyment.
Sarada's laughter became uncontrollable as Kakashi took a deep breath through his mask and once again attacked the poor child relentlessly, tears clutching her eyes and black hair swinging wildly behind her. Suddenly there was a blond haired, blue eyed child pulling at his left arm, and a second blond haired, but green eyed child pulling at his right.
"Leave her alone, Unka-Kashi!" yelled the children in tandem. Both kids were trying their hardest to defend Sarada's honor, scared that Kakashi's Wind Style: Raspberry Jutsu would destroy her. In an overly dramatic fashion, Kakashi let go of his grip on Sarada and allowed himself to be pulled backwards by her rescuers.
"No! I've been… defeated," Kakashi uttered as he clutched his chest before gracelessly rag-dolling onto the grass.
"Yeah! We did it!" exclaimed both Uzumaki Boruto and Yamanaka Inojin. The pair jumped in excitement around the prone body of Kakashi, while Sarada stood up and made a show of brushing the dirt off her clothes.
"Hmph! I coulda taken him all by myself!" she yelled, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at the nearest wall.
Inojin and Boruto looked at each other, then back at Sarada.
"We saved you, Sarada. You should be nice," Inojin said, unimpressed by his friend's exclamation.
"Yeah! He could have eaten you!" yelled Boruto.
Sarada only gave another dissenting noise before sticking her tongue out at the two young boys. The saviors' glanced at one another again and nodded in silent agreement before running toward the dark haired girl. She gave a little shout and kicked off in the opposite direction as fast as she could. The patio door slammed open and a chubby dark-skinned, fair-headed child stood in the doorway, squinting at the other kids running around on the grass.
"I know one of you just said they were eating! You have food, don't you?" Akimichi Chouchou shouted. "I'm hungry!" And with that, she also ran to join in on the chase.
Having realized that his presence was no longer needed, Kakashi stood and wiped the grass from his clothes as he walked towards his old team. He crinkled his eyes upon his approach, hoping that this display of kindness hadn't tarnished his image before his old students.
Unfortunately, Kakashi wouldn't get his wish this day. Naruto held his sides as he broke into raucous laughter. The chuckle from Sakura and the smirk from Sasuke told him that he wasn't about to remain unscathed.
"Ah, you've discerned my secret, have you?" He asked, his right hand hidden behind his head as he scratched his scalp in an embarrassed gesture, and shoulders slouched in mock defeat.
Naruto managed to compose himself again. "You were never like that with us, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Well, you were genin when I met you," came the quick reply, "And I told you to stop calling me sensei. All of you surpassed me long ago, Naruto."
"I could call you Kakashi-sama or even Kakashi-senpai, if you'd prefer that."
Kakashi shuddered. "No, no. I think we're all familiar enough with each other for a first name basis, even if I am Hokage."
Naruto could only shrug and grin in response, knowing that it was a habit he'd probably never break.
Kakashi gave a real smile as he finished his walk over, satisfied with his accomplishments at the party thus far. Being the sixth Hokage meant he was rather busy with paperwork and meetings, but he was glad that he hadn't let that stop him from showing up to this gathering. He might have been an hour late but hey, at least he had real excuses this time.
"Well," Kakashi decided to change the subject, "I think I've done a rather good job of occupying them," he said while he stepped onto the patio and turned around to watch the mayhem.
"Hell yeah!" yelled Naruto as he threw his right arm around his genin teacher's shoulders.
"Yep!" shouted Sakura, as she mimicked Naruto and threw her left arm around his other side.
"Yeah," Sasuke said, standing behind Kakashi.
They were together again, and it was a feeling that Kakashi hadn't realized he'd missed as much as he did until that moment.
"SAAAAAAAAAAAAKURAAAAAAAAA," came a voice from a distance. Sighing, Sakura removed her arm from Kakashi's shoulder, intent on giving whoever it was a good knock on the head. She walked around to the front of the building and closer to the source, when she noticed two familiar figures standing by Ino.
"I didn't expect you to make it! Tsunade-shishou, Shizune, I'm so glad you're here," said Sakura, her annoyance forgotten and a wide grin on her face as she grabbed them both for a hug.
"As if I could ever miss your daughter's birthday," Tsunade stated with a smirk at her old apprentice.
"Don't let that fool you, she almost gambled away our traveling money," said Shizune. "I had to hide it from her."
Sakura couldn't hold back her laughter at the look of indignation that Tsunade gave Shizune. Shizune merely shrugged. "It's true." Waving the comment off, Tsunade turned back to Sakura.
"We brought you some sake from Kumogakure."
"Yeah, I had to stop her from drinking all of it, too."
"Shizune…" Tsunade warned, voice dangerously low. This time Shizune panicked slightly, wondering if she'd pushed the blonde's buttons a little too hard.
Sakura smiled warmly. "Thank you, Tsunade-shishou. But actually I—"
Just then, Nara Shikamaru's head popped out of the front door. "Oi! Food's ready!"
"Alright!" Sakura shouted back. "Come on, Hinata's cooking is the best. Let's go enjoy it while it's hot," Sakura led the way inside, the others close behind her.
The aroma in the house was heavenly, and Sakura felt her mouth water immediately. On the table was the most delicious looking food she'd seen in a long time. The skin on the two roast ducks looked perfectly browned and crisp, and the sugar crust on the large honey baked ham promised a sweet melt and crackle on her tongue. There were baking dishes of scalloped potatoes that bubbled over with melted cheese, large bowls of piping hot green beans coated in a ginger teriyaki sauce, plates filled with mushrooms sautéed in a butter garlic mixture, and a few baskets of fresh dinner rolls that looked so soft and delectable. Sakura couldn't wait to dig in.
"Forehead, you're drooling." Ino poked Sakura in the shoulder and Sakura glared in return.
"Shut it, Pig. I haven't seen a spread like this in years, of course I'm drooling."
Hinata appeared from the kitchen, hands clasped in front of the swelling of her stomach and a gentle smile on her face. Hinata was five months pregnant with her and Naruto's second child, and she glowed with maternal warmth. Sakura had tried to dissuade her from cooking when she offered, but the normally shy woman had been immovable in her decision, stating that it would be her honor to cook for her best friends. At least Shikamaru had decided to help as well, claiming it'd be a pain if anything happened to the future seventh Hokage's wife and unborn child.
"I'm glad you like it, Sakura-chan," she said softly. Hinata was no longer as timid as she had been in the past, but she was often still quiet, reserved, and easily embarrassed. Sakura smiled warmly at her old teammate's counterpart. She honestly couldn't think of anyone better for each other. They balanced one another – Naruto was a little less unruly and boisterous since he married Hinata, and Hinata had become more comfortable in her own skin.
Sakura embraced Hinata. "Thank you so much for cooking. It looks amazing."
"I hope it tastes good too," Hinata replied, a blush staining her cheeks. Ino walked up to the two and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"I'm sure it does. Your food has always been beyond delicious, Hinata," Ino said, grinning widely.
"Less talking, more eating." Chouji was sitting at the table, already loading up his plate. Though his table manners had improved considerably over the years, he could still be impatient when it came to waiting for others. Beside him sat his daughter, her plate piled rather high for a girl as young as she, her cheeks stuffed with food.
Before long, everyone was sitting at the table and digging into their own portions. Everyone except Kakashi, who sat on a nearby chair and began reading one of his worn and ever-present copies of Icha Icha. If being the Hokage hadn't broken him of his love for the slightly smutty reading material, nothing would.
"This is amazing, Hinata!" said Shizune as she savored the roast duck.
"She's the best cook," Naruto said, talking with his mouth half-full of green beans. "It's better than ramen."
"That's high praise coming from you, Naruto," teased Kakashi.
Murmurs of agreement arose from the group, most of them being unwilling to stop eating in order to say a full sentence.
Sakura nodded her approval, and then noticed who wasn't sitting at the table. "Kakashi! Come eat already," Sakura chided. He merely waved a hand in a noncommittal gesture.
"Not hungry. I had dinner at the office."
Sakura pursed her lips and twisted her mouth to the side, not believing him for a second. "Yeah right, you just don't want to show your face." Kakashi turned his gaze to her and gave her his eye-crinkling 'you caught me' smile. Two could play that game, she decided. "Never mind, it's alright. We don't want to see your buck teeth anyway."
Naruto caught on quickly and nodded. "Or your fish lips."
"Or that wart…" Sasuke added.
Kakashi's eyes drooped as he sighed. Had he just been thinking how much he missed them? Maybe 'missed' wasn't the right word.
From her seat in between her parents, Sarada paused to look over at Kakashi thoughtfully, her red-rimmed glasses sliding down her nose a little. "Oh… that's why you wear a mask all the time, Unka-Kashi?"
The sound of people eating came to a halt, and for a second everything was quiet. Naruto was the first one to break the silence with a snicker he couldn't hold back. The sound had a domino like effect on the adults, and within moments everyone had erupted into loud laughter at the young girl's earnest question. Sarada glanced around the room, confused at what they all found so funny. Tears streamed down Sakura's face as she rubbed her daughter's head affectionately and gave her a wide smile.
"That's my girl," she said, which only confused Sarada more, but she smiled back at her mother anyway.
"Here, here! To Sarada!" Tsunade said as she lifted her small sake cup into the air, cheeks already flushed. As usual, she wasted no time in getting drunk. The clink of cups rang around the table as the adults toasted to one another in Sarada's honor.
"Grown-ups are weird," said Boruto from between his own parents. Inojin nodded sagely from beside a snickering Ino, while Chouchou continued eating.
It was then that Tsunade noticed Sakura was drinking tea instead of the sake she had brought. "Oi, Sakura. I brought this all the way from Kumogakure for you, at least have a cup," she said, shaking the sake bottle while giving Sakura a very pointed look.
Sakura rubbed the tears from her eyes and shook her head at Tsunade. "I'd love to normally, Tsunade-shishou, but I can't."
Tsunade sighed in exasperation at the young woman. "Sakura, you're going to turn down your master?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I actually have an announcement to make, now that we're all gathered." Everyone looked at her expectantly while she smiled and hugged Sarada close to her side. "I'm pregnant again. Sarada here is going to have a little brother or sister soon." Sarada beamed up at her mom, excited at the prospect of having a sibling around. Naruto grinned.
"Wasting no time there, eh Sasuke?"
Sasuke gave his jinchuriki friend a glare before 'tch'ing in response, which only made Naruto's grin wider.
"Naruto!" Hinata admonished softly. Naruto's grin fell into a gentle smile.
"Ah, he knows I'm just teasing."
"Well, I think a 'congratulations' is in order," said Ino said while grabbing her glass of wine. "Here's to Sarada, Sasuke, Sakura, and the unborn child inside her! I'm glad you've found happiness, Forehead. You deserve it. Just please don't start the kid's name with an 's' this time. Saying all your first names together makes me feel like a snake," Ino finished, then winked at her friend.
The crowd around the table cheered in their agreement and toasted for the second time that night, a few of them having already drank a little too much by then.
Sakura smiled. "Thanks everyone, it means a lot to us that you're all here." She glanced around the table again. "Well, mostly all here. Where are your wives, Chouji, Shikamaru?"
Chouji's forkful of ham paused in front of his face as he answered, "Karui's headed to Kumogakure to help Killer B with some concert he's trying to set up. She said she'll be back in a couple of weeks, but she'll probably be here sooner. They all seem to fail before they start."
"And Temari's in Suna with Shikadai right now, visiting Gaara and Kankuro. She wants him to get to know his uncles a little better, and since Gaara's too busy to visit, she has to go to him." Shikamaru shrugged. "I'll tell her the news when she gets back, Sakura. I'm sure she'll want to come see you."
"Me too, Sakura," said Chouji.
The pink-haired young woman beamed at them both. "Thanks, you two."
An easy silence fell upon the group as they finished eating their food and drinking their spirits, with Chouchou practically licking her plate clean when she was done. Everyone thanked Hinata profusely, stating it was the best meal they had in years. She could only mutter a quiet thank you, embarrassed by all the praise. Sakura stood and began to clear the table, before a touch to her elbow stopped her and she sat back down. Confused, she looked over at Sasuke. He shook his head at her.
"I'll do it." Sasuke stood and gathered a respectable amount of the dirty dishes and cups and took them away without another word, returning in a second for the rest.
Ino nodded her approval before carrying the leftovers to the kitchen. Sakura merely shook her head. "I'm pregnant you guys, not an invalid. You shouldn't let Hinata cook the entire dinner and then tell me I can't help clean up when she's further along. I'll at least grab the cake and some clean plates." She moved to stand a second time, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Kakashi stood behind her, giving her his eye-crinkling smile once again.
"You stay here with Sarada instead, I got it."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "You're just doing that because you know it will annoy me."
Kakashi nodded. "Payback for the buck-tooth comment," he said while walking away, earning a chuckle from Naruto. Kakashi looked over at him with a gravely serious expression on his face. "You're next."
"Eh?! What'd I do?!" Naruto shouted in shock. Sakura laughed.
"Still forgetful as ever, Naruto. Does 'fish lips' ring a bell?"
The remaining group had a laugh at his expense as he sheepishly rubbed a hand behind his head. "Ah, yeah… Hey wait, what about Sasuke?!"
Shikamaru snickered. "Unlike you two, I doubt Sasuke would have any reservations about knocking his lights out."
Naruto pouted at that. "So not fair." Hinata giggled and leaned over to kiss her husband on the cheek, which caused a blush on Naruto's boyishly handsome features.
Boruto stuck his tongue out. "Bleh, you guys are gross."
And once again, the adults shared a laugh at the earnestness of the new generation.
Tsunade took another sip of her sake and looked at Sakura. "I guess that means you're not going back to work at the hospital any time soon, eh?"
Sakura's smile faded, and she bore a look of regret. "No… not any time soon. I miss it so much though." She chuckled to herself, "You were unrelenting in the shifts you gave me, shishou, so the break was nice for a bit, but… Well, it gave me a sense of being. I'll be back and working there again the first day I can. Right now, though, family comes first."
Tsunade gave a hum and a nod. "You're only what, 24? 25? You'll be back at it in no time." Sakura nodded, thankful that her mentor understood. "Well, Shizune, I guess that means we've got to stay in Konoha for a while again. If Sakura's unavailable, we may end up being needed at some point."
Shizune smiled. "Of course, Tsunade-sama. I'll just let the Raikage know not to worry, and that we won't be back for some time."
Sakura's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the insinuation. She gave Tsunade a knowing look, and a blush that had nothing to do with the alcohol she had consumed spread throughout Tsunade's face.
"Shizune!"
Shizune gave a little eep and scrambled to the furthest edge of her chair from the furious and inebriated woman. She breathed deeply in relief as Ino and Kakashi returned. Ino had intentionally gotten between the two to place the plates on the table, and the sight of chocolate cake distracted Tsunade completely. Sakura chuckled. "Shishou, it's okay. I'm happy for you."
Tsunade crossed her arms and hmph'd, earning another giggle from her pink haired apprentice. For an older woman, Tsunade sure did act like a spoiled child often. She blamed the First, and she was sure he'd agree if he was there.
Taking it as a cue to bring everyone's attention back to the whole reason for their gathering, Sakura clapped her hands together. "Alright! Cake time!"
"Yes!" shouted Chouchou and Chouji in unison.
Shikamaru just shook his head. "Like father like daughter, I guess."
Sakura grabbed the matches being offered to her by Sasuke and began to light the candles. Once they were all lit, the group sang an out of tune "Happy Birthday" to Sarada, who fidgeted and blushed in her seat.
"Go on Sarada, make a wish," Sakura said, smiling down at her daughter. Sarada thought for a few seconds before deciding and blowing out all the candles in one go. Everyone clapped for her.
"In one breath! That means you'll get your wish within a year, honey." Ino smiled at Sarada, and Sarada smiled back.
"What'd you wish for?" questioned Boruto, but Sarada just shook her head.
"Not telling," she said, causing Boruto to pout. Sakura was cutting off pieces of the cake and Ino was passing it around.
"Hinata baked the cake too," Sakura stated, at which the mentioned woman looked embarassed.
Chouji took a bite and moaned, eyes glittering happily. "Like heaven." The group chuckled and thanked Hinata again for being so gracious. Upon first bite, they understood exactly what Chouji was talking about.
Sakura tried to pass a piece to Kakashi, but again he refused. "What is it this time?" she asked.
"I don't like sweets."
Sakura rolled her eyes at his excuse, but gave him a smile and decided not to press it further. He was grateful that she knew his limits. It was only fun to tease him about his mask up to a point, but eventually it lost its appeal for the day.
Once the cake was finished, Sakura stood cleared the dirty plates. This time nobody moved to stop her, as there was far less to carry. "Presents are next, guys. I'll meet you in the living room in a second."
Sakura deposited the dishes in the sink and turned around, nearly running into Ino as she walked in carrying the cake.
"Oops! Sorry, I thought you'd heard me, Forehead." Ino grinned. She put the cake down on the counter before rummaging around in the cupboards to find a plastic container big enough for the leftovers. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, Pig." She was about to walk out, and then she had a thought. She knew Kakashi had probably been too busy with work to eat at the office like he said he did, and it was only his reluctance to show his face that stopped him from enjoying the delicious dinner that Hinata had spent most of the evening making. "Hey, Pig, pass me a container with a few dividers in it."
Ino looked at Sakura curiously. "Eh? Why?"
Sakura sighed, "I'm going to give Kakashi some of the leftovers. It doesn't feel right that he won't at least taste some of the food. And there's far too much for us to eat it all before it goes bad anyway."
Ino laughed. "You're too nice to him, Forehead. He could've had it himself if he'd just take that mask off for a night."
"There's some kind of reason he won't. I'll respect that, but I still think he should enjoy it."
Ino waved dismissively before passing Sakura the container she found. Sakura grabbed the leftovers already in the fridge and began putting decent sized portions into the one she was going to give Kakashi. There was one extra spot, so she added a small piece of cake too. She snapped the top on when finished and walked out with it in her hand, looking for her silver haired ex-team leader but not finding him around.
"Eh? Naruto, where'd Kakashi go?" she questioned.
"Huh? Oh! He said he still had some work to take care of, so he left early," Naruto replied, causing his pink haired friend to groan.
"Honestly, arrive late and leave early. Typical Kakashi," she said with a sigh. "Oh well, I'll just find him and give him this after the party's over."
"What is it?" asked Naruto.
"It's leftovers. I know he just didn't want to take his mask off, but Hinata's cooking is too good not to share. It'd be a shame if he didn't try it."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Good idea, Sakura-chan. Maybe next time she cooks it'll motivate him to take it off and eat it hot, too. I still can't believe we haven't seen his face once. He even left it on for the stone carving!"
Sakura grinned, as it was not the first time she heard Naruto lament that fact. "Well, that's our Kakashi. Always stubborn when it comes to the mask."
Sarada pulled on her mom's sleeve, causing Sakura to glance down at her. "Mommy, can I open my presents now?" Sakura smiled gently.
"Of course, sweetheart. Let's go." She put the leftovers for Kakashi down on the table, and let Sarada guide her eagerly into the other room.
There was a small pile of boxes on the floor, and Sarada let go of her mother's sleeve in order to bound right over to it. Sarada ripped open every wrapping, sometimes forgetting to read who it was from before doing so. Nobody cared, of course. Children get excited over their presents after all. But Sakura chided Sarada softly anyway, teaching her it was rude not to know who to thank when receiving a gift. After that, Sarada opened her presents more carefully, and made sure to thank everyone properly.
She received a pair of beautiful red barrettes with roses on them from the Yamanaka family, a children's cookbook from the Akimichi's, a handheld gambling game from Tsunade (which Sakura was not at all impressed by), a fleece blanket with a pig face print from Shizune, a large frog plush with matching frog pajamas from the Uzumaki's, a memory matching game from the Nara's, a fantasy storybook from Kakashi, a small dog plush from Inuzuka Kiba, and a book about insects from Aburame Shino. The latter two had dropped their presents off earlier in the day, knowing they had a mission to depart on that afternoon. Her parents had gotten her a set of ninja dolls she had been asking about for weeks, complete with miniature plastic kunai and shurikens. With the unwrapping of each present, except for maybe the book on bugs, Sarada's face lit up with excitement.
When she was done, Sarada ran around the room and hugged everyone fiercely. "Thank you! I love them all." Her happiness was infectious, and one by one they all hugged her in return.
"This was fun, Forehead, but it's getting rather late. We should get going," Ino said while she pulled Sakura in for a hug. The crowd murmured their agreement, saying their goodbyes and slowly filtering out of the Uchiha compound to go back towards their own homes. Sarada let out a large yawn and rubbed her eyes, beginning to feel exhausted now as the excitement dwindled down. She walked over to Sasuke and gripped his leg.
"Daddy, I'm tired. Can you tuck me in?" she asked, her voice muffled because she had her face squashed against him. Sasuke smiled.
"Of course," he said, rubbing her head fondly. Sakura couldn't help but be amazed at the scene before her. Never had she thought that this would be her life, and yet here she was. As Sasuke was led down the hall by Sarada, Sakura turned to finish cleaning up for the night. Thankfully each of her guests had tried to be as considerate as possible, so there really wasn't much to do except pick up the wrapping paper and a few cups here and there. She finished just as Sasuke returned to her.
"She passed out quickly," he said.
Sakura nodded. "It was a long day for her." Sasuke hummed and wrapped his arms around her. With a contented sigh, she melted into his embrace. "You're being awfully affectionate," she said. "It's nice."
"It was a long day for me too. Lots of people. But now it's just you." His response made her smile, but it faltered within a second.
"Shit, I almost forgot."
"What is it?"
"I've gotta go bring Kakashi his food."
Sasuke sighed. "You don't have to do it tonight. Or ever. It's just Kakashi."
"I know, but I want to." She leaned up to his cheek and gave it a quick peck. "I'll only be a half hour. I'd say don't wait up for me, but you might like it if you do," Sakura said, then winked at him.
He grinned back at her before grabbing her chin to pull her up for a proper kiss. "I was going to anyway." He brushed his thumb along her cheek. "Although, you really shouldn't do that while pregnant."
Sakura scoffed and released herself from his grip. "I'm barely two months along, Sasuke. I'll be fine."
He shrugged. "I get protective when it's my wife and child."
"I noticed. But someone needs to stay with Sarada, and unless you want to deliver this for me…"
"I'll stay here."
Sakura knew that would be his answer. He could handle small social settings, yet put him one-on-one with anyone but her, Naruto, or his old Team Taka, and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Even Kakashi wasn't spared. People rarely knew what to say around him, and he never cared enough to fix it, so the problems remained.
Sakura pulled away to find her red scarf and jacket. The winter jacket she slid on was also red, but with pink trimmings, and a white fur hood. She wrapped the matching scarf around her neck, positioning it to guard her nose from the night's chill. Sasuke handed her the container of leftovers. "Thirty minutes," she said.
"Twenty."
She rolled her eyes playfully and walked out the door, deciding she'd just aim to be back between twenty and thirty minutes and call it a compromise. She'd barely walked out of the Uchiha compound before a strong gust of wind pushed at her back and made her pink hair flutter wildly into her face. She pulled the hood up around her head and continued walking. The streets were empty, and the lamps around her flickered occasionally, causing the shadows to dance and twitch when they did. Sakura felt unnerved, and glanced around. She saw nothing amiss, but she knew that a shinobi should always trust their instincts. Right now, her instincts were on edge.
She felt no chakra, so she pressed onward, confident that she was either being foolish, or could handle whatever came her way. Within ten minutes she spotted the light on in the Hokage's office, proof that Kakashi did indeed have some work to finish. She eventually made her way up to the office door and knocked, thankful for a break from the wind.
"Come in."
Sakura opened the door and saw Kakashi with his head on his chin, a look of surprise on his face when he noticed who it was.
"Sakura? What are you doing here?"
She smiled at him and walked to the side of his desk and placed the container by a stack of papers. "I brought you some leftovers so that you could eat too. I don't quite believe that you've actually eaten yet. Don't forget that I was Tsunade-shishou's apprentice and assistant while she was Hokage. She'd often forgo eating as well."
"Ah. But I think that was so she could drink and sleep instead," he said, returning her smile.
"True. That woman seems to run off sake."
Kakashi gave her a genuine laugh, and she was suddenly glad she had made the walk. She was sure he didn't laugh often now, and it made her happy to bring him a small amount of joy. She felt he deserved it, especially in recent years.
"Well, I'm going to be getting back now. Enjoy, Kakashi."
He nodded. "Not going to try and watch me eat again, are you?"
She laughed. "No, of course not. I respect your right to keep your face to yourself, it's just fun to tease you too."
The statement made Kakashi smile again. "Thank you, Sakura. You're too kind to me."
"So I've been told," Sakura replied with a smirk.
As she walked down the hallway to return home, Kakashi sighed in his office. He had just been wondering what he should eat that night when she had arrived and saved him from his self-imposed predicament. It warmed him that she cared enough for his wellbeing to make the walk so late at night, and she certainly knew what she was talking about when she accused him of not eating. The idea of dinner had flown out the window when he realized the time earlier and made his way to the party, and the temptation to just say "fuck it" and eat with the rest of them had been strong when he got a whiff of Hinata's cooking.
But now he had his own serving sat in front of him. And even better, he could actually eat it. His stomach growled loudly then, and he picked up the container to go reheat it and dig in. He pulled down his mask and stabbed a few of the scalloped potatoes onto his fork. When the first bite graced his tongue, he groaned in bliss.
"Hinata is a goddess, and Sakura is a saint," he murmured to his empty office. He was actually considering eating in front of anybody the next time he had the chance to savor Hinata's cooking, mask be damned. Whoever was around him would probably be so shocked that he could eat their portions too, and that alone almost seemed worth it.
A few blocks away, Sakura walked down a now dark street, the lamps having been turned off for the night. That eerie sensation she had earlier had returned, and she was once again on edge. She couldn't shake the thought that she was being watched. Eventually she saw the familiar Uchiha crest and felt a little better, thankful she was almost home.
She walked through the door and closed it before unwrapping the scarf from her neck and hanging it on the coat rack. Her red winter coat was placed on top, and her shoes were removed and put against the wall.
Sakura padded lightly to her room, careful not to wake Sarada as she passed the girl's ajar door. She could hear her daughter's soft snores, and it brought a smile to her face.
She crept into her own room softly, making as little noise as possible. Pretty easy for a kunoichi of her caliber. But of course, Sasuke's powers of perception were always just as honed.
"You're five minutes late," he said from the darkened side of the room where their bed was.
"Hmm, am I? I thought I was five minutes early," she teased in return. "Let's call it a compromise."
She could feel Sasuke's eyes narrow from where she stood. "Just get in bed. You said something about how I might like it if I stayed up. So far, I'm not impressed."
She walked halfway into the moonlight that filtered in through the window and began stripping off her clothes piece by piece, until she was naked before him.
Sakura smirked and walked to the bed. "That can be changed."
"Good," Sasuke replied as Sakura crawled on top of him, "because that's not one I'll let you compromise on."
As he rolled her to her back and kissed her, neither of the lovers noticed how the shadows danced and flickered in the branches of the tree by their window.