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Kosuke's POV:

I sighed as Sasuke and Amaya disappeared up the stairs, making out along the way. I turned to Kakashi, and his face was so close to his book that I suspected he had it there mainly so that he wouldn't have to pay attention to the real lovebirds exit. Apparently he wasn't quite as comfortable about how physical their relationship was as he seemed.

I laughed inwardly, and then asked, "So what did I just walk in on, exactly?"

He looked at me, and sighed, but I could tell from his one visible eye that he was smiling.

"Sasuke stole one of her pixie sticks, and when she tried to retrieve it, their chair fell backwards, placing them in the position you saw them in. Of course, she got the sugar back, and then apparently stole Sasuke's 'pixie virginity,' as she called it. It was fairly hilarious. Especially to see Sasuke actually blush. I think that there are very few people who can actually say that they saw the great Uchiha blush," he said, chuckling.

"Well then, I guess we are pretty lucky. Ha, I can hold that over his head if I ever

need to blackmail him," I said, grinning.

"I can use the fact that he got my daughter pregnant," Kakashi replied, nodding.

"Well yes, I suppose that works too," I agreed, smiling a little.

There was a small silence then, as I carefully ate some of my semi-warm ramen. I wasn't a huge ramen fan to begin with, but especially warm to cool ramen was rather disgusting, so I only ate a little bit of it before I placed the bowl in the sink. When I turned back around, I noticed that all of the other bowls and cups that had been used were still on the table.

"Would you like some help with these dishes?" I asked Kakashi, walking over to the table and picking a few up.

"Well, you sure don't have to, but I'd love the company," he replied, smiling as he too picked a few dishes up.

"No problem. Dishes are a fairly easy chore for me, what with my Kekkei Genkai," I told him, placing the dishes in the sink next to mine.

"That's right, I suppose it would be easy, with control over the water," he said, as he placed his dishes down as well, and stood right next to me. I could feel the body heat radiating off of me, and for some reason this made me fairly excited and nervous all at the same time.

Knock it off, Kosuke, I thought to myself, you're just letting Amaya get to you. No way do you like Kakashi! He's just a friend now, just like the other guys you hang out with…okay maybe not. I mean, he is a lot more mature than any of them, and he is older than them. And has a better understanding of the world than they do…after all, he's been a ninja all his life! Then again, he's only in his early thirties. That's not that old.

"So, are you ready to show me what you can do with these dirty dishes?" Kakashi asked, interrupting my thought process.

I smiled, temporarily forgetting about Amaya and her theory, and nodded.

"Uh huh!" I said, and turned the faucet on above the dishes. I rapidly formed a number of hand signs, and then had complete control over the water. Kakashi turned the faucet off, and watched as the water responded to my jutsu. Whenever I would so much as twitch one of my fingers, the water would respond. I used this to cover each bowl and cups with a thick layer of soapy water, and then had it spin around quickly. The food stuck to the dishes was quickly and efficiently sucked from its places, and instead of going down the drain, it remained stuck inside a small water vortex. Once I had collected all of the scum, I guided the vortex to move out of the sink, and across the room to where the trashcan was. Once it was floating above the trashcan, I quickly and carefully sifted through it using a very small and tight chakra web, pushing the food into the trash bag, as the water stayed where it was, never once dripping. When all the food was gone, the vortex was transported back to the sink, where I let go of my jutsu, and allowed the water control of itself once again. It quickly ran down the drain, taking any last bits of soap down with it.

I looked over to Kakashi and said, "It's more fun to use that with weapons like kunai and shuriken, and send them flying at unsuspecting enemies, but this works too. Easy practice for chakra control, at least. Sadly, I think for the next five or six months little things like that are all I'm gonna get to use my Kekkei Genkai with."

"It seems very helpful," Kakashi replied, walking over to the trashcan, and looking at the floor, "And you didn't let a single drop of water fall, did you?"

I scoffed slightly.

"Of course not," I told him, "I've been able to do that since I was like, eight or nine. Now I wouldn't let a single drop fall, ever. It's not as handy as Gaara's sand; I still have to think about what I want it to do, unlike the sand that automatically protects him, but still, I have complete control of the water, so it's not that much harder to use than I would think Gaara's sand is."

"Hm, that would definitely be helpful in battle. To have a near alive companion with you all the time, that will do absolutely whatever you tell it to without arguing. Mm, very helpful," he said, thinking about the possibilities.

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I like it. I'll stick with my Kekkei Genkai. It seems a lot easier to handle than some of these other ones that people have."

He smiled, as we both thought about his own Sharingan, among the list.

"And I'm the only one who can use it, so that's pretty cool. I'm not part of some big clan that has to follow rules, like Hinata is. It's just me," I pointed out.

"That's right, your father doesn't have your Kekkei Genkai, does he?" Kakashi remembered.

I shook my head.

"Nope," I told him, "I got this from my mother. Apparently it's passed from mother to daughter. I don't really know why guys can't get it, but they can't. Or so my father tells me."

Kakashi frowned for a moment.

"So that means you must have taught yourself how to use it," he said slowly.

"Well, mostly," I replied, "My father was able to tell me the really basics of it, and I found a journal that my mother wrote in that was all about the water control. But yeah, for the most part I've taught myself."

"That's impressive, you know," he told me, "Not everyone could figure out their Kekkei Genkai without someone who also has it teaching them."

"Eh, I just experiment with ideas," I said.

"Still. It's impressive," he replied, looking at me.

Well, he is extremely hot, a part of my mind thought, at least he's not an ugly older. He wears his age well. He doesn't even look like he's in his late twenties. And he's smart, and one kick-ass ninja. Could have fallen for someone worse.

I am not falling for him! another part of my mind argued, he is just my friend!

Uh huh. Liar, the first part thought, you like him and you know it. Admit it! Weird, this voice sounded an awful lot like Amaya.

I do not! my sensible side argued once again.

Do too!

Do not! Now shut up and go away!

"So what else have you taught yourself?" Kakashi asked, interrupting the inner war going on in my head.

"Quite a few things, actually," I told him, thankful that the voices had stopped arguing so that I could focus on our conversation.

"Tell me," he said, and led me out of the kitchen to the living room, and sat down on the couch.

I followed him, and sat next to him. I told him more about my jutsus, and then he began telling me some of his jutsus, and about some of the ninjas he had got them from. They were all really interesting stories, and before I knew it more than an hour had passed, and we were still talking. As much as I knew that I should be going upstairs, as it had to be passed midnight by this point, I didn't really feel like stopping our conversation, or like walking all the way up the stairs. I was tired, but not enough to actually go to sleep.

"So that's how I learned the water dragon jutsu," Kakashi finished telling me.

"Nice! Wow Kakashi, you have fought some tough fights, haven't you?!" I declared more then asked.

He nodded, smiling, and replied, "Yeah, there have definitely been some close situations, both as ANBU and as a Jonin. Of course, teaching is a whole other job in itself."

"Oh yeah, Team 7 was the first team you ever had that actually passed your test, weren't they?" I remembered.

He nodded. "Yeah," he said, "and sometimes even now it amazes me. Naruto was such a goofball back then. Well, he still is now, but more so then, I guess. And Sakura was so obsessed with Sasuke I didn't think she'd ever be able to actually focus on any mission. And Sasuke…well, he was just the moody emo 'I'm better than everyone else' guy that he still kinda is today. But back then I didn't think any of them would ever be able to use the teamwork that I required from them. But over the years they've proven me wrong. When they work together, they actually are a pretty good team, and damn good ninjas. Even if they do still need a good kick in the ego, every now and then." And he chuckled a bit.

I smiled.

"Sounds like you like teaching them," I told him.

He looked at me, and nodded.

"Yeah, I really do. And I wouldn't be surprised if what they all want comes true. Naruto wouldn't make a bad Hokage. I mean, he was able to convince the current Hokage to come back to us when we really needed her, so he's got a one-up on all the other Hokage-wannabes. And Sasuke has always been a great ninja. Soon he will be able to take out Itachi, I believe, and he's all ready begun reviving his clan, as we all know. And Sakura…well, she really is the Fifth Hokage's student, no doubt about it," he said, knowingly.

"You're proud of them," I stated.

"Yeah, I really am. I'm glad I got to watch them grow up. I'm glad I got to watch all of you grow up. You've all turned out great, " he told me softly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us thinking. I thought there might be a hidden meaning in his words, but wasn't sure if maybe that was just Amaya getting to me again. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, as if thinking something over.

Finally, however, he leaned forward, and took my right hand. This surprised me, and jumped me a little, because he did it so quickly.

"Kosuke," he said softly, "I really like you. I mean it when I say that I enjoyed watching you grow up, but I don't want you to think that I was some creepy old man stalking you when you were younger. No, it's only been within the last few weeks that I've developed this feeling. I mean, I always liked you as a good influence on Amaya, but from the time that the Hokage ordered me to keep my eyes on you after Amaya left, up to now I've felt this feeling growing. Now, I can't hold it back anymore, and you need to know."

See, told you he liked you, the Amaya voice smirked.

I could only stare at him, my eyes fairly wide, as I had not been expecting this in the least.

Quickly, Kakashi cupped my head in his hands, and carefully he lowered his lips to mine. Lightly, I felt his soft lips placed on mine, and my pulse went wild. Slowly my eyes closed in wonder, as I fell into the kiss.

All right, turns out I lied. I do love him.

Told you, you idiot.

Kakashi's thumb rubbed gently over my cheek, as his other hand moved to the back of my head, tilting my head up so that he could deepen the kiss. My hands somehow found his shoulders, and then his hair and neck, and I clutched myself to him, never wanting to let go of him, or him to let go of me.

However, both of us being human, we needed to release each other long enough to get air, and so we did.

"Kosuke…" he started to say, but I cut him off.

"Shh," I told him, and covered his lips with mine this time.

It wasn't until this second kiss that I made the connection that if I was kissing his soft lips, then his mask must be off, but I didn't care to see enough to break the kiss.

As we kissed, I remembered the hug that we had shared in the woods this morning…or yesterday morning, I guess. I had felt a sense of security, a safety that hadn't ever been there before. It was something I hadn't even felt before Orochimaru raped me. It was a new feeling that I now knew was produced only when I was with Kakashi, for I felt it now, only about ten times stronger, because now I knew he felt it too. I sighed and smiled, and felt Kakashi respond with his own smile, as this kiss too deepened.

***

I sighed, leaning against Kakashi, warm underneath a blanket and pressed against him.

"I should probably get upstairs before Amaya comes looking for me. I mean, we only kissed, but she's gonna decide that we did so much more," I said quietly.

Kakashi chuckled.

"Actually, I don't think you have to worry too much about Amaya, or any of them really. They all fell asleep hours ago," he told me, hugging me closer to him.

I frowned at him slightly.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I can hear them sleeping. Five sets of lungs breathing in the way that can only be done in sleep. They've been like that for at least two hours," he told me, kissing the top of my head.

"Oh. Well then, I guess I don't have to worry," I said, and then snuggled closer to him, and he chuckled once again.

"No. No need to worry," he told me, as his fingers stroked my arm that wasn't pressed against his side.

"No need to worry…" I repeated, realizing just how true those words finally were. Amaya was back in the village, Orochimaru was finally dead, as was his most loyal follower, my baby was healthy, and I had Kakashi. No, I truly had no reason to worry.

I smiled, and closed my eyes, laying my head on Kakashi's chest. Even as I fell asleep, my smile remained.

Amaya's POV:

I scowled. Asleep my ass! Like I could really sleep when my best friend was having a hot make-out session with my....mom/dad?! I didn't know if Kakashi said that to her in order to keep her down there with him, or if he really thought I was asleep. I had no idea of how steady my breathing was, nor had I ever been bothered enough to find out. All I knew was that it was very quiet.

Truthfully? I had no problem with the two of them being together, even though it's something I can joke around about. But Kosuke needs someone strong, someone able to help her through this because I know she can't do it on her own. So if Kakashi was that "chosen person", who was I to stop them?

I may not have been sleeping, but that wasn't the case with the others. Naruto slept by the window, Hinata in his arms. Lee was in his usual green sleeping bag by the corner of the room. He stayed away from the door incase Kosuke came back. Sasuke and I got the bed.

I had changed into my pajamas a while ago, a tank top and shorts, as it was fairly warm in my room. Sasuke just wore pajama pants, too warm to wear a shirt. Not that he would have anyway.

My face rested against his chest, one of his arms wrapped around my waist, the other on the middle of my back. I lifted my arm up, brushing his black bangs out of his face with the back of my hand.

I couldn't really explain what I felt, considering I had never been through anything like this before. I knew I felt relaxed around him, comfortable. I knew he made me happy; something that I never had that often. I knew some of the little things he did made my stomach do flip-flops and my heart race.

Was this how it was supposed to be? I silently wondered, a smile crossing my face. Had I really almost thrown this all away? I brushed my hand across my abdomen; this baby was what brought me back. It brought me back into Sasuke's arms, then back into Konoha, despite how cautious they are around me. Like I give a shit.

I smiled, burying it in Sasuke's nape. I felt his arms tighten around me and I looked up to see that he was awake and watching me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, aware of the other sleeping figures in my room. "I didn't mean to wake you."

He just shook his head, "Like I care."

I smiled, and he took the moment to kiss me, at first just lightly brushing his lips against mine before diving in. He ran his hands through my hair as he did so and I encircled his neck in my arms. We stayed like that for a while, our lips just far enough apart so that we could breath.

"Kosuke and Kakashi are asleep," he noted after the comfortable silence.

I shook my head with a smirk, "Yeah well, that wasn't the case earlier," I muttered, twirling strands of his hair between my fingers. "Just about fifteen minutes ago, the two of them were having a very deep make-out session."

"This doesn't bother you." He didn't ask it, he stated it.

I nodded, "I just want the two of them to be happy," I told him quietly, and he seemed to understand.

"Are you happy?"

I paused, kissing him again, "I've never been so happy," I replied with a smile, as I felt his arms tighten around me and I let out a content sigh.

There was another long moment of silence before I broke it, "Sasuke," I muttered, making sure he was still awake. He was.

"Hm?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes to look at me, just enjoying the feeling of me against him.

"I love you," I whispered, and his eyes opened and looked down at me. I knew I had just spoken the words he had been waiting to hear for a long time. He smiled before kissing me deeply, he held on tight, not wanting to let go.

When he did finally release me, he pulled me against his chest again. "I love you too," he told me, his words echoing in my ear. I smiled, knowing this was real and that I would have been a fool to leave this behind.

I didn't really feel any need to worry about anything, currently it seemed as if my whole life lay out in front of me. I was with the love of my life, my best friend was happy, I was soon going to have my very own family to take care of. It didn't seem like anything could be missing from my life.

Awww!!! Everyone's happy and in love! Well, most people. Hinata and Naruto, Amaya and Sasuke, and now even Kosuke and Kakashi! Yeah! What a happy ending! But...it's not over yet! One more chapter to go! Are you ready? Well, first you have to review! Please?

Kosuke's POV: