E.H.

Rated M
Unreasonable Jealousy
Part Three

Kakashi didn't waste his breath on a reply. He nodded and turned to head to his own apartment. They reached the destination relatively quickly due the fact that his apartment was one of the old barracks buildings. He let them in easily. Crouching down, he helped her slide off. He didn't dare look until he knew she was adjusted. She rested her hand on his shoulder. He glanced back and smiled up at her, enjoying the way her hair was windswept. Gods she was beautiful. He hadn't been using the word lightly before. He rose and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her flush with him. Sakura gasped lightly and he smirked at the adorable sound coming from her lips. He lowered his face toward her. He felt her breath fan over his face as he watched her eyes flutter shut. He began to lower his own eyelids when a loud pounding on the door made both of them pause. He groaned and hung his head. They had to be fucking kidding him! No way was this happening! He turned toward the door slowly with a half-lidded, annoyed tick in his left eye.

"Kakashi! My glorious rival! The night is young, we must make the most of it!" Kakashi grumbled unintelligibly as he took the two steps to the door. He opened it a crack and peeked out.

"Gai…" He greeted in monotone. Gai grinned and gave him a thumb's up. "Tonight I shall beat you!"

Kakashi stepped back with a heavy sigh and opened the door completely and turned to motion at Sakura. "I'm a little busy tonight."

Gai looked inside and spotted Sakura in a short, skin-tight dress. He frowned before he realized exactly what Kakashi had meant. His eyes widened and his cheeks pinkened. "O-oh, I didn't realize…pardon my intrusion! I shall be off then!"

Kakashi nodded once before he closed the door and turned to look at the flustered blossom. She watched him in disbelief. "W-why did you…now he'll know…and-?"

"Are you ashamed?" He asked softly. Sakura looked almost as though he'd slapped her.

"Of course not!"

"Then does it matter if people find out? It isn't as though we've been suspected of this for the last few years in any case." She shifted and nodded slowly. He moved up to her and wrapped his arms around her narrow waist. Her green eyes lifted to his red and charcoal ones. "Sakura, I have to confess that most of the time…I wished we had been intimate before."

Sakura flushed and dropped her gaze to his chest with a small smile as her painted nails lightly picked at the threads on his shirt. "Y-yeah…I didn't think I did either but I guess I kind of…hoped…"

He enjoyed the sudden squeak she emitted as he lifted her quickly and carried her toward his bed just around the corner. She wrapped her hands around his neck and nibbled her lip in such an adorable way. He paused before his bed and bent to sit her upon the end of his bed. Her pale thighs on his dark green comfortable made his abdomen clench and tighten as he felt his arousal grow. Wow was he a sad man if just her thighs turned him on. He reached up and scratched his clothed cheek. She wriggled a little and flashed him a nervous look.

"I-I've never done this before. Not that it's that big of a surprise."

"What? You haven't? And here I thought you'd have a great experience pool of tricks to pull from!" He snickered and she glared at him.

"You're an ass." She grumped with no real venom to her tone. He chuckled and reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Sakura, I haven't either."

She blinked rapidly in disbelief. "D-demo—I mean…you read that stuff and there are a lot of rumors about—"

"Rumors are only a seed of truth that's been expounded upon." He smiled softly and shifted a bit nervously. "I never had the time to be intimate. The closest I've been has been seduction missions. However, I usually place them under a genjutsu. I'm not a fan of using my body in that fashion just for a mission."

"So I…I'm your first?"

"Mm." He knelt before her and cupped her face in both hands. "You will be."

She smiled in such a way that made his chest hurt and soar at the same time. He paused however when he saw the glistening of tears gathering in her eyes. She blinked and trailed her fingertips down his scar and then lightly tugged at his mask. "May I?"

"Considering we're going to eventually see each other nude? I can't imagine why I'd say no." He teased with a smirk and she narrowed her eyes lightly.

She tugged the mask down and he watched her eyes absorb the details of his face. He smiled for her and she bit her lip. "You're…"

"Handsome? Debonair? Charming? Sexy…?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Stop that! I'm trying to find the right word!"

"Well, I'm at loss here then if it's anything other than drop dead gorgeous."

"Alluring." She found the word she was looking for. He allowed her to touch and explore his face. He turned his face into her palm and nipped at the flesh. She shivered and he smiled against her palm.

"You're absolutely gorgeous, Sakura…" He watched her cheeks warm with a reddish glow. He moved to press her backward lightly. She leaned back with him and allowed him to do so. He pressed his lips to hers. She reacted to him immediately which made his heart stutter and soar. The world blurred to the point that he honestly couldn't remember how they managed to shed their clothing; all he could focus on was the way her smooth skin slid against his. The way her arms and legs wrapped around him; the sound of her sighs and gasps as he touched her filled his head. Every sense was heightened and he loved the way she smelled on his skin. As he aligned his body with hers, he pressed his forehead to her chest as he slowly shifted his hips forward. Sakura shifted and dug her fingers into his hair as he pressed into her heat.

"Oh…Kakashi…" She breathed and he grit his teeth. He continued forward until she made a soft whimper that made him still. He could feel her the reason, just barely keeping him back. That small stretch of skin within a woman. Before he could think to ask her anything, she rocked her hips forcefully into his, breaking her hymen upon him. She winced but flashed him a small smile after a few long-dragging seconds. He raised his head and stared at her in awe. She colored lightly. "You were taking too long."

"I was trying to keep from hurting you!" He blurted, unable to keep the chuckle from his voice. Her smile turned into a grin.

"Oh please. I've been stabbed by kunai, senbon, and even poisoned by Sasori. If I couldn't handle pain, I wouldn't be considered a kunoichi."

"True. I can't deny that." He smirked before shifted and feeling a shiver traverse his spine. "But gods, Sakura…you're going to break me…"

"No…" She sighed and pulled him closer. "I won't break you."

He simply couldn't wait any longer. His hips rocked into her and Sakura's breath hitched sharply. He slanted his mouth to hers and kissed her soundly, absolutely enthralled with the way her pants and moans vibrated over his lips. When he had to breathe, he pulled back and listened to the beautiful voice beneath him. It was odd how the sounds they made together was kind of like a form of music. It was simplistic, but it was something that made his skin tingle. His lips moved to kiss her temple as her heavy breath was interrupted by a particularly loud moan.

"K-Kakashi…"

He bit his cheek to keep from saying something ridiculous and cheesy. This wasn't just a one-night-stand to him. It was something he sincerely hoped would last. All of his books had nothing on the minx in his arms as she shamelessly raked her fingernails down his back and clenched her legs around his waist. He could tell when she grew frustrated. He felt her move; he let her take control as she rolled them over. Once atop him, her body settled over him as she planted her hands on his pectoral muscles and rode him. He groaned low in his throat, thoroughly enjoying his blossom right where she was. The way her perfume, sweat, and natural scent filled his room. He didn't think about anything other than the perfection that currently moaned his name so sweetly repeatedly while rolling her hips over his in such a wonderful way. He was gaining speed; heading for that cliff that would eventually dump him headlong off into a chasm of bliss. His hands slid up over her thighs slowly before he gripped her hips. She suddenly clenched around him. All of her heat made his senses soar out of control as she threw her head back and cried loudly. It was half incoherent noise and half the syllables of his name. She panted heavily before she leaned down over him and kissed his forehead while picking up her pace again. His eyes fluttered shut as his orgasm literally felt like an explosion inside of his chest and nervous system. He thrust several times without control or rhythm until he stilled. His body quaked with the new sensation. His chest heaved as his heart beat erratically. Her soft lips trailed soft, chaste kisses over his scar and eyelids. He opened his eyes and stared up into her face. The glow of his apartment's 'living room' area made her hair glow from behind. Her eyes almost seemed to be alight themselves while her face was mostly in shadow, although he could still see her easily. His right hand reached up and cupped her face. She turned and kissed his palm so gently that it nearly broke his heart.

Again, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something incredibly stupid. He had so much he wanted to say yet none of it was right. It made him so damned frustrated too! Here he was, one of the most glorified geniuses of Konoha; of the five nations even! Yet he couldn't formulate a single sentence to express himself to her? What did the Icha Icha characters say at a time like this? He nearly groaned. No. No way in hell was he about to tell Sakura she was a great lay. Or that she had 'rocked his world'. No. Just…no. But what did he say? He had to say something! He opened his mouth and it fell free before he realized he was even thinking it.

"I love you."

Sakura froze and turned to look at him sharply. His breathing stopped and his eyes widened. Did he just say that? Aloud? Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit! What did he say now? He couldn't take it back! Plus, was it…true? Of course it was! Tears began to fill her eyes and he panicked. The famous cool headed, laid back Copy Nin of Konohagakure panicked.

"Sakura I—"

She moved so quickly. When had she learned to move that fast? She snapped back from him and glared down at him. He couldn't tell what was on her mind or what her expression meant. He wasn't able to read Sakura. That was wrong. Just wrong.

"Are you just saying that because we had sex? Because it just was the 'best' thing you could come up with? Because, so help me Kakashi, if it is…I'll walk out that door and never look back! I'm not just a cheap lay!"

Now it was his turn to be pissed. He sat up quickly and rolled so that she fell rather unceremoniously beside him onto the mattress. "Excuse me? Didn't I make it clear that you were my first too?"

"I don't—"

"If you really don't believe in me, then I'll kindly ask you to leave. I don't just invite anyone to my bed Sakura. I'm not some pig that can be found in the gutter. And for fuck's sake, I'm not Sasuke! If you really doubt that I mean what I say, obviously…you don't know me." Oh he hated himself right then. The way her tears spilled over her eyelids tore him up inside. He turned his back to her, setting his feet on the floor and hiding his grimace in his hands. What the fuck had he done?

…..

Sakura couldn't believe this. After all they'd just…done…and this was what came from afterwards? The afterglow was definitely faded and non-existent. She wanted to scream; she wanted to cry. But apparently the most powerful of all feelings, was that she really wanted to hurt him. She had a moment where her brain stopped and her emotions just simply took over her body. She hurtled herself at him. Of course, any good shinobi would deflect the ridiculous attack that wasn't an intelligible, thought out attempt. Kakashi wasn't just good, he was an exceptional shinobi. It really didn't come as any surprise that he not only caught her with barely a glance, but hand her pinned on the floor with his fingers to one of her major chakra points. His eyes were narrowed at her in warning and she flailed with her temper raging. The tears that had been of delirious joy and contentedness were now from anger and honestly? A bit of betrayal. She felt betrayed by him and definitely hurt.

"Let go!" She shrieked at him, wanting nothing more than to wail on him until he released her; or she felt better. Whichever option occurred first would be satisfactory for her.

"Stop it." His voice was calm, level. His face was simply blank. Her heart broke and she closed her eyes, turning her face away from the sight. In that moment, he didn't seem at all different from Sasuke. She hated herself more than she was angry with him as her tears burned trails over her face. She was still so weak! Why the hell couldn't she be anything other than the weak-link in the chain of Team Seven?!

"Just let go of me…" She barely managed to whisper. Her hands were released and she felt him back away from her. She rolled over and moved to her knees. She began searching the room for her clothing. She could kind of figure out when she wasn't wanted anymore. She clasped her dress and yanked it over her head roughly.

"Sakura…"

She ignored him and moved to find her underwear. She plucked them up from atop his shirt and crammed her feet into them first before shimmying them up.

"Sakura." His voice sounded firmer and she felt her lip tremble. What the hell had she thought, huh? That everything would be hunky dory after fucking her sensei? Yeah! Why didn't she just go screw Naruto too while she was at it?! Cause a real damned riot! She grimaced at her own train of thought and clamped her teeth down too hard upon her bottom lip. She could taste the slight tang of blood over her tongue. "Sakura!" She spun to glare up at him when he grabbed her bicep.

"What?!" She burst. "I can take a hint, okay?! I get it! I screwed up! Big fucking surprise! Just let me go home already so that I can at least attempt to drag my dignity back together!"

He stared at her for too long and she wanted to tear away from him. Gods how she wanted to just…just pick a direction and run. Not stop, not rest, not eat until she reached somewhere she thought he couldn't find her. Unfortunately, that meant dying and she wasn't ready for that. No. She wasn't that girl. The one that offed herself because she always ended up being stiffed by the men in her life. She did have some shred of self-respect. Though after that night, she wasn't entirely sure how much was left of that shred.

"I don't want you to go. I lost my head."

She had to avert her eyes. Dropping her gaze to her knees and the very interesting floor, she scoffed out a bitter laugh. "Isn't it ironic? I just wanted to be loved, just wanted to have someone really truly love me. And then I wound up in bed with a man almost twice my age who used to be my sensei."

"Was it a mistake?" His voice sounded off.

She looked up then. He was so damned stoic, but he watched her intently. Was it a mistake? Despite all the evidence that should have been pointing to a blaring neon red sign that spelled out 'mistake', she couldn't find it in her to call it that. It didn't feel like a mistake. No, it'd had felt right in his arms. So why had she wanted to run when he said those three fated words? Why did she react so strongly toward them? Kakashi…in all her years as a little girl and now a grown woman…she couldn't remember a time when he'd wasted his breath on words he didn't believe in. Well, okay, so his blatant lies about being late were one thing. But other than that? Not to them. Never to his team. She shook her head silently.

"No. I didn't make a mistake coming home with you tonight."

Kakashi sighed and reached toward her briefly. "Then don't run away from me."

"Why not?" She threw her free hand in the air in exasperation. "It's what I'm good at! Running from my emotions! It's what I know! It's what I've been taught time and again! Love hurts; why try?"

"What you felt for Sasuke was infatuation. Never love, Sakura. At least not the kind you think it was."

"Infatuation?" She felt insulted and wanted to slap him for that. "I was not—"

"Yes, you were. You saw a boy you found attractive; someone hurt and broken. You wanted to help him, fix him, heal him. It's part of who you are, why you make such an amazing medic. Why you were perfect for becoming Tsunade-sama's disciple. You have that spirit. You just didn't have a name for it, so you dubbed it love."

She stared at his handsome face in the mostly darkened room. He was right; it pissed her off too. "Fine. Answer me this? Why the hell did you say you…you loved me? Was it just for the moment?"

"No. I…I honestly hadn't known what to say. I wanted to say something but didn't want to insult you by saying it was…" he paused to rub the back of his head nervously. "Well, I didn't want to refer to it as a good 'lay'. That wasn't exactly appropriate and not something I want to say to you. I really don't know how, but I just said it before I thought about it."

She didn't know what to say or how to take that. It could be either good and sincere or bad and ill-thought out. She wasn't sure how to interpret it. "If you said it now, would you mean it?"

Kakashi stopped moving and dropped his hand to his lap. He breathed in slowly as he thought it over. Most women would have thought the fact that he needed to think it over as a sign of rejection and that no, he hadn't meant it. But she knew him. She'd protected him, put her life in his hands way too many times to not trust him. To not know him well. She could see it when he found his answer. The set to his jaw, the way his eyes firmed and met hers without flinching or faltering. He was determined. In that moment, Sakura found it within herself too. The reason she'd wanted to flee.

She loved him. It was there all along. Building, growing, changing…but always there. The way they just…fit. The way everything worked out whenever he was nearby. He soothed her rough edges; he could handle her temper and stand up to her. Even Naruto couldn't handle her and he was a bloody jinchuuriki! He was her calm, her comfort. He'd become the shoulder she always went to. Ino hardly had to support her tears and her discomfort any more. Kakashi bore it all with a warm smile and a witty banter that never ceased to lift her spirits. She'd wanted to run away from the one thing that had always hurt her the most; love. With it before her so blatantly, she'd had the knee-jerk reaction to shove away. Push it away before it had a chance to infect her; to loop her in and break her. His warm hand moved to settle over her cheek for the third time that night. It drew her attention back to his eyes and his lips immediately.

"If you walked out that door tonight, never looking back and never speaking to me again…I'd let you. It'd break my very soul…but I could never cage you up and tie you to a pathetic old man with a porn obsession." He smirked only barely at his self-depreciating humor.

Sakura moved her hand to cover his and stared deeply into his eyes. "I'm sorry I pulled away. I…I honestly never thought that I would fall in love with you."

His inhale of breath was sharp and there was no way he could hide the way his eyes widened briefly with shock. He slid to his knees, facing her. He pulled her to him and held her tightly. "I do love you; in more ways than one."

"I know." She sighed into his chest. "And I love you; in more ways than one. Kakashi, I don't want to leave. I don't want to walk away and never look back. I don't think I'd be able to get ten feet from you without running back."

He chuckled suddenly and she smiled at the way his chest rumbled beneath her cheek with his mirth. "Guess I'll have to find you a long leash."

She pushed him away playfully before smacking him on the arm. "Ass."

"Ah, but I'm your ass, am I not?"

"Damn straight." She grinned as she rose to her feet. "I'm tired. Can we sleep?"

"Of course." He rose as well and didn't bother to hide his nudity from her. She felt her cheeks heat as she looked away. "What? You've already seen it all once. Why so shy?"

She shot his grinning face a glare before she tugged her dress back off and pulled her underwear off as well. "Shower first?"

He nodded and held his hand out to her. She took it and smiled in content as he dragged her to the bathroom.

…..

Sunlight streamed over his face. He stretched and began to yawn when he felt a warm, soft body shift beside him. For a brief moment, he forgot who it was and how it came to be. Then he remembered and smiled lazily, rolling over to watch the sleeping beauty beside him. She had her left hand strewn over her forehead and a small amount of drool dripping from the corner of her lips. He chuckled at the sight and shook his head. A small, very quiet snore came from her and he almost had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. She was adorable in her own, unique way. He couldn't remember a time when she'd ever snored on missions. Then again, Naruto and Sasuke's chainsaw snores would easily have drowned out anything his blossom could have made. He propped his head on his left hand and laid there, happy to just watch her sleep away. He reached over with his right hand and toyed with a few strands of her hair, running them over between his fingertips. Her snoring petered off as she sleepily yawned and her eyes began to flutter open. She blinked bleary eyed up at him before smiling groggily.

"Morning…" She sighed and settled back down comfortably.

"Morning. Did you know you snore?"

"…gee…how romantic." She deadpanned at him.

"It's adorable. Soft, light, almost like a strange sounding hum."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She glowered.

"Hey, I never noticed until now. Besides, Naruto's motor-mouth snores are the worst known to mankind. How Hinata manages to sleep beside him every night is beyond me." He sighed and shook his head as he thought about his blonde haired student's wife.

"Earplugs? Or maybe she manipulates the chakra in her ears to disable her hearing at night?" Sakura suggested, apparently just as amusingly curious about it as he.

"Mm. Maybe."

"Hungry?" She asked, shifting around.

"Yes."

"Okay." She smiled and moved to get up. Once up though, she frowned at the crumpled heap of fabric that had resembled a dress the night before. "Can I borrow some sweats or something?"

"Ah…what a sexy idea." He smirked but in all reality loved the idea of his clothing on her small frame. He moved off the bed and to his closet. He pulled out a pair of black sweats and one of his masked shirts, tossing them to her. She caught them and shimmied into the oversized shirt first. She giggled and tugged the mask up, pulling her hair free.

"Well? Still a sexy idea?" She modeled it for him. He turned from where he was tugging on his own pair of sweats and boxers. He stopped moving at the sight before him. The shirt was loose on her but only hung to just a little above mid-thigh. The mask fit fairly well on her face, hiding the mischievous smirk he just knew she was wearing along with his shirt. Her pose, leaning over to blow a kiss at him seductively with her left hand on her hip and her right hand to her masked lips made a lump form in his throat.

"Oh…you have no idea…" Even he could hear the deeper, husky tone to his voice. She did too as a lovely blush spread over her face as she straightened and gave an embarrassed giggle, reaching for the pants. "You know, you could just…stay like that."

A snort and she looked at him with a knowing expression. "Mmhmm. I'm sure you'd like that. But I do need to get home and actually change my clothing, you know. Not to mention the fact that you probably don't have anything actually remotely similar to actual food in this place. So we do have to go to my place so that I can cook you breakfast."

He blinked and shifted, averted his gaze to pull his shirt on. "You know too much about my refrigerator."

"Guess you'll have to kill me." She teased with a shrug.

"Kill? No." He moved in front of her and pulled her flush with his front quickly. "Seduce? Yes."

"Too late." She sing-songed and pulled away with a laugh. "Unless your old man's brain already forgot about last night."

"Hmm…last night…last night. Nope, doesn't ring a bell. Something happen?" He raised his eyebrows in question.

"Oh, then I suppose you missed the kunoichi who rocked your world." The pinkette rolled her eyes.

"Oh my! Are you saying I was taken advantage of, Sakura-chan? Whoever would do such a thing?!"

She fake gasped and covered her masked mouth. "Whatever shall we do to find such a perpetrator!"

"Probably go to the scene of the crime…" He pulled her back toward the bed while wagging his eyebrows at her. "And thoroughly reinvestigate…"

Sakura hummed as she reached up and pecked his lips. "Maybe later."

He almost groaned in defeat but managed not to as he let her pull away. "Temptress."

"Isn't that missing a 'vile' at the beginning?" She called as she rounded the corner, tugging the sweatpants up as she went.

"All right then. Vile temptress."

"Sounds about right!"

He pulled his mask up and snagged his hitai-ate as he walked from the 'bedroom' area of his studio apartment to follow her. He felt the shift in the air before the ANBU operative appeared in his living room. Damn. He forgot they could do that here; after all…it was a former barracks for shinobi. Sakura had paused as well and shot him a quick, quizzical look. The ANBU bowed before straightening.

"Hokage-sama wishes an audience with you. And since you also are here, Haruno-san…she also asked us to find you and deliver the same message."

"Hai. We will be there shortly."

The ANBU nodded once and was gone in a puff of smoke. Sakura held her hand out toward him and he looked at her hand. A weird warmth spread through him at the sight. He moved and took her hand, following her lead and tugging on his sandals. She stared at her dressy boots and snorted but didn't say a word.

"Hey, there's something I've always wondered. Can you teleport two pea—" He'd already signed the symbols by the time she'd finished her first sentence. He pulled her to him as the teleportation jutsu moved them both to within the Hokage Tower. Sakura was in his arms and swayed as they came to a stand-still. He kept his arms around her to steady her until she could hold up on her own.

"Ugh…that's…not exactly pleasant. How do you do that all the time and not throw up?" She asked, looking decidedly green. He moved them to the nearest water dispenser, grabbing a cup and pouring her some water.

"Takes getting used to."

She happily accepted the cup of water with a nod. She downed it and leaned her forehead on the wall. "Guess I'll have to get used to it."

"Not if you don't want to."

She shot him a look as she repeated herself more firmly. "Guess I'll have to get used to it."

He smirked and nodded, understanding her meaning just fine. Once she was okay to move, they headed up the very office they were called to. He didn't bother knocking. They were already expected; and since he could sense all the other chakra signatures inside…they were also the last ones. They stepped inside and he felt an obnoxiously strong sense of male pride swarm him at the widened eyes that took in what Sakura was wearing. He moved to stand beside her after he shut the door. She must have remember the mask before they arrived since it was tucked under her chin now. He did, however, flinch visibly when the Hokage turned sharp eyes toward him with a very intensely pointed look. He attempted not to squirm under her obvious threatening of him without sound. She then averted her gaze to the room.

"Now that we are all here," Tsunade shot Sakura a loaded glance. Sakura didn't flinch just smirked lightly. "Let's get to it, shall we?"

…..

"Sure, baa-chan. Demo…what is this about?" Naruto started, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's about Sasuke." Tsunade sighed. "The council has decided that he needs to make his official decision in the next two days, isn't that correct?"

Sakura had to give the asshole credit, she hadn't sensed him until then as he stepped forward from out of sight.

"Yes." He moved up beside Naruto and Sai shifted with a quick look at the Uchiha to be sure he wouldn't attempt anything toward the blonde. Sakura shot Sai a small smile. "I asked for this audience for specific reasons, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade waved her hand impatiently. "Out with it already. I already told you I wasn't going to be your messenger, brat."

Sasuke stiffened at the term she'd used toward him but wasn't dumb enough to say anything to her about it. He turned and frowned at Sakura. "I understand you probably had some…wild oats to sow. However, I am back. I am offering you everything you ever claimed to desire all those years before, Sakura. This is my final offer. Marry me and help me revive my clan. You'll not want for anything and you'll finally have me."

Sakura looked at Sasuke and for the first time since his return, she didn't feel angry at him. She felt pity toward him. Did he really not understand? Did he really grow up with such little love and understanding that he simply couldn't get that his title wasn't what people wanted from him? She sighed and shook her head sadly. "I will though, Sasuke. I'd want for love and affection—"

"I'd give you those." He interrupted with a frown. "That's what I'm offering you."

"No, it isn't!" She burst. "It isn't even remotely close! What you're offering me is to be the woman who sits at home, idle, patiently awaiting your return and raising kid after kid. What you're offering me is a title. That's not love! Love is passion, it's feeling, it's being so maddeningly angry at the person you adore yet still knowing that you'd give your life for them over and over again just to make them smile! Love is doing whatever you can for that person without asking for anything in return! Not expecting it either! I'm not in love with you, Sasuke! I never was! I thought I loved you. I really did. But it wasn't the same. I loved the idea of healing your emotional wounds. Fixing you. That wasn't right. It was wrong of me then and for that, I'm sorry. I love you. But not in the way you think. I love you as my team-mate…as family even. You're someone I care for deeply. But you're not the man I'm in love with. I can't accept your offer."

Kakashi moved and clasped her shoulder with a light squeeze. She saw the way Sasuke's eyes left hers and over her shoulder.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke hesitated before he rounded his shoulders. "Were you with her last night?"

There was a palpable tension in the air. Sakura was actually gearing up to punch his lights out for asking such a thing when Kakashi answered. "Yes."

"…I don't understand, Sakura. Why him? He's a pervert and old and our sensei!" Sasuke stared at her.

Sakura wasn't sure how to get this through to him any clearer. "No, he's not. Well…okay, the pervert part yes. But he's not that old."

Kakashi sighed behind her. "Gee thanks…"

She picked up again with a quick glance back at Kakashi to shut up. "But he isn't my sensei. Not anymore. He handed over that torch to Tsunade-sama years ago. When he learned just what I needed and what I was capable of. He's always been your sensei, and look how you treated him."

Sasuke looked at her with the closest expression to someone who'd been slapped that he could possibly have. Besides rage. "Then who else is strong enough to revive my clan with me?"

"Karin. You just won't see her potential like you never saw mine. Didn't one of the kage from the edo tensei tell you she was an Uzumaki? Shouldn't that be enough of a reason?" She gestured to the redhead off behind them.

"Sasuke, your choice has denied you. You now only have two days to find a suitable match. I'll speak with the council myself about it, but I doubt I can get you any more time to decide." Tsunade interrupted the atmosphere. Sasuke turned and shook his head.

"That won't be necessary. The only other potential match I have is as Sakura stated, Karin. I already know her answer. You can proceed with the council's informing and timeline."

Naruto reached over and clapped his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Are you sure, Sasuke?"

"Yes. What? Thought you could get rid of me that easily, dobe?" Sasuke actually cracked a smirk at Naruto who blinked before grinning back. The blonde then laughed as he answered Sasuke's statement with his own.

"Ha! I think it's you who'd try to get rid of me, teme!"

"Enough! Get the hell out of my office, all of you!" Tsunade hollered. Naruto challenged Sasuke to a dual and they turned to leave with Sai in tow. Sakura turned with Kakashi. "You two, get your asses back in here. Front and center."

Sakura turned back and had to snag Kakashi by the back of the shirt to drag him with her. He was already attempting to slip out quickly as it was. He turned around and shot her a dirty look as they stood before the Hokage's desk. Tsunade leaned her chin on her knit hands and glared up at both of them.

"Hatake!" She barked and Kakashi straightened. "If you intend to continue whatever the hell it is you think you're doing with my student, you damn well better know that you're in it for the long haul. If you break her heart, not only will I crush you into finite human goo, but I will be sure to castrate you in the most painful ways possible with my own medical chakra. Am I understood?!"

Kakashi looked ill as he nodded quickly. "Perfectly."

"Sakura." Tsunade turned to Sakura. "Are you serious about this relationship?"

"All the way, shishou." Sakura nodded.

"Hatake?" Honey eyes turned to the silver-headed jounin.

"I intend to stick around for a long time, Hokage-sama." Kakashi answered evenly.

The next question was thrown at both of them. "Who will preside over the wedding?"

Sakura bit back a nervous chuckle and shot him a sideways glance. Was he that serious about them? She wasn't sure.

"If you'd be willing, Hokage-sama…I'd have it no other way." Kakashi answered with no sense of hesitation or nervousness. In fact, he looked almost…happy?

"Of course." Tsunade nodded, pleased. She sat back and smiled at them. "I expect grandbabies eventually. Don't you dare disappoint me!"

Sakura flushed. "S-Shishou! W-we haven't even gotten that far and—"

"I don't care! I want my grandbabies, damnit!"

Kakashi chuckled softly. "We'll do our best."

"You'd better! Dismissed!"

They shuffled out and Sakura stopped him to look up at him bewildered. "Did you mean it in there? The whole…marriage thing?"

"I had no intention of this being a fling, Sakura."

"That doesn't answer my question." Sakura shifted while looking at him intently.

Kakashi returned her gaze. "Do I want to marry you? Yes. I do. Am I going to ask you here in a hallway outside the Hokage's office? No. I don't. You'll just have to wait until I do decide to ask you at the right time. Until then…let's just…approach this normally. Is that all right with you?"

"You mean, date me? Properly?"

"Yes. Announce myself to your parents, my intentions…however the hell else these things go…"

Sakura laughed at the way his voice wavered into a slightly nervous tone at the end. She pushed up onto her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "I really like that idea."

"Good. Now, about this breakfast I was promised…?"

…..

Two Years Later

Kakashi paced the hallway. His usually erratic hair even more so than usual from all the times he'd run his hands through it. It seemed to be ever more gravity defying than usual. He paused every now and again to bore hole into the door set into the wall with his eyes. He'd then sigh dejectedly and begin to pace once more. He periodically pulled out Icha Icha to read but the words blurred and made little sense before he tucked it back away again.

"How many times is it now?" Naruto asked, watching the jounin closely.

"Five hundred fifty six." Came the bored reply from the Uchiha clan-leader who was leaning on his knees. His wife sat to his side, bouncing an eighteen month old baby on her knee.

"If he keeps that up, I think I'm going to go crazy." Karin growled with an eye roll.

Hinata came back from the lobby with a small tray of drinks. She handed them out to all present with a smile before taking hers and sitting down. "Kakashi-san…you should sit down."

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm fine."

Hinata looked at Naruto who shook his head in defeat with a helpless shrug. Sai was painting away, as if he was oblivious to the tension. However, from the sheer amount of paper he'd gone through himself…it was obvious that he was just as distressed. Yamato, or Tenzou as they now knew him as, sat on the other side the red headed Uchiha. He was also watching Kakashi bemusedly.

"Am I late?" Ino came rushing over with Chouji and Shikamaru in tow.

"No." Hinata answered with a smile and offered them all seats. They sat down. Shikamaru blew out a long sigh. He raised an eyebrow at Kakashi's pacing. He leaned over onto his knees and shot Naruto a curious look.

"How long has he been doing that?"

A chorus of voices answered at once. "Five hours."

"Mendokuseina…" Shikamaru muttered and sat back. Chouji offered some chips around but no one took any. Ino was practically giddily bouncing in her seat.

"Five hours…when did it start?" The blonde asked excitedly.

"Seven thirteen pm." Kakashi answered distractedly.

"Holy—" Ino began and shook her head. "Who all is in with her?"

"Tsunade-sama, Shizune-senpai, and two other nurses from the hospital ward that Tsunade-sama hand-picked." Sai stated in reply, watching his painting.

A loud, shrieking scream pierced the air through the door. Kakashi froze and turned toward the door in a flash. Naruto and Sasuke both moved to restrain him.

"You can't go in yet! Baa-chan already threatened you twice!" Naruto growled.

"She's in pain!" Kakashi argued.

"Yes! It's called labor!" Sasuke grunted as they began to slowly tug him away from the doors. "If you want any more of these things called babies, I'd suggest you heed Tsunade's warnings!"

Kakashi slowly, and very reluctantly backed away from the door. He then turned and promptly began pacing again. Naruto and Sasuke both flopped down with sighs.

"And now?"

"I lost count." Sasuke replied to the blonde's inquiry.

Naruto groaned. "Damnit. Start over?"

"Suppose so." Sasuke leaned his elbows back onto his knees.

"Is this really what you find as easy amusement?" Karin grumped and looked at them both.

"Yep." They both answered at the same time, shooting each other glares in response. Before they could get into it, the door suddenly opened.

Kakashi turned and moved toward the door. He paused, however, as Tsunade pushed out of the room backwards. She paused and turned with a small bundle in her arms, cooing down.

"Everyone, meet the newest Hatake family member…" She smiled at them and pointedly turned to Kakashi.

He stared at the baby dumbfounded. "Is…" He started only to falter. Everyone watched him expectantly. "Is it mine?"

Naruto groaned loudly before slapping his face. Tsunade laughed and nodded.

"Yes, Kakashi. This is your son. You can come in and see your wife now."

He hesitated as he looked at his son. "M-May…I?"

Tsunade grinned and moved over. She helped ease the baby into his arms and readjusted his arms to show him how to correctly hold his son. "There you go. Why don't you go see her now?"

He didn't speak but carefully moved, using his chakra to cling to the floor in case he fucked up and tripped or something terrible. He also laced his hands with chakra to hold the child to him more securely. It felt like an eternity passed before he reached her bedside. He slowly moved to sit on the bedside and lifted his gaze to the warm emerald eyes looking at him fondly.

"He's perfect."

Sakura smiled back at him and nodded. "Yes, he is." She said tiredly.

"You look exhausted."

"I am."

He grimaced. "Sorry…"

"Heh. I helped make him, so it's not entirely your fault." Sakura tilted her head to the side a bit.

"Yeah, well…I'm sure there'll be no sex for a while." He smiled at her, loving that even though she was tired they could still playfully banter with one another.

"Oh, of course not. You may not be all the way at fault here, but you still have to suffer a while for all the pain I just went through." She giggled lightly.

"Damn." He hung his head dramatically only to stare into the face of his child. "What should we name him?"

"Hmmm…Ren."

"Ren? You want our son named after a flower?"

"Lotuses are not only pretty but they mean things like romance, and love."

Kakashi smiled and shook his head. "Hatake Ren, hm?"

"Mmhm."

"All right. Ren-kun, this is your mommy. She's very sleepy right now, but next time you see her…you'll be able to hear her beautiful voice at its strongest." He also didn't tack on the part

She smiled and laughed sleepily. Kakashi moved over her and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Sakura…thank you."

"No. Thank you, Kakashi. I love you too…" She closed her eyes and shifted so that Kakashi could curl up beside her. Once they were settled with Sakura leaning on him and he cradled both his wife and son, he watched them both sleep peacefully while wondering just how he ever got so damn lucky.

Thanks for reading this prompt story everyone! Can't wait to hear what you think! On to the next!

Erika Hearken