This is a re-post and re-edit of a oneshot I wrote for KakaSaku Month 2018.
Prompt: Road trip
Their 10th wedding anniversary has passed uneventfully. Though it was no one's fault, they didn't forget the date. It's just that they were both quite preoccupied with other things, and didn't have the proper time to actually celebrate. They didn't even sit down and talk about postponing the celebration, it was just evident that this is how they would proceed.
Nonetheless, Kakashi started searching for the best way to commemorate this special occasion, even if belatedly so. He came up with an idea quite fast. Ever since their first child, Rina was born, they never went on a really long trip together. And while they barely left the country borders, sans for the occasional missions, hundreds of miles of paved roads were constructed all over the continent, making travelling that easier. Civilians were going on so called road trips, where they travelled around different regions with a car and stopped wherever they wanted to. He drew up an itinerary within a couple of days, reserved all the needed accommodations and even rented out a car. He even managed to persuade Sakura to go without the kids.
As much as he loved his children, Kakashi felt that they had to go on this trip without them. They never went on a trip alone after their honeymoon, and he wanted to change that now. So during their two week long trip, their four kids would stay with Sakura's parents.
They started their journey on a Monday morning, heading towards the north-eastern part of Fire, and then crossing the border to the Land of Hot Water in the second half of the week, where they'll spend the rest of their vacation.
"So, where are we going?" Sakura asked the moment they left the village.
His maskless lips quirked into a smile. "You'll see."
She just puffed out her cheeks, looking out the window. The road went along a densely forested area, the tall trees casting shadows over them. While the area was familiar to both of them, since they crossed this very forest countless of times during their past missions, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to just drive past this section in a hurry. In the past they just ran straightforward, not really paying attention to the beauty of their surroundings. In those times the lushness of the vegetation only meant that the enemy could hide easily away from them, while thick branches of the trees helped them to travel faster to their mission's location. However, this time they weren't in a rush. This trip was all about taking their time and enjoying the world around them.
Sakura pulled down the window, sticking out her hand. The radio played a soft acoustic melody to which she hummed along. It's been probably months since he saw her this relaxed. While she wasn't going on missions since their third child was born, she did run the biggest hospital in the country, and held weekly seminars for the medical students at the Academy. Her schedule was busy to say the least, but she always managed to do everything, stunning him each and every time.
They stopped after three hours of driving at a cosy little inn, not far away from a popular tourist spot. Kakashi pulled out a basket from the trunk, grabbing Sakura's hand with his free one.
"When did you pack that?"
"Yesterday night." He grinned.
"And may I know our destination this time?"
"You'll find out soon enough, just pay attention." She only furrowed her brows at his response.
Sure enough, after a few minutes they could hear the all too familiar sound of water running. They both quickened their pace and were welcomed by a waterfall in the middle of a clearing.
"This is gorgeous." Sakura exclaimed. "How did you find this place?"
"I did a bit of research." He shrugged, laying out a blanket on the grass. Okay, so maybe he was a bit oversimplifying his efforts. It took him quite some time to find this place. While the region was a popular tourist place because of a nearby village with vernacular architecture, he didn't want to visit those places right away. He wanted to spend as much alone time with Sakura as he could. So after some digging, he found this waterfall that apparently wasn't that well known.
"Thank you." She pecked him on the lips.
Kakashi dug out a wine bottle from the basket and opened it, pouring out the dark liquid into two glasses.
"I see you are going all out, Kakashi-san." His wife chuckled, clinking her glass with his.
"You have no idea." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, earning a playful slap on the arm from Sakura.
They spent the next couple of days with hiking, both enjoying the scenery and how they didn't have to hurry anywhere. On the fifth day of their trip, they continued travelling further north with their car, the border with the Land of Hot Water becoming closer. Kakashi couldn't wait to see Sakura's happy face when they'll arrive to the onsen he choose. He knew that she absolutely loved hot springs, and according to the recommendations this was one of the best.
"I'm sorry, but we do not have a reservation under your name." The middle aged receptionist said, with the enthusiasm of a snail.
"What do you mean? I booked a room three weeks ago."
The man looked sceptically at Kakashi and then back at the register, turning the pages slowly. "There is no Hatake written here."
"And do you have a room available?"
The receptionist turned back the pages, looking over each entry with as much disinterest one could manage. "No."
"What do you mean no?" Kakashi's temper flare, the apparent indifference of the man in front of him just oil on the fire. "I-" He leaned forward, over the counter, wanting to take out his frustration on him. Sakura placed her hands on his shoulders, instantly relaxing him.
"Thank you. Goodbye then." Sakura smiled, guiding him out from the building.
"You are welcome. Please visit us next time as well." Drawled the receptionist detachedly.
"How rude." Kakashi grumbled, trying with all his might not to cuss.
"It's okay, Kakashi. We can always find another inn to stay at." His wife smiled reassuringly, guiding them towards one on the other side of the road.
The only problem was that each place was fully booked, thanks to a religious festival that started two days ago. In addition it was too late for them to drive to another village, so they decided to camp out for the night.
"This is so nostalgic." She murmured as they were collecting branches for the campfire. Seeing his lack of reaction, Sakura poked him in the arm. "What's wrong?"
"This isn't how I planned it to be. We should be eating sashimi and miso soup by now." He grumbled.
"To be honest, I like it how things turned out." They both dumped the twigs into a pile. "Besides, we can do all that tomorrow. Nothing disastrous happened." She gave him a side hug, her green eyes looking up to him.
"So you think it's nostalgic, huh?" Kakashi smiled down at her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Definitely. It reminds me of all the missions we had together."
"Yes, but this time we don't have to withstand Naruto's snoring."
"God, I get chills just by remembering those nights." Sakura rested her forehead on his chest, laughing at the memories. "What are you doing?" She looked up at him as he was guiding them towards the car.
"I just thought that some music would be nice." He reached inside the car through the open window and turned the radio on. The same song from the beginning of their trip started to play.
"This is nice." She sighed contentedly as they swayed to the music.
They were dancing under the moonlight, in the middle of a clearing. The scenario was so simple compared to what he had planned for. Yet to him this seemed to be much more intimate and memorable. He couldn't help but to cup Sakura's face into his hands and capture her lips in a searing kiss.