A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA FOR THE REVIEWER WHO MENTIONED LIKING THE LEE x SAKURA PAIRING!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. I will end up using it, I promise!

Thinking

Emphasis

Biju, etc. speaking

Last chapter:

Oh Kami, I just basically asked her to marry me and she said yes! Sakura's going to kill me!

Dinner that night went without a hitch. Kakashi and Naru's conversation came easily and they enjoyed each other's company. They had spent enough time together in the hospital that she was comfortable with him - and of course, he was already comfortable with her, knowing her better than she knew herself. They left the restaurant after enjoying their barbecue. Kakashi knew that Naru had had a big day.

Escorting her out with his arm around her he asked, "Are you tired? It's getting late, and I have a ton of paperwork still to do. What do you say we go home?"

Naru smiled up at him. "This might sound silly, and I should have asked before, but where is home?"

Kakashi stopped in the street and turned fully toward her. "Your home… is with me," he said firmly, running his hand through her blonde locks and looking deeply into her eyes. With me: where I can keep an eye on you and make sure you're safe. Completely safe, so that I'll never lose you again.

Naru seemed to appreciate her new room but was so tired she could barely talk. She also appreciated the kindness Kakashi-sama showed her as he pulled down the covers on the bed in the room he took her to. She crawled in, feeling exhausted. Kakashi smiled down at her, moved her legs into a better position, and pulled the covers up around her shoulders. "Thank..." she muttered.

"Out like a light," he said to himself, sitting down on her bed and watching her sleep for a bit. He saw her eyes open for a few moments and told her that he would be in his office with the door open, and pointed the way there. She nodded and was asleep again.

That was the beginning of Naru's first evening out with Kakashi and living in the tower. It and so many days and nights thereafter went without a hitch. The Hokage kept various genjutsus upon the woman he considered his fiance-but-she-doesn't-know-it-yet, but the two did attract more than a little attention as gossip began to spread that the Hokage was dating. The only person who knew who Kakashi was seeing was, of course, Sakura, but he neglected to tell her about Naru's new last name.

Sakura occasionally joined them for lunch and saw Naru regularly for follow-up medical appointments and just to visit, and she warned Kakashi privately that he was playing with fire. "Sensei, you have fangirls out there." Kakashi rolled his eyes. Carrying porn openly and hanging with Maito Gai had for the most part kept those kinds of women away for years. "And you make Naru look like different girls!" Sakura shook her head at the oblivious man. "People are going to think that you're looking actively for a wife or something. Naru really wants to meet Lee, too." She searched the man's eyes.

Kakashi sighed deeply. It wasn't like he didn't want Naru to have friends. He had good reasons for keeping her away from everyone. She still didn't have her memories or abilities, and she couldn't defend herself. And so many of her old friends - especially ones like Lee - had really big mouths. Lee could definitely keep secrets; he was a ninja after all. However, Naruto had inspired so much loyalty to not only himself but to the camaraderie of shinobi as a whole, some would no doubt feel compelled to share his - er, her - "comeback" with others. And that sharing could lead to word spreading among undesirables. Oh, and sue him if he also liked keeping Naru to himself. He was trying to court her after all, but damn if she wasn't oblivious!

"I'm back!" sang an effervescent blonde, still bouncing, having finished her exercises up and down the hall of the hospital corridor. Sakura-san, that slave-driver, made her continue to move until their appointments were nearly over. It was a pain but she could walk and stay up a lot longer now already, Naru had to admit to herself. I still fall asleep like a rock, though, and sleep half the day away. Well, it's not like I do anything anyway. "So what's next?"

"I've gotta run out for a bit, Sakura. Can Naru stay with you until I get back?" Kakashi gave her a pointed look: the genjutsu. "I'll be back shortly; I'll make sure of it."

Sakura pulled the Hokage outside the room and whispered, "Of course. Rabbit will be by in just a few minutes though, but I'll explain to her," she began.

"She understands the basic procedure. Just don't let her know about his mask and keep the curtain closed." He looked back in the room to see Naru doing jumping jacks and smiled. Sakura slapped at his gut.

"Ero-sensei," Sakura muttered. Kakashi mocked being hurt by her words and leaned into the room to let Naru know he would be back.

"See you in just a bit, baby." Said baby snorted and turned bright red as he left.

"What the hell's the matter with him?" she asked, spluttering. Suddenly there was the sound of crashing coming from far down the hallway.

"Oh Kami! On the bed, Naru!" Sakura ordered, pushing the blonde back onto a hospital bed hard and whipping a long dividing curtain that was in the middle of the room out in front of them. "Now listen here! You can't come out or look, okay? Kakashi-sensei said that you understand that ANBU have to keep their masks and identities secret right?" Naru shrugged her shoulders. If it was the old Naruto, I would definitely whack him. "Well, you better not say anything, but the person coming in…"

"Oh, buttercup!" a cheery male voice called. Naru sat up straight giddily, hands pressed together as if she were in prayer, patting her fingers against each other as if she were applauding at the same time. Sakura bowed her head and let out a deep breath, although Naru saw that the pink-haired woman was smiling.

"Stay here. Not. A. Word." Sakura ordered darkly. Naru nodded eagerly, smiling from ear to ear.

There was a deep inhale of breath from the far side of her curtain, Naru imagined that someone over there saw something incredible. "Hellooo, my beautiful blossom!" From Naru's side, a squeal of delight was heard. Sakura tucked her head into the curtain and scowled at the blonde who was unphased by the scariness that is Sakura Haruno. "Look at you this morning, my love. You are the personification of beauty and YOUTH!"

Sakura heard a deep gasp come from the opposite side of the curtain: a gasp of horror. Whatever, Naru's a weirdo. Plus, my Lee-kun is here! Squee! Sakura gave her husband a long passionate kiss and held the man up as he swooned. "How are you today, my beautiful blue beast?" she whispered into his ear. "I didn't get to see you this morning! How early did you leave?" She gave the man a few moments to snap out of his love-induced haze before shaking him vigorously. "SNAP OUT OF IT LEE!" she screamed in a deep low voice.

"Aa! Forgive me, eternal love! The radiance that flows from you has overtaken my sensibilities and made me a lesser man. For this, I will complete 50 laps around the village and another 50 for our soon-to-be-born child!" He paused. "No! That is not enough! To prove to you how much I love you and our child I will…"

Naru sat in stunned silence as she heard sucking sounds. She supposed it was perhaps very… vigorous kissing, but she was really, really glad the curtain was there to blind her from their activities one way or the other. She really wished she had a book or anything at all to occupy her mind. Sakura had ordered her to stay put, but she wanted to crawl away so, so badly. Finally, there was a loud smooching noise, which nearly made her laugh out loud, and it seemed the two were finishing up their interaction. The blonde heard Sakura sigh.

"Oh, Lee, I still have a patient, then two more this afternoon scheduled, so I really need to go. What time will I see you at home? I get off at four." There were more loud kissing sounds. Kami! Naru then heard footsteps followed by silence.

Sakura tugged open the dividing curtain, looking dazed.

"You… you're married to that guy! The.." Oh, Kami, girl: get it together! This is her husband whom she's in love with and they're having a baby! He may not be your type but he is hers! Don't be an ass! "The one in… Oh! I haven't met him properly, but the one who bounces on Kakashi's desk in the wheelchair!" Naru paused. Sakura's eyes went as wide as saucers, her eyebrows really high. "Fuck! I'm sorry, Sakura-san!" Crap, my diarrhea of the mouth strikes again! "Kakashi's always so damn rude to him!"

Sakura stared at her for a bit before she began chuckling, At first, Naru was afraid: it was a menacing chuckle, she thought, but before she knew it the pink-haired woman had her hand on her belly and was laughing with tears in her eyes. "No, no! That's Lee's sensei. They're very close: sometimes too close, I think," she wiped the tears from her eyes. "No that's not true. I love Gai - that's Lee's sensei, by the way. You should really meet him. Let's give Kaka-sensei hell about that, okay? Gai's his best friend."

"What? But Kakashi acts like such an ass around him!" Naru faux-whispered. She was shocked!

"Meh, it's just their way. I think if sensei started giving Gai his attention and being real, Gai-sensei would probably attack him thinking he was someone else. Don't worry about it." Sakura started laughing again. "I can't believe you thought I was married to Gai-sensei." She shook her head and continued moving her green chakra-enhanced hand around Naru.

"Well, Lee-san sounds like a sweetheart - and he's so obviously head-over-heels in love with you! You're so lucky, Sakura-san!" Naru bounced around on the bed at the thought of her friend's happiness. "Actually, Gai-san seems very nice, too; I just don't think I was quite prepared to see all the wild moves he was making and the things he was breaking with that wheelchair of his. Really it's impressive when you think about it."

"Hmmm. Maybe we should have you go on a date with Gai-san, ne Naru-chan?" Sakura asked mischievously. The question was more directed at the masked Hokage who was now glaring at her from the doorway Naru was turned away from.

"Is one of Kakashi's dogs here? I swear I heard a snarl…" Naru asked. Sakura smiled in delight as she held Naru's head in place, shining a bright light in her patient's eyes.

"Let's not change the topic, Naru-chaaan!" Sakura said. Kakashi loudly cleared his throat and looked at his pink-haired former student menacingly. The medic stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yay! You're back!" Naru said happily. Kakashi smirked at Sakura, who only rolled her eyes at the man. "I'm hungry. Do you want to come to lunch with us, Sakura-san?"

"Oh no, Sakura can't come to lunch with us today, Naru-chan. She's very busy."

"No, I'm not," the pinkette responded.

"Oh yes you are - well, you will be in just a bit anyway," the Hokage stated. He heard the head medic mumbling about abuses of power and forgetting favors and friendship but paid her no mind. She could get her own damn lunch after trying to set his girl up with his idiot rival. That kind of rivalry he needed even less than the one he already had to deal with. "She's all done here, right?" Sakura nodded absent-mindedly as she made notes on Naru's medical chart. "Well next time then." He grasped the blonde's hand and pulled her flush against his body as she gasped in surprise. "Ja Ne," and with that, the two disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Sakura simply shook her head. She wondered how long Naru would continue to scream from the first time use of the sunshin when they arrived at their destination.