A&C

by FicReader21

For me

1. Chapter 1

A&C MM

Chapter 1

"The Hatake clan head and his last living son have been assassinated," Tobirama says slowly, staring at the tiny slip of parchment in disbelief.

The air leaves Tsunade's lungs, and despite the tears that spring to her eyes, she hurries to collect herself.

"When?" she demands, turning to face her uncle.

"Two nights ago," Tobirama replies, scanning the message once more.

Tsunade wills herself not to scream and tear everything in her study to shreds. Although her dear friend's health had been declining steadily, she has only prepared herself to hear that he had passed because of natural causes, not because of some cutthroat mercenaries.

Over the fog of grief slowly descending upon her, she vaguely hears Tobirama saying, "We must renegotiate our terms with the Hatake clan."

"Oji-san, not now," Tsunade says wearily. "The bodies have barely cooled —"

"Regardless, we must plan ahead," Tobirama says, narrowing his eyes at her.

"We haven't even told Sakura yet," Tsunade snaps. "How do you think she will react when she finds out that her intended has been assassinated? You know how fond she was of —"

Too late, they hear some shuffling behind the shoji doors. Tobirama takes long strides towards them, but by the time he opens the doors, all he sees is a flash of long pink hair disappearing around the corner.

"I think she knows now," Tobirama deadpans.

Tsunade pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Fuck," she growls.

Tobirama nods then in a rare moment of tenderness, clasps a hand on her shoulder.

"I am sorry, Tsunade," he says. "I know Jiraiya was like a brother to you."

The tears finally spill from her eyes, and she nods.

"We can discuss terms with Sakumo as soon as he is ready," Tsunade says. "To be thrust into the position of clan head so unexpectedly while grieving is —"

She cuts herself off, her throat closing up.

Tobirama nods. He knows. Tsunade had to deal with this herself when her beloved father passed.

"So be it." Tobirama looks out into the hallway again and says, "I can tend to Sakura. If you need a moment alone."

Tsunade nods.

"Thank you, oji-san." She pauses and adds, "No politicking, please."

Tobirama smiles wryly.

"Of course."

It takes some time, but Tobirama finds Sakura by the lake. She is staring listlessly at the clear waters, and for one worrying moment, it almost looks as though she is leaning towards the surface.

"Sakura-hime," Tobirama says sharply.

She turns to face him. The skin around her eyes is red and swollen, but the tears have already been wiped away.

"Sit with me, child," Tobirama says, gesturing to the bench further away from the lake's edge.

She does. They sit together for an hour, unspeaking, until Sakura finally says, "We must renegotiate our terms with the Hatake clan."

Tobirama laughs humorlessly. This is why, despite being the youngest of Tsunade's children, Sakura is his favorite.

"I said the same thing," he says. "But I promised your mother I wouldn't speak with you about any of that." At the shaky smile on Sakura's face, Tobirama sighs then adds, "Are you still willing to marry?"

"I don't think I have a choice," Sakura says, glancing down at her lap. She clenches her hands into fists; it is a bad childhood habit that only crops up in times of great distress. "There is a new clan heir?"

"Yes," Tobirama says, recalling a name. "His name is Kakashi." He grimaces then adds, "He is a widower."

Sakura nods, her green eyes dull.

"Sukea —" her voice catches in her throat when she says his name. "Sukea mentioned this Kakashi before. He's only said good things."

From what he has observed of the young man, Tobirama does not believe Sukea was capable of saying an unkind thing about anyone or anything, even if it was true, but he keeps that to himself.

"You don't have to marry him in two weeks," Tobirama says instead. "We can postpone the date."

"No," Sakura says softly. "If this was a calculated attack by the Uchiha, we cannot wait."

Tobirama nods, closing his eyes.

"I will write to the new Hatake clan head as soon as your mother allows."

Sakura smiles bravely in response. Then she tenses up, brutally silent sobs wracking through her body. Taking deep, steady breaths, Tobirama holds her to his chest until she runs out of tears.

"We need the Senju now more than ever, Kakashi," his father says. "It is your duty as clan heir to marry the girl."

Underneath the authoritative tone is a gruffness that betrays the extent of Sakumo's grief. The Hatake warrior clan is no stranger to loss, but the assassination of Jiraiya and his last living son, Sukea, at the hands of Uchiha-hired mercenaries remains particularly difficult to swallow, especially after the funeral.

"This is the same girl who was promised to Sukea?" Kakashi says.

It still hurts to speak his younger cousin's name out loud. The kind-hearted boy was practically his brother.

"Yes," Sakumo says.

Kakashi tries to remember everything Sukea had said about his betrothed. Nothing significant comes to mind, mostly because Sukea had only ever warbled on about the girl's beauty and not much else.

"How old is she?"

Sakumo does not flinch.

"She will be old enough to marry. Next week."

It takes everything in Kakashi not to sneer.

"I will not marry, much less marry a child."

"Kakashi. " Sakumo's voice holds no room for argument. "The clan —"

"I have won wars for this clan. I have killed children for this clan. I have given them everything."

"And now they are asking for more." Sakumo sighs then pinches the bridge of his nose. "Kakashi, it has been years since Rin —"

"Don't say her name," Kakashi says tiredly. "Please, otou-san."

Sakumo nods.

"It would not be a betrayal to marry again, Kakashi," is what he settles on saying.

"Would you be able to? If you lost okaa-san?"

Next to Sakumo, Aiko finally speaks.

"Enough, Kakashi. We are not dealing with hypotheticals. These are the circumstances, and we must face them head on."

After a long, terse silence, Kakashi nods in deference to his mother.

"I will marry her," he says in a dull voice. "What is her name?"

"Sakura."

They say nothing about whether she is beautiful or witty or charming because they know none of it matters to Kakashi.

Whoever she is, she will pale in comparison to Rin.

Always.

Kakashi does not meet his bride until the wedding day.

The girl looks like she belongs to some other world, for lack of a better description. The elegant features of her face save her from looking utterly ridiculous, what with her waist-length pink hair, green eyes, and the small purple gem in the middle of her forehead held up by the delicate circlet she wears to denote her status as a main house female member of the Senju clan.

Kakashi opts to keep his mask on for the entirety of the wedding. He can tell the Hatake clan elders are not pleased with this choice, as he is technically no longer a branch house member, but Kakashi is in no mood to accommodate them further.

For the briefest of moments, the girl shrinks away from him, her eyes flitting over his black mask, then the fierce scar over his left eye, and finally his white hair with no small measure of panic. It is not until the severe-looking grey-haired Senju who is officiating the ceremony nods at her that she straightens her spine and steps closer to Kakashi, fixing her face into something brave.

She is frightened of him. Perhaps it is a good thing he has kept his mask on.

Kakashi only removes it during the san san kudo ceremony, and quickly pulls the fabric back up when he no longer has to drink. His bride keeps her eyes on the grey-haired Senju the entire time, her gaze wandering over the three red tattooed lines on his face, and she does not look at Kakashi again until she must.

Neither Kakashi nor his bride speak to each other or eat much during the celebratory dinner. Judging from the pink of her cheeks, the sake from the san san kudo ceremony has gotten to her, and once again, Kakashi is reminded of how young she is. It takes all of Kakashi's willpower not to snort when one of his clansmen winks at him.

And when their families all but seal them into their new sleeping chambers, Kakashi presses his lips into a thin line as she begins to undress herself with shaky hands.

"Take the futon. I will sleep on the tatami mat," he says.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her freeze.

"Have I displeased you, Kakashi-sama?" she asks in a small, demure voice.

The Senju call her Sakura-hime. He wonders if she expects him to do the same.

"Just Kakashi," is all he says before laying down.

The mask stays on. Kakashi waits until her breathing is even and measured before sneaking out to the kitchens where he fixes himself a simple meal of eggplant miso soup and rice. He eats under Rin's favorite tree before visiting her gravestone.

He takes off his mask and kneels, touching his forehead to the stone.

"I miss you," he says.

The stone says nothing back.

"She has pink hair," he says, laughing incredulously. "And she wears a jewel on her forehead. She turned eighteen last week." He stares down at his hands. "The elders will expect a child soon. I don't know if I can. With her. She's practically a child herself." With a sigh, he says, "Perhaps someone trustworthy can impregnate her in my stead. I'm sure Genma would be happy to do it."

The silence coming from the stone is almost an exasperated one.

Defensively, Kakashi says, "The clan presented women to me when they found out you couldn't have children. I don't see why we can't do it the other way around as well."

An errant leaf wafts through the breeze and tangles itself into his hair.

"All that matters is that she is married to me when she provides the clan with a child," he argues against the silence.

He sits at Rin's grave quietly after that, and it is only when the sky begins to glow purple when he decides to return to his room.

When he opens the door and settles down onto the tatami mat, he does so quietly, and it only takes him a few seconds to hear his new wife's congested breathing.

She has been crying.

Kakashi closes his eyes and tries to sleep.

Tries.

"Sleepless night?" Genma asks lasciviously when Kakashi shows up for their morning spar at sunrise.

Kakashi's shoulders droop.

"Not for the reasons everyone is wishing for," he says, his voice gruff from fatigue.

Genma grimaces.

"It wouldn't hurt to be a little less cold to her," Genma says, shrugging.

"I wasn't cold to her."

"You didn't speak a single word to her last night," Genma says wryly. "And you looked like you'd have rather licked everyone's armor clean." When Kakashi doesn't deny this, Genma adds, imploringly, "She's nice."

"You've spoken with her?" Kakashi deadpans.

"A few times, when…" Genma trails off, and only continues when Kakashi nods. "When Sukea was courting her."

Kakashi tilts his head.

"I didn't think Sakura-hime would speak to retainers."

Genma laughs.

"She's not like that. Not as much as you think. The Senju only call her hime because they love her and her mother so much."

Kakashi says nothing after that, but as they spar, he strikes Genma harder than usual with their practice swords.

"When are you going to stop wearing the mask?" Genma asks an hour later, mopping the sweat off his brow. "I keep forgetting you're not a branch member anymore."

Kakashi sighs. It is still strange to see Sakumo walking around the Hatake grounds with his face exposed. On the other hand, his mother has been both pleased and annoyed with this development.

"Now everyone knows how handsome my husband is," she lamented the first day Sakumo put the mask away, and despite her crossed arms and the exaggerated scowl on her face, it was apparent that Aiko delighted in the very visible blush that colored Sakumo's cheeks.

"When I'm clan head," Kakashi says. "No sooner."

"You'll have to take it off sooner or later," Genma says drolly. "The elders will throw a fit, now that you're married."

"It doesn't feel right to stop wearing it," Kakashi says tiredly.

Genma raises an eyebrow.

"The mask doesn't change the fact that you are the clan heir now, my friend. Or rather, Kakashi-sama."

Kakashi half-heartedly smacks Genma's leg with the practice sword.

"Don't call me that."

"Your first command outside of battle! You're getting the hang of this after all."

Kakashi keeps himself busy for the rest of the day overseeing his clansmen's training drills. Close to noon, the sweltering heat of the sun forces Kakashi to call for a break. To cool off, many of the clansmen untie or remove their hitatare as they move to line up for the meals being distributed by the branch house wives.

As Kakashi grabs a bowl of his own and gets in line, some murmuring breaks out. The men are looking to their right. Kakashi glances over and sees a flash of pink loitering at the edges of the training ground.

Sakura is dressed in a simple pink yukata. Her long hair has been gathered into a loose braid to help her stave off the heat, and at the top of her head sits that same delicate circlet with its purple gem.

She looks entirely lost, like she does not belong. And her eyes scope the sea of near-identical Hatake clansmen with their white hair and masked faces, almost certainly looking for him.

Kakashi stays in line. She won't find him, not with his mask on, unless —

Sakura hesitantly approaches Hideo, one of the Hatake clan's youngest warriors at just seventeen years old. Kakashi watches as she bows gracefully, despite the stiffness in her shoulders, then speaks with a polite smile on her face, her eyes resolutely staying above the hem of Hideo's mask to avoid looking at his bare chest. Hideo quickly stands from his sitting place on the tree stump, wipes his hands clean on his hakama, then bows to her before nodding towards Kakashi's direction.

Immediately, the scattered clansmen part to make a path for her, one that leads directly to him. Kakashi does not move. Perhaps she still can't see him.

"I can escort you to Kakashi-taichou, if you would like, Sakura-hime," he hears Hideo say eagerly.

Kakashi sighs underneath his mask. There is no use pretending that he does not know that she is here.

He turns to face them, only when they are close enough.

"Good afternoon," Kakashi says mildly.

"Good afternoon," Sakura replies politely. "I came to ask if you wanted to take your next meal with us inside."

She keeps her eyes down the entire time she speaks. Perhaps it is because next to Kakashi, Takumi has crossed his arms over his exposed chest. With some amusement, Kakashi wonders if this is his new wife's first time seeing so much of a man's body.

"I eat with my clansmen during training," he says. "Camaraderie and all that."

Sakura nods.

"Of course," she says almost immediately. "That is good to know." With another quick nod towards Hideo and the rest of the men, she says loudly, "Good luck with your training. All of you."

Around the training ground, there is a smattering of murmurs: "Thank you, Sakura-hime."

"I can escort you to the dining hall, Sakura-hime," Hideo offers very generously.

Sakura pauses.

"Perhaps you should put on more clothes?" she says, the tips of her ears going pink.

Takumi laughs deep in his chest, and the rest of the men follow. Meanwhile, Hideo smiles widely underneath his mask, and without breaking eye contact with Sakura, he reaches his left arm outwards to catch his hitatare that someone so kindly threw in his direction. Kakashi's eyebrow twitches as Hideo deliberately flexes his exposed muscles before shrugging on the hitatare and tying the sash around his waist.

"I hope this will suffice, Sakura-hime," Hideo says in a playful, cocksure voice.

"Thank you, Hatake-san," she says.

"You can call me Hideo, if it pleases you, Sakura-hime."

After Hideo leads her away, chattering casually and pointing at the various weapons and training dummies strewn around the area, Takumi nudges Kakashi and says, "Nobody would blame you if you wanted to spend more time with your new wife."

A low, collective chuckle buzzes around the training ground once more, but the men present know better than to say anything more suggestive about Kakashi and the glamorous addition to their clan.

Kakashi does not acknowledge the comment, but he does crack down on the men harder once they are done eating.

"That's enough for today," Kakashi finally says, but only after at least five men, coincidentally including Takumi and Hideo, throw up from completing the brutal drill that Kakashi set for them.

As the men retreat to the west wing, Kakashi reluctantly walks with them to the bathhouse and cleans himself in time for dinner. He even gets to the dining hall early.

Despite this, the elders are not pleased.

"Where is Sakura-hime?" Daichi asks.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow.

"You can remember names after all, Daichi-ojii-san," Kakashi says mildly. "That would have been useful ten years ago."

When Rin was still here.

Daichi is unbothered.

"Escort Sakura-hime to dinner. Now." Daichi eyes the black fabric around Kakashi's face. "And remove your mask."

Kakashi does not remove his mask, but he does fetch Sakura from their room. She is reading by the window, and Kakashi's breath catches in his throat when he sees Rin's familiar chicken scratch on the scroll.

"Where did you get that?" he asks.

Sakura glances up, startled. Her eyes shine emerald under the cool blue glow of the twilight, and her long hair almost appears the same shade of lilac as the gem in the center of her forehead.

"The library." A generous label. The small room filled with boxes of dusty scrolls, mostly of Jiraiya's battle plans and intelligence reports from Hatake scouts, hardly counts as a library. "Your clan has compiled some medical scrolls I've never seen before."

She sounds excited. Kakashi breathes deeply to stop himself from snapping at her.

"Please don't touch those. You can read everything but the medical scrolls."

Sakura frowns.

"Why? They're not old. The parchment is sturdy —"

"They belonged to my wife."

Sakura flinches. She understands that he is not talking about her.

"I'm — I'm very sorry," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

With great care, she tucks the scroll back into its cylindrical holder. Despite the serene expression on her face, Kakashi would have to be especially dense to miss the way her eyes have slowly welled up with tears.

Kakashi sighs.

"Come with me," he says, sounding only half as exhausted as he feels. "I will escort you to dinner."

She nods, keeping her eyes down as they walk side by side to the dining room. Purely out of habit, Kakashi makes his way to his usual seat at the branch house table, gesturing for Sakura to take her place opposite him.

Before she can sit, Daichi rises from his seat at the table reserved for main house members and elders, and he says, "Kakashi, Sakura-hime, please take your rightful places."

He then gestures to the two empty seats next to Sakumo in the very center of the main house table.

Paralyzed with rage, Kakashi barely manages to take short, shallow breaths.

In the early months of their marriage, Rin spent too many nights crying into his shoulder, wishing that she could sit next to him during clan dinners rather than opposite him, thereby putting her next to the branch house wives. Unfortunately, the privilege of sitting together was only reserved for married couples in the main house, and despite Aiko's best efforts, many of the branch house wives had openly shunned Rin for her low birth, her lack of a dowry, and then later for her inability to bear children.

"Forgive me, Daichi-ojii-san," he hears Sakura saying. "It was my blunder."

"You are hardly to blame, Sakura-hime," Daichi says. "After all, your husband still wears his mask like a branch member."

From the table where the retainers sit, Genma raises his eyebrow at Kakashi as if to say, I told you so.

"Nevertheless, I am fortunate to have a husband who embodies the fine virtue of modesty, Daichi-ojii-san," Sakura asserts boldly. "It is a quality that will serve any leader better than pride."

The entire dining room goes quiet. Genma averts his gaze from Kakashi, wide-eyed. Daichi stares at Sakura for a very long time, and the moment he opens his mouth, Aiko cuts in: "I couldn't agree more, my dear. Now hurry and take your seats, both of you. We mustn't let the food get cold."

Stiffly, Kakashi rises to take the empty spot to his father's right and he keeps his eyes locked ahead. Only the soft smell of perfume lets him know that Sakura has taken her place beside him.

It should be Rin here. Not this silver-tongued upstart of a child who was born into wealth and privilege and respect.

Mutinously, Kakashi does not touch a single dish. And he does not speak to anyone, not even his father.

The hunger hardly registers by the time they retreat for the night, and the moment his head hits the tatami mat, Kakashi falls asleep. At dawn, he wakes with his eyes stubbornly glued shut. A cursory sniff at the faintly perfumed air tells him that Sakura has already begun her day.

On the way to meet with Genma, Takumi stops Kakashi in his tracks.

"Sakumo-sama is asking for you. He says it is urgent."

Some minutes later, next to his father, Kakashi listens carefully to the Hatake scouts' concerning reports: the Uchiha are closing in on Senju-ruled territory and choking supply lines.

It only takes one meaningful glance from Sakumo for Kakashi to jump into action. Immediately, Kakashi barks out a command for a quarter of the Hatake forces to be ready for departure within an hour.

After fetching his things from his room, Kakashi briskly makes his way to the stables. As he gets closer, his heart drops when, over the heads of white hair, he sees a flash of pink in front of the stall furthest away.

Cursing to himself, Kakashi barrels through the bodies, ready to save his new wife from being eaten alive by —

Pakkun is calmly eating apples out of Sakura's hand. She stares at Kakashi and his disheveled appearance, wide-eyed.

"Is everything alright, Kakashi-sa — Kakashi?" she immediately corrects herself.

After a long silence, in which Kakashi looks over Sakura a dozen times to make sure she isn't missing any limbs or fingers, he finally says, "Pakkun doesn't like people."

Ridiculously, he notices how she still holds herself like nobility, despite her plain grey yukata. Perhaps it is because she is still wearing the circlet with the purple gem on her head.

A tiny flash of a smile makes an appearance on Sakura's face before disappearing.

"His name is Pakkun?" she asks neutrally.

Kakashi crosses his arms.

"He was my very first horse. I named him when I was a child."

Kakashi does not know why he is explaining himself to her. Pakkun is a perfectly fearsome name for a warrior's horse.

"Pakkun is a beautiful boy," she says, running a hand over the horse's face. Pakkun nudges his nose into her other hand, snorting when he finds it empty of apple slices. Then he nuzzles the side of Sakura's cheek, and irrationally, Kakashi feels betrayed. Pakkun has only ever reserved such affection for Rin, and too suddenly, Kakashi is reminded all over again that this pink-haired princess with her jewels is not his deceased wife.

"He is also dangerous," Kakashi says, barely restraining a sigh.

"But Takumi-san said —"

"Takumi does not know what he is talking about." When did she manage to speak to Takumi, much less find out his name? "Do not visit Pakkun again without my permission."

Something ignites in Sakura's eyes, but it disappears as quickly as it appears.

"Yes, Kakashi," she says in that same quiet, demure voice from the first night. "I am sorry."

Kakashi nods tersely, pets Pakkun's snout, then turns on his heel to fetch Bisuke instead. Sakura falls into step with him.

"Are you leaving with everyone?" she asks, her eyes lingering on the pack he is holding.

"Yes," he answers in a clipped voice.

"You're bringing too many men for a scouting mission. You're leaving to fight, aren't you?"

Kakashi takes longer strides. She walks faster to keep up.

"How long will you be away?" she asks.

"You're asking many questions," he says mildly when it becomes very obvious that she won't leave him alone.

Sakura blushes.

"I am your wife," she says. Because he clearly needs the reminder. "It eases my mind to know where you are and what you are doing."

Kakashi hums as he readies Bisuke for the journey ahead.

"We should be back in three or four days. Possibly five."

And with that informative answer, Kakashi climbs onto Bisuke and clicks his tongue. At once, Bisuke whinnies then gallops out of the stable, away from Sakura.

Kakashi's initial estimate of three or four and possibly five days is incorrect. They stay for two weeks to seize and secure the necessary territory, and this does not trouble Kakashi in the slightest. The longer he is away from home, the longer he can distract himself from the looming responsibility of furthering the Hatake line.

But he is not the only one away from home.

"The men are getting restless," Genma tells him quietly one night over a shared bottle of sake in Kakashi's tent. "The border has been secure for long enough."

Clenching his jaw, Kakashi finishes what is left of his drink before pulling his mask back up.

"You're right. It's time."

He stands and exits the tent, Genma following close behind him. As they approach the large group of Hatake clansmen surrounding the fire, they hear Hideo slurring: "She's wasted on the old man. He doesn't even want her." The men clamor rowdily at his words, which prompts Hideo to shout, "All I'm saying is that if Sakura-hime were my wife, I'd be rushing to get back home and —"

"Stop!" someone hisses.

Slowly, the men turn to look at Kakashi, who remains standing outside the circle with his arms relaxed by his sides.

"Don't stop on my account, Hideo-kun," Kakashi says pleasantly. "Finish your sentence."

Hideo blushes.

"I — I was done speaking. Taichou."

"No, you weren't. You said that if Sakura-hime were your wife, you'd be rushing to get back home and…" Kakashi trails off. "And what?"

Beside him, Genma shuffles uneasily.

When Hideo does not speak, Kakashi walks closer to him and slowly tugs his mask down. Hideo's eyes widen as he takes in the grisly scar that stretches all the way down to Kakashi's jaw.

Kakashi leans in and says, "Whisper, if you're nervous about finishing your sentence in front of everyone. Go on. You can tell Kakashi-jii."

In the background, someone coughs.

"Ah, perhaps you forgot," Kakashi says thoughtfully. He glances at the rest of the men. "If we throw out some guesses, will that help you remember your thoughts?"

"I'm sorry, taichou," Hideo finally stammers. "I should not have spoken so disrespectfully about you and Sakura-hime."

Kakashi sighs then glances at the rest of the men. Their shoulders are stiff and their eyes are looking anywhere but him.

"Coincidentally, I came here to announce that we'd be going home. I intended on giving you a day to recover from your night of merriment," Kakashi says, looking pointedly at the empty sake barrels, "but since many of us are eager to return, we can leave at dawn." To his men's credit, not a single sound of complaint reaches his ears. "Get some sleep."

As he and Genma walk back to the tents, Genma grumbles, "Remember how cute Hideo-chan used to be? He's been such a cocky little bastard ever since he hit his growth spurt."

Kakashi hums in agreement. And to everyone's shared misery, they manage to make the one day journey back home in half a day because of the grueling pace Kakashi has set.

"You can thank Hideo-kun for reminding me why I should be so eager to return to the compound," Kakashi says pleasantly when a hungover clansman hauls himself to the side so that he does not throw up on his horse.

Unfortunately, he does not manage to pull his mask down.

The welcome home is more festive than usual. Kakashi tries to put his finger on what's different, and he can't quite pinpoint it until he sees Sakura making her way around the horses to personally welcome each soldier back home, smiling knowingly at each branch wife before moving on.

Kakashi frowns. The branch wives are difficult to win over, and yet this girl has managed to do it within the space of two weeks. But then again, it must have been easy to win them over with her pretty words and charming smiles.

He certainly knows that Rin would have won them over within a day if she came from a noble clan and wore a jewel on her head as well.

"Welcome home, Kakashi."

Sakura is in front of him, and despite the neutral expression on her face, she looks positively luminous. Her emerald green eyes are feverishly bright, her cheeks are pleasantly flushed, and her skin holds what is almost an effervescent glow.

"Thank you," he says politely, handing Bisuke's reins over to one of the younger Hatake cousins.

"I can help you with your armor," she says, falling into step with him.

"That is kind of you, but unnecessary," Kakashi says in that same polite tone. "I'll see you at dinner."

Sakura understands the nicety for what it is. For the first time that evening, her smile wavers before snapping back into place.

"Of course," she says. She stands in place, and even as Kakashi continues to walk, he feels her eyes on the back of his neck.

Thankfully, she is not so attentive during dinner. Truth be told, she appears wholly distracted, her eyes clouded over and unfocused. She does not even turn her head to look at him when he removes his mask to eat.

Kakashi shrugs to himself, only checking to see if she has eaten before immersing himself in a conversation with Sakumo about the events of the past two weeks.

"The Uchiha are making bolder moves, and they are seeking alliances of their own," Sakumo says, frowning. "Soon, even the combined forces of the Senju and Hatake will not be enough to take them on."

Interestingly, this is what snaps Sakura out of her reverie. For the briefest moment, her eyes dart over to Sakumo before settling vaguely on the plate in front of her.

"We can discuss this tomorrow, after a good night's rest," Kakashi says, but only because he finds the dark circles under his father's eyes to be a matter of concern. Sakumo's brief time as clan head has clearly been unkind.

"That is a wise suggestion, my son," Sakumo says.

Kakashi escorts Sakura to their room, very much looking forward to getting a full night of sleep. However, it appears that Sakura has different plans.

"I am so pleased to have you back home, Kakashi," she says quietly when he closes the shoji doors.

"Thank you," he says, a strained smile on his face.

She looks up at him, a strangely calculated gleam in her eyes, then she says, "Can I show you how happy I am to have you here with me?"

Kakashi blinks. Gone is the sweet, demure voice; it has been replaced with something dark, sultry, and Kakashi gets the distinct feeling that he has unsuspectingly walked right into a trap.

"Wait —" In one graceful motion, she unties her yukata and shrugs it off, revealing smooth, luminous skin and soft, full breasts. Kakashi's eyes widen. "You don't have to —"

"I want to," she murmurs, pressing herself up against him and then brushing her lips against his mask.

To Kakashi's horror, he feels himself harden almost instantaneously. He pushes her away, his heart beating erratically against his ribcage.

Sakura frowns.

"What's wrong?" she says.

"Nothing," Kakashi says immediately, keeping his eyes on the jewel in the middle of her forehead. "Nothing's wrong. You're —" he exhales sharply out of his nose. "It's not you. It's me." Sakura looks confused. "I'm tired from the journey," he says, and even though the statement is true, it somehow sounds unconvincing.

"That's fine," she says slowly. "I've seen illustrations of positions that wouldn't require you to make much movement —"

"Not tonight," Kakashi says. He closes his eyes but snaps them open again because his treacherous mind has conjured up the image of Sakura pinning him down and riding him to completion. "We can try tomorrow," he offers up weakly.

This works.

Sakura nods.

"Will you sleep beside me tonight?"

Kakashi freezes. He has no real reason to reject this request.

He smiles weakly in response and follows her to the futon.

"You forgot this," he says stiffly, holding up her discarded yukata. It is still warm.

"Did I?" Sakura asks a touch playfully. At his dead-eyed gaze, she stops smiling then takes her yukata from him, slowly slipping herself back into it.

To his immense relief, she does not drape herself over him when they lay on the futon together. With some panic, Kakashi mentally takes stock of all the branch wives, wondering who could have possibly influenced Sakura to behave so forcibly.

Still, he reassures himself as he closes his eyes, there are ways to dissuade her.

So Kakashi remains on his back, crosses his arms over his chest, and slowly allows his mind to drift off. Right on cue, the first snore reverberates through his sinuses like thunder, and he feels Sakura twitch beside him.

Kakashi smirks to himself and indulges in another loud, earth-shattering snore before finally succumbing to sleep.