Hi guys, me again. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy

Beki had grabbed some take out from the diner her mother liked and walked it back to Yukihana's apartment. She let herself in, put her mother's food in the fridge, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat her own meal. Initially, Beki had thought it best to head back to Hinata's. Then again, this "not-date" seemed like a big deal for Yuki. Beki always had Hinata to go to with her life's big events but all Yuki had was Beki. That's why she sat in her mother's uncomfortable armchair for hours like a worried parent waiting for Yuki to come home.

When the lock finally turned in the door Beki was half asleep. By the time Yuki had crossed the threshold, Beki had adjusted to look like she had been expecting her. Beki cocked her head with a mock look of sternness. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Yuki blinked in surprise. "I thought you went home."

Beki shrugged. "I figured you would want to talk to someone about how everything went." She gestured towards the kitchen. "There's food in there if you're hungry."

Yuki followed Beki's gesture into the kitchen. "Cool. I'm starving." Beki could hear the fridge door open.

"You mean he didn't take you for dinner?" Beki gasped. "The nerve!"

Beki could hear the clicking of the stove. It seemed Yukihana didn't believe in the use of microwaves along with most other electric appliances. "He offered. I didn't take him up on it."

Beki wrinkled her nose. "That bad, huh?"

"No," Yuki stepped into view and folded her arms. "I had already spent hours with him. I was enjoying myself but…" Yuki shook her head. "Is it weird if I say I feel guilty when I have too good of a time?"

"What do you mean?" Beki blinked. The notion was beyond her. There wasn't a single time in her memory that Beki could recall thinking that she was having too much fun and needed to reign it in. Once or twice she had felt sorry for the people around her that they weren't having as good of a time, but never enough to curtail her own enthusiasm. Yuki inhaled and looked like the words got caught in her throat. She gestured once or twice as she looked around the room, eventually backing out of sight into the kitchen. "I feel like I'm cheating on your dad."

"You know he's dead, right?" Beki said. "I don't mean to be insensitive but I can tell you on good authority that Dad wouldn't care. He…he never completely moved on, don't get me wrong, but Dad did occasionally go on dates."

Yuki stepped back into the room, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who?"

Beki shook her head. "No one important and I don't think anyone got past date number three."

"How long after?" Yuki cocked her head.

"I would say the first one I remember was when I was around ten. Dad thought maybe having a mom in my life would be good for me." Beki explained. "For all I know he could have been seeing people earlier than that, but that was the first one he told me about."

Yuki leaned against the wall and looked at her feet. "So why didn't he ever settle down with anyone?"

"It got harder as he got older. And as I got older." Beki explained. "It was one thing for women to be getting a cute little ten-year-old step daughter and another thing for it to be…well…me as I am now. I've been told I can be rather intimidating." Beki shuffled uncomfortably. "Ultimately everyone Dad ended up dating was either in it for political or monetary gain. There weren't a lot of candidates willing to marry a man who would be gone months at a time and be left to raise his teenage daughter without him."

Yuki stepped back into the kitchen and was quiet for a while. Beki heard her dumping simmering soup into a bowl. There was the clinking of cutlery, a small sigh, and Yuki stepped back into view.

"So the date." Yuki held the bowl in a towel wrapped hand. She slurped up some noodles and continued. "The movie was cute. Not so cute I was embarrassed he went with me but enough that it wasn't something that would bum us out. Then he took me to meet his dogs."

Beki blinked. "I've never seen him with dogs."

"That's the thing." Yuki held a finger. "Did you know, out there somewhere in the world, is a magical place full of talking ninja dogs?"

"Uh, no," Beki furrowed her brow. "Is this from your movie?"

"No, its real." Yuki explained. "And that's what he meant by his dogs. There was something about a blood bond…or a contract…?" Yuki shook her head. "Anyway, he tried to summon the dogs to meet me but I guess they were all busy."

Beki thought about it. "I think Naruto can summon talking toads or something."

"And so can Jiraiya. And Tsunade has a slug and Orochimaru has a snake." Yuki sputtered. "These weird ass Leaf nin and their blood contracts…"

Beki didn't need to ask what her mother meant. In Getsu, the shinobi were raised with a healthy amount of fear of making contracts with spirits. In more than one of the anecdotes she'd heard, the contractor ended up being a demon and devouring its human counterpart in the end.

"So then what?" Beki asked.

Yuki shrugged. "He walked me home and…."

"Aaand?" Beki leaned forward in her seat.

Yuki gave a sigh of resignation. "He kissed me, okay?"

Beki laughed from a girlish excitement she rarely got to feel. "He kissed you or you kissed him?"

"He kissed me! Or… maybe it was a little bit of both?" Yuki yelled out, a light blush burning at the edges of her cheeks. There was a slight humming in her ears, but she was still able to catch Beki mutter the word, "slut".

"Is it really that ridiculous to kiss your date after he walks you home? In my day, you would have been a frigid bitch if you hadn't let him cop a feel!"

Beki rolled her eyes at her mom's crass. "Anyway, you have to tell me! What does he look like under the mask?!"

Yuki wrinkled her nose. "Uh, ew?"

Beki's jaw dropped. "He's ugly?"

"No, you!" Yuki flicked some broth at Beki. "Who the hell looks when they're kissing?! What did your father teach you? That's weird!"

"Oh, come on!" Beki growled. "You aren't telling me you're not the least bit curious?!"

Yuki shrugged. "If we're being honest, I couldn't care less what he looks like."

Beki screwed up her face in disbelief.

"With the lights out, ugly or pretty isn't important. What's important is how the rest of the house is built." Yuki slurped some noodles and then let out a frustrated sigh at Beki's blank stare. "His dick. I'm talking about his dick."

Beki's eyes widened. "Ew!"

Yuki took on a lecturing tone. "Everyone wants to tell you otherwise, Beki, but it's the most important aspect of a man other than having a good heart. His money will run out, his good looks will fade, but a big dick is forever."

Beki flushed. "No, I meant 'ew' as in 'ew, you've already seen that on the first date'."

Yuki let out a small embarrassed chuckle. "Oh, uh, no. Let's just say I've got a feel for the situation and I think he's a promising candidate." She laughed as she heard Beki mutter "slut" again under her breath. "Hey, you had to get it from someone."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Beki puffed up her cheeks. "I've only been with one guy."

"Yeah, and one girl." Yuki teased.

The flush in Beki's cheeks deepened to crimson. "For the last time, mom, nothing like that has happened between me and Hinata."

"You guys like bathing in the hot springs together too much for me to buy that." Yuki stuck out her tongue.

Beki folded her arms. "For your information I'm always invited for my temperature control abilities."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with these?" Yuki cupped her own breasts suggestively. "Or because you look strikingly close to Naruto when he's pretending to be a girl?"

Beki pouted. "I don't even want to imagine what life is like in your head."

"Everything is sexier," Yuki pondered. "And people get stabbed a lot more than in real life. My hair is always perfect, too."

Beki rose. "Alright, you're home safe. I'll let you get some sleep."

"Oh no," Yuki stepped in front of the door. "Its two in the morning. You're sleeping with momma tonight."

Beki stared her down. "I am more than capable of walking myself home in Konoha."

"I have been personally responsible for enough of the horrors that take place here in the witching hour to not let you out after midnight." Yuki clapped her hands excitedly. "You're my hostage!"

Beki rolled her eyes. "Why are you so excited?"

"Because now I get to force you to help me psychoanalyze everything he said and did the entire night."

Beki thought about it for a minute. "I have to admit that is one of my favorite things to do."

"And help me jump to all sorts of baseless conclusions." Yuki grinned.

"The absolute worst. " Beki smiled back.

…

For a moment, Kakashi battled with himself over whether he should pass Yukihana by or not. They had just gone on a date the night before and although it had gone well he didn't want to appear overeager. Plus, his ego was a little bruised on his hounds bailing on him. Yuki was a shinobi of legend. He had seen her in action, sewing discord and terror amongst her opponents. She had never seen Kakashi in action, however. He had hoped that maybe the sight of his hounds would prove some of his reputation true. But when he looked at her today, there was something different about her. It was unlike Yuki, the girlish, conspiratorial way she was smiling behind her hand, the way it made the corner of her eyes wrinkle. The curiosity drew him in like a moth to a flame.

"Alright, what's the secret?" Kakashi bopped her on the head with his copy of Icha Icha.

Yuki's eyes raised coyly from her book, unsurprised to see him. "So, my daughter and I have decided you have an Oedipal complex."

Kakashi sputtered and shook his head. "What?!"

Yuki blinked. "You didn't know? Anytime a girl goes out with a boy she gathers a committee that completely dismantles everything he does and says that night. Then they form sweeping conclusions about you based on your behavior over a single night."

"No. That has literally never been brought to my attention before." Kakashi chuckled. "Your honesty is refreshing."

Yuki inhaled sharply and shook her head. "I don't know. The committee thought I was taking a bit of a risk on you but I was given permission to proceed." As she spoke, Yuki kept her eyes on her book. Kakashi was hard to look at. So much of him was concealed, a person was forced to find his eyes. Or rather, his eye. Most of the time, Kakashi's expression would appear bored or passive but Yuki knew better. Kakashi was always sizing up the situation, analyzing people's words and mannerisms. It bothered Yuki that Kakashi was perceptive enough that he could read her like a book. She could feel his eyes on her, searching for answers to questions Yuki didn't know he was asking himself.

"Hey, Yuki," Kakashi cocked his head. "Do you think it would be pretty crazy if we went out again tonight?"

"Absolutely," She laughed. "Who goes out on two dates in a row? Desperate people, that's who."

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "What if I dared you to do it?"

"Psh," Yuki scoffed. "What are we, children?"

"I double dog dare you to do it." Kakashi's voice was completely level, his expression unreadable.

Yuki looked up from her book and stared him down. "Asou Yukihana has never backed down from a double dog dare."

…

Beki stood expectantly, kanabo in hand and decked out in full armor. She cocked her head in confusion. "Training is off today?"

"Yeah," Yuki smiled. "I, well, I made plans for tonight."

Her daughter's eyes widened. "Are you plotting a murder?"

"Not tonight," Yuki shook her head. "I'm just going out."

Beki narrowed her eyes and dropped her voice to nearly a whisper. "You slut! You literally just went out with him last night!"

"I don't have to follow your dumb teenage rules, we're adults!" Yuki hissed back, matching her daughter's low volume. "We can do whatever we want! Besides, he double dog dared me."

Beki rolled her eyes. "What are you? Five?!

Yuki kicked at the gravel. "I'll have you know, I may have agreed to run away with your dad based on a double dog dare."

Beki let out an exhausted sigh. "I'll just go ask Gai sensei to train me."

"There you go," Yuki clapped her daughter on the shoulder. "That's a good use of your time. Say 'hi' to Neji for me."

At the sound of his name Beki let out an involuntary sigh. "I will. If he looks at me."

Yuki blinked. "What's up?"

"Forget about it." Beki shrugged off Yuki's hand. "Have fun on your date."

…

Yuki woke up the way she had risen from the dead. The sleep had been so deep that Yuki didn't know where she was for a moment. Her body initially didn't respond when she tried to move because her muscles were so relaxed. The room was dark despite the morning light creeping through the curtains. Yuki took a delicious stretch, her back and shoulders popping several times and curling her toes. It was then that she noticed the weight readjusting beside her.

A long and slender back rippling with muscles hovered inches away. The sheet was haphazardly draped across the man's waist and he had his pillow over his head. Yuki sat up to get a better look at him and her head swam. Oh, she took ahold of her head, glancing down at the pillow over the man's face. I drank too much last night. From her new vantage point, Yuki noticed the odd red tattoo on the bicep of the man's left arm. A few knife scars marred the otherwise perfect body on his front and sides, but his back was unmarked. No one's ever snuck up on him, then. Yuki listened to the soft breathing beneath the pillow and watched the rise and fall of his chest. From the soreness of her abs and somewhere…deeper inside of her, she knew that the pair had more than an innocent sleepover. Who was he? Yuki's stomach dropped as she searched the sleeping form and found nothing familiar.

Left with no other reassuring evidence of who her mystery paramour was, Yuki reached up and lifted the pillow just enough to peek at his face. Her jaw dropped. She had no idea who it was. The man was incredibly handsome despite the scar over one eye. She also couldn't help noticing the cute mole to the side of his soft kissable mouth. The man noticed the absence of his pillow, or maybe he sensed her eyes on him, but his eyes fluttered open.

"…Yuki?" His voice was incredibly familiar, but in the fog of Yuki's hangover she couldn't quite place it.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but…" Yuki tucked her hair behind her ear and squinted at him, desperately trying to latch onto the familiar voice. "Who are you?"

The man let out a frustrated sigh. He rolled onto his back and sat up so they were face to face. "Yuki, it's me. Kakashi."

Yuki inhaled so sharply it almost sounded like the squawk of an extinct creature.

"What?" He winced at the grating sound, his annoyance plain in the bite of his tone.

"Nooooooo!" Yuki threw herself back on the bed. "I didn't want this to happen!"

Kakashi frowned. "You mean you didn't want to sleep with me?"

"I mean yes, I physically wanted that but I'm in the middle of a damned holy war with myself and thanks to you, now I'm losing!" Yuki slammed her fists into the bed beside her.

"Forgive me for being short, but could you attempt to make an ounce of sense?" Kakashi held his throbbing head.

"I have been with one man my whole life, since I was sixteen years old." Yuki looked over at him. "I just found out he died. This…this is selfish of me. Its disrespectful to my husband's memory and…" She shook her head. "It isn't fair to you either."

"What do you mean, Yuki?" Kakashi remained sitting up, looking down on her as she threw her tantrum. "We've been dating. You didn't think that we'd eventually end up here?"

"I was just looking to have a good time with you! I had no intention of actually falling for you, Kakashi!" Yuki covered her eyes. She couldn't stand to look at him. All her shame, all her self-loathing was welling up inside her. A lump formed bitterly at the back of her throat and Yuki struggled to hold back the floodgates. Kakashi was silent. She could almost feel him searching for the words, his weight gently shifting on the bed beside her. After what felt like an eternity, he spoke at last. "Yuki…"

The gentleness in his voice set Yuki over the edge. Her shoulders heaved with silent sobs and she turned away from Kakashi in shame. Kakashi was still for a moment before speaking again. "You can't blame yourself for wanting to be happy, Yuki. You woke up in a world that had moved on without you. You lost thirteen years of your life and your husband as well. I can't imagine what that must be like for you, but I know that you deserve some happiness."

Yuki felt the guilt and despair clawing at her heart. She wanted to lash out, to tear something else down. She wanted this heavy pain out of her chest. She opened her mouth to tell Kakashi off, but his facial expression stopped her cold in her tracks. He was facing her, but with a faraway look in his eyes as if he wasn't really seeing her, but something in his mind. Kakashi lifted one arm and held it to Yuki's bare chest. He placed his palm between her breasts and held it there.

"Your heart is still beating. You're still alive to feel the pain of losing Seiichiro. You could have come out of that ice and frozen yourself off from the rest of the world. Instead, you reunited with your daughter and you are doing your damnedest to raise her as well as you can. Don't you think that maybe you are allowed to seek out some joy for yourself?"

Yuki looked at Kakashi as her eyes filled with tears. "B-But Seiichiro…"

Kakashi cut her off with his hand. "Would have wanted you to take care of his daughter. Which you are actually doing quite a good job of."

Yuki's lip trembled slightly and Kakashi couldn't tell if it was from another sob or the slight semblance of a smile. "Do you-do you…really think so?

Kakashi allowed himself to laugh softly. "Of course I do. Your daughter periodically catches on fire and parades around town with naught but cinders on for clothing. And I would be underexaggerating to say that she has an attitude about it, too. Most parents would want to run far, far away from responsibility like that. But you ran towards it. You're a great mom." Kakashi reached out and laid an arm across Yuki's waist. She didn't resist so Kakashi pulled her closer so that her head rested upon his chest.

Yuki had stopped sobbing and was breathing softly with her eyes closed.

Kakashi cupped a hand at the back of her head and pulled her gaze to meet his own. "And you know what? I didn't know Seiichiro as well as you did. He seemed like the kind of man who would break all rules and customs to do what he felt was right." Kakashi placed his hand under Yuki's chin and looked deep into her eyes. "Ask yourself one thing. Do you think he would want you to be happy?"

The moment the words left Kakashi's lips, Yuki knew he was right. Seiichiro had always gone out of his way to put Yuki's happiness before anything else. Truth that it was, it didn't make it any easier for her to swallow her guilt and accept it. She heaved a sigh and nodded "Yes. More than anything." The moment she finished speaking the tightness in her chest released and the sobs died down to nothing. "Crazy bastard."

Kakashi smiled, sensing the change in her mood. "What was that?"

Yuki pulled away and wiped the last tears from her eyes, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "You don't understand! I was betrothed to Seiichiro's brother! He literally tossed his family and inheritance out the door to run away with me." The smile started to fade as Yuki began to sink into the bittersweet memories of their past.

Kakashi broke her out of her thoughts with a playful poke in her side.

"Ouch!" Yuki cried out in mock pain.

"What would make you happy right now, this very moment?" Kakashi asked with a smile that gave her butterflies.

"To see my daughter grow up, to claim her birthright as the head of both clans, awash in riches and bathed in the blood of her enemies." Yuki looked up at him coyly, expecting a frown of disapproval. Instead, there was something in the way he was looking at her, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that demanded a flirtatious response. "But being with you is a close second."

Kakashi pulled her closer. "We can work on one of those right now."

Yuki turned towards him and shoved him in the shoulder. "You're just trying for a double play, you con artist!"

Kakashi laughed. "Is it so wrong to want to try it sober?"

Yuki threw him onto his back and climbed atop his waist. "I don't put out twice on the second date." She leaned in close to him and pressed her lips against his. "That's all you get, I'm afraid." She sat back on the bed, the mood far too intimate for her liking. All the emotional exposure had left her craving a physical barrier to make up for her emotional nakedness. "Now, if you were a real gentleman, you would go find me my robe."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "This is your apartment. How am I supposed to know where you keep your robe?"

Yuki stared him down and put her hands on her hips, daring him to keep playing dumb. Kakashi sighed, got out of bed, and grabbed her fluffy white bathrobe off the back of the bathroom door. "Here you are, your highness."

"I'm an heiress, not a duchess or a queen." Yuki puffed as she threw on her robe. "A simple 'my lady' would do just fine."

Kakashi furrowed his brow, a sly smile on his lips. "Did you miss the sarcasm?"

"I elected to ignore it." Yuki looked up at Kakashi as he prodded around the room looking for his clothes.

Yuki climbed out of bed and picked up the shirt Kakashi had tossed on the floor the night before. She held it up, ready to hand it over to him when she noticed a few splash stains. "Oops."

Kakashi held up his pants, which bore the bottom half of the splash pattern. "That's unfortunate." He signed and reached out to take the shirt.

"If you are okay going commando for a bit, I can wash these for you." Yuki offered.

"You don't have a washer and dryer, Yuki." Kakashi chuckled. "Am I supposed to sit around your apartment naked while you run down to the laundromat?"

"You forget," Yuki snatched the pants out of his hand. "I grew up on a shrine. Only the weak have washers and dryers when they have a perfectly good sink and a clothesline to use."

"Oh, my mistake." Kakashi threw up his hands in mock apology. "Let's not get you started on the how indoor plumbing and the death of the gaslight are the fall of civilization."

"Here, Mr. Bashful." Yuki opened up her closet and pulled out the only other robe she had. It was cream silk printed with enormous pink cabbage roses. Kakashi looked at the robe then at Yuki, cocking an eyebrow in disbelief. "Like you always point out, I never have company. I don't have random men's clothes lying around my apartment. Your options are to take the robe or walk around with a towel around your waist."

Kakashi slipped on the robe with a frustrated sigh. At the feel of the fine silk, he blinked in surprise. "This is surprisingly comfortable."

"Of course it is," Yuki scoffed as she headed for the kitchen. "I picked it."

Kakashi followed her into the kitchen. He watched as she plugged the sink and filled the basin with hot water. After a moment, she looked up at him expectantly. "What?"

Kakashi gestured at her cannister of coffee beans. "I was wondering if I could go ahead and make us some coffee. I wanted to make sure that I didn't have to go out back pick the beans myself."

"Shut up," Yuki groaned at his cocky smile. "The pot's on the stove."

"You don't even have a modern coffee maker!" Kakashi sighed. "Let me see if I remember how my grandfather made coffee."

"Keep mouthing off and I'm going to tie dye your clothes." Yuki raised her eyebrows and tried to fight back the smile tugging at her lips. "I'll do it! You know I will."

Kakashi chuckled and started to prepare the coffee. He was giving her a lot of flak, but the truth was he'd used stove top coffee makers plenty of times. They were handy during the blizzards Konoha had from time to time that sometimes knocked out the power for days. At the first hint of the smell of coffee, he smiled. This was going to be so good even Yuki would have a hard time complaining about it.

"Are you a breakfast person?" Yuki shook her hands over the sink, the droplets splattering against the damp bubbles of his soaking clothes. "You're welcome to whatever I have but I usually just opt for an early lunch."

Kakashi reached over and took a banana off the bunch sitting on the counter. "This is fine, don't worry. I've had worse hospitality." He smiled as he peeled it, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Yuki opened her mouth to protest, knowing there was some snide remark on the tip of his tongue. Before Yuki could stop him, he finished his thought. "I've been imprisoned and tortured before."

An idea came to her as she drowned in the sea of her frustration, one so tricky she had to stop herself from laughing aloud. "Hey, Kakashi?" Yuki asked, cocking her head innocently.

"What Yuki?" He took a bite of his banana.

"Is this cold?" Yuki reached over and pressed her first two fingers to the small of his back. It sent a jolt of intense cold up his spine and Kakashi jumped as if burned. He squared off with her, staring her down. Wordlessly, he reached over and touched her side. At contact, Yuki was given a small but powerful shock. She squealed and swatted his hand away. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" Kakashi took the pot of coffee off the heat. "You started it."

"Mine was fun. Yours was mean." Yuki rubbed her side and grudgingly fished two mugs out of her cabinet.

"And vice versa. Perspective is a funny thing, isn't it?" Kakashi watched her shrink back from his logic and he chuckled. "Where's your creamer?"

…

"So, let's be honest here," Yuki set Kakashi's cup of coffee in front of him. "Do I need to go get checked for anything?"

Kakashi cautiously picked up the mug. "What do you mean?"

"How used is the wagon I just took for a test run? Did I pick up lice from the cushions, that kind of thing." Yuki sat down across from him, her pajamas drooping so low as to endanger exposure.

Kakashi sheepishly took a sip of the coffee. "It was a new wagon."

Yuki had steeled herself for a jaw dropping number and perhaps a burning, itchy future for her one night's indiscretion. The moment Kakashi finished speaking, however, her jaw was dropping for another reason. She threw her hand over her mouth and inhaled sharply, making the same screech from earlier.

Kakashi winced. "Can you stop making that pterodactyl noise?!"

"You're a virgin!" Yuki whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Kakashi sighed with frustration.

"I can't believe it!" Yuki shook her head, her mouth still open wide but in an ear to ear grin. "You're such a pervert, though! I would have bet big money that you were a man whore!"

"I don't want to hear it from a part time stripper who allegedly only ever slept with her husband." Kakashi shot her a coy look. "I bet you were using that money to put yourself through medical school, too."

"Psh," Yuki laughed. "Don't you know it." The smiles slowly faded as the weight of Kakashi's revelation hung in the air. "Seriously though, that…makes me feel a lot better about all this."

"How do you mean?" Kakashi took a sip of the coffee. He smiled. It was good after all.

Yuki shrugged. "I know I come off as this vixen type, right?"

"That seems to be the consensus about you, yes." Kakashi nodded.

"I've never really been the casual type, though. I'm glad you aren't either. That makes this situation feel like it means something." Yuki tapped her cup on the table.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What does it mean, then?"

"Oh no," Yuki shook her head. "We aren't talking about my feelings anymore. We already did that and I'm embarrassed enough." She took a sip of her coffee. "Let's just leave it at I feel safe with you in a lot of ways and that isn't easy for me."

Kakashi cleared his throat, trying his best to look dignified in a woman's bathrobe. "Now that this is all in the air…" He watched the way Yuki avoided eye contact by pretending the contents of her cup were fascinating. "Where do we go from here, Yuki?"

"I mean, I don't have any plans so if you just want to hang around all day, that's fine by me." Yuki sipped her coffee. "There isn't really anything to do, though. It would be terribly boring for you."

Kakashi gave an exasperated sigh. "Not me. Us. Where do we go from here? You're telling me you aren't the casual type, so I'm going to assume that means you don't want us to just be friends with benefits."

"No, that would be weird." Yuki looked up at him. "You don't want to move in together or anything crazy, right?"

"Yuki, I don't want to push you into something you aren't comfortable with. I've got nothing but time, so we can do this at your pace." Kakashi watched for Yuki's tells. She was clearly nervous but not from having to come up with a pleasant faced lie on the spot.

"I don't know, Kakashi. I like us like this. If we could just keep spending time together for a while that would make me happy. I enjoy being with you and as much as I hate to admit it, last night was really good for me." Yuki explained. "I guess I'm trying to say I'm okay with us moving forward but let's go at a snail's pace until I can sort through the rest of my widow guilt."

"That's fine with me." Kakashi reached out and took ahold of her hand. "I want to be here with you. I wouldn't be here in your bathrobe if I didn't."

Yuki smiled. "Me too."