Hi everyone. This chapter marks the end of what I built up during the month hiatus. I was really happy how this turned out and I hope you all enjoy it as well. Thank you to those who have reviewed and I look forward to hearing what you think.

"You really think this is such a good idea?" Miki frowned at the wagon and the shifty animal in front of it.

"You don't like horses?" Yuki threw her a sidelong glance.

Miki shook her head. "They don't like me either."

"Well, you'll be back there with Beki." Yuki hopped into the driver's seat and took up the reigns. "It'll only be a day's journey."

"I don't know why we don't just walk," Beki adjusted her shawl. Even though it was late summer, Miki insisted Beki wear the thing to keep the sun off her and had an umbrella on standby if the shawl wasn't enough. Beki felt like a tiny grandma between her shawl and her reliance on a cane to get by. After people got over the initial shock of Beki being alive after all this time, they would be reduced to laughter at the sight of her.

"Because you're pregnant, Beki," Miki sighed as she tossed her duffle bag into the wagon. It was full of medical supplies just in case any of Beki's wounds started acting up. "You can't out stubborn your condition."

"Aren't you nervous about leaving Chiba behind?" Beki asked.

Miki shook her head. "I make day trips into town all the time. I'm the least notorious of the three of us so I have to do all the supply runs. As for what happens while I'm gone, I always come back to find her in one piece."

"I walked in on Kabuto having her wash scalpels." Beki confessed. "He asked me politely to keep it between us in his 'I'll kill you if you say a word' sort of way."

Miki let out a frustrated sigh. "We'll pretend I didn't hear you, then."

"You think he would actually do something?" Beki furrowed her brows. "I mean I get that he's scary and all, but I've never actually seen him do anything mean."

Miki shook her head. "He's mostly all bark now but you can never be a hundred percent sure. He probably wouldn't kill you but might do something like slip a powerful laxative into your drink."

Beki scrunched up her nose. "Duly noted."

...

The trip into Konoha was uneventful but excrutiatingly long. Being outside again served as a painful reminder to Beki how feeble she had become. The birds were singing and a cool breeze rustled the leaves of the trees. The sharp smell of summer grass and the earthy scent of rich dirt filled the air. How Beki longed to be on her feet again, racing as fast as she could down the trail. She could almost feel herself leaping through the air from tree branch to tree branch, the wind whipping her hair and the leaves and twigs brushing against her skin. It made her heart ache and her back hurt.

Miki assured Beki she would run again but not until long after the baby was born, due to the damage to her back. Her legs were otherwise unaffected and would just have to be built up with endurance. As for her arms, Beki felt like a cheap doll. The injuries Beki had sustained to her upper back affected the muscles associated with elevating her arms past her shoulders, crossing her arm past the center line of her body, and rotating her arms. Just as she had learned trying to open doorknobs in Orochimaru's base, Beki quickly realized her career as a shinobi was over. She could never again wield her father's kanabo, let alone open jars by herself. It would be an incredibly frustrating and compromised existence but Beki was alive. She rubbed her belly subconsciously. Her career being over wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Beki had a different job now, one that was just as important as being an ambassador, if not more so. As an ambassador, Beki had acted in representation of the people of Getsu to other nations. Now, she was growing a wee person inside herself. Someone that for the first several years of their life, Beki would be the only thing ensuring their survival. They would be completely dependent on her and that meant Beki had no time to be sorry for herself. Whenever Beki caught those emotions creeping in, the frustration, the devastation of the loss of her functionality, she took those feelings and crammed them in a box like Yuki told her to. One day when they were all safe, maybe when the baby was in school, Beki could take out the box and finally mourn her losses.

The nausea was creeping up on Beki. The wagon wasn't the smoothest ride and over the last week or so Beki was seriously feeling the morning sickness. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, ignoring the way the bile worked its way up her throat.

"Here," Miki tapped her arm with something. Beki opened an eye and spotted a sleeve of saltines. Miki gave her a small smile. "These helped me a lot with Chiba."

Beki nodded and nibbled on them slowly, savoring the salt as it slowly eased the sick away.

"So as for our future plans," Miki leaned in. "I'm assuming you'll stay in Konoha after all this?"

Beki shrugged. "It depends. That's the plan but if things don't work out…" She frowned. Beki had no idea what they would do if things didn't work out. "Mom? What are we going to do if we can't stay in Konoha?"

Yuki shrugged. "I can always get us smuggled back into Getsu. We have my family's home outside of Kami to Akuma. The Tsukimori might try to make trouble for us but if that's our only option, at least we have one."

"I'm asking because in about six month's time, give or take a couple weeks, you're going to need help to deliver that baby." Miki took a saltine for herself. "Kabuto runs the orphanage outside Konoha where he grew up-"

Beki blinked. "He works with kids?"

"He's better with kids than he is with adults, believe me," Miki sighed. "Anyway, what I was going to say was regardless of your plans, you should stick nearby so we can help you with the delivery. I don't know where you'll be in six months recovery-wise, but I don't think a run of the mill doctor would be your best option."

"Considering my now extensive medical history," Beki nodded. "I got it. Regardless of what happens, we have to stay nearby so you and Kabuto can deliver it." Beki wrinkled her nose. "Can we not do it in Orochimaru's base, though? I'm grateful and all but that place creeped me the hell out."

Miki nodded. "That's why I brought up the orphanage. They're too far outside town to run kids to the hospital all the time. There's a well-stocked infirmary there. You could come down to the orphanage and we could take care of it there."

"If you think that's best." Beki sighed. "We're getting a little ahead of ourselves here."

"Hey, it took us four years to figure out how best to pull you out of that ice in one piece," Miki nibbled. "We don't leave anything up to chance."

…

"So how are we going to get in?" Beki looked up at the gates. It was just after sunset and the guards were changing shifts. "Do we just walk up and say, 'Hi! We're alive'?"

Yuki laughed. "Uh, no. It's pretty easy to sneak into a ninja village."

Beki looked at Miki who gave her a sly, sheepish grin. "She isn't wrong. If you've done it once, it's all the same, really."

Beki gave them both a look of disgust. "Criminals, both of you."

Yuki hopped out of the driver's seat and Miki climbed up front. "This is where I leave you two. Be safe. I'll come find you in a week and see how things went."

Yuki helped Beki out of the back of the wagon. She gave her mother a suspicious look, staring her down. "How are we getting into town?"

"I'm going to have to carry you," Yuki took her hand and led her into the woods. "It involves me and an impressive ice ramp."

Beki's eyes widened. "An ice ramp?! Oh no. I don't like the sound of this-"

Yuki pinched her ear. "Trust me, okay? We try to get in any other way and our asses are captured and interrogated. The last thing we need is you tied to a chair getting questioned. Breathe deep and try not to stress."

Yuki led her daughter to the land above the Hokage monument. It was a picturesque view looking over Konoha. The city had changed since the last they saw it. Beki noticed modern looking buildings had replaced some of the older structures in town. It was also less sleepy than she recalled. The streets were full of people and more businesses were open after nightfall. It was jarring, the same way as waking up in a different bed felt. She had opened her eyes, expecting familiar surroundings, only to be startled by bright lights and loud sounds. Then came the sad, slow realization that life had gone on without her for four years.

"How did you do this?" Beki shook her head and gave Yuki an empathetic look. "Everything...everything is so different. It's changed so much while we've been gone."

Yuki was silent for a moment. Konoha, for all its backwards backwater tendencies had become a safe place for her. A new home of sorts. Seeing it advance so suddenly was almost as bad as it had been going back to Getsu the first time. Almost. "It isn't easy." Yuki breathed the familiar smell of pine and brushed hair out of her face. "You just do what you can to make a new normal as fast as possible. Find a new grocery store, a new restaurant, and a place to stay as fast as you can." Her eyes widened and she swore. "Shit. My apartment."

Beki blinked and then the realization hit her, too. "They probably gave that away a long time ago."

"And with it, all my stuff." Yuki took a deep breath and shook her head. "Oh well. We're crashing at the inn, I guess."

"If the inn is still there," Beki squinted in the dim light. It was hard to tell from this distance. The only familiar building Beki was sure was the same was the Hokage's mansion. "I wonder how Tsunade is doing?" She let out a small laugh. "She is going to be surprised to see me."

"Especially when you tell her who saved you." Yuki gave a sideways look. "I don't know how close you two are, but don't be surprised if they send you in for x-rays to make sure you're not full of snakes or something."

"It's only fair," Beki grimaced. "I would do the same thing if someone came saying Orochimaru had saved them for no good reason."

"That's the hard thing for me," Yuki closed her eyes and began to gather moisture. "I'm a pretty selfish person. Orochimaru is just as selfish. I have no idea why he saved you; he says it was on a whim. For the challenge of it."

"But you can't help but be suspicious?" Beki cocked her head.

Yuki's hair turned snowy white and the grass beneath her feet yellowed from the cold. "Precisely."

Yuki grabbed Beki close, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. She vaulted them high into the air, putting the entire length of the cliff beneath them. Beki swallowed hard and clenched her eyes shut tight, trusting in her mother to deliver them from danger. Yuki had jumped as far as she had high, and as soon as they reached the bottom of their parabola of flight, she froze an ice slide beneath them. There was a hard jolt as Yuki's body made contact. Beki pulled her arms in close to avoid being burned by the ultra-cold chute. The slide evaporated behind them as they slid, erasing any evidence it had ever existed. At the bottom of the slide, Yuki created a pile of snow the size of a dumpster. The pair crashed into it, tossing snowflakes all over the alley. Beki jumped to her feet, shaking from the cold. She swore, stepping out of the snow like a cat with wet feet. "Really, Yuki? We're soaked now!"

Yuki laughed and clenched her fist, pulling the water out of their clothes. The snow dissipated in front of Beki's eyes and she glowered. "That was way too fun for you."

Her mother beamed and shrugged. "Sorry. I make it a point to always find the bright side of things."

Beki's eyes were locked onto something behind Yuki. "Then tell me the bright side of that." Yuki followed the line of Beki's outstretched finger to the Hokage monument behind her. Yuki's jaw fell open at the sight of the new head carved into the mountain.

"I guess the old lady retired." Yuki managed after a few moments.

"That isn't who I think it is, is it?" Beki gave her mother a questioning glance. "Because the only person I can think of-"

"Is Kakashi." Yuki sighed. "Alright. Both of us apparently have an appallingly long day ahead of us. Let's go get some sleep."

…

The inn Beki's father had always come to stay in had been modernized. The owners' daughter had taken the place over two years before and had completely overhauled it. No more tatami, no more futons. It was a state of the art hotel. Fortunately for them, that meant the front staff didn't recognize either of them.

"So, kiddo," Yuki helped Beki out of the bathtub and handed her a generic fluffy white hotel towel. "You can sleep in tomorrow if you want, rest up after the trip."

Beki took the towel and dried off. Her mother's infiltration technique had chilled her to the bone. The hot bath was the only thing she had wanted, even more than a hot meal. It had worked, soothing some of her aches and pains. Now all Beki wanted was to sleep like the dead. "You say that like you won't be here."

"Well," Yuki folded her arms. "If my boyfriend is the Hokage now, that is really going to make things easy for us to reintegrate into society."

Beki reached into the rucksack Miki had packed for her and pulled out a long t shirt nightdress. It was the softest fabric Beki had ever felt and she felt a wave of emotion. She was so lucky to have such a kind and considerate friend. Yuki watched uncomfortably as Beki let out a single sob. "Sorry. This was just so nice of her."

Yuki nodded and cleared her throat as Beki finished dressing and climbed into bed. "So, I was going to head over there bright and early to go talk to him."

"What are you going to do if he's married and has kids now?" Beki asked, her throat still tight from her previous crying.

"Psh, with who?" Yuki laughed. "He'd been single up until I met him."

"What if it was for political reasons?" Beki's ambassador brain kicked in. "He is Hokage now, and after the war lots of political deals had to have sprung up."

Yuki waved her hand dismissively. The action was more for herself, though, a feeble attempt to dispel how that logic tightened her chest with anxiety. "Regardless of if that's the case, Kakashi will take care of us."

Beki nodded slowly, the exhaustion of the journey catching up with her. She adjusted onto her side, stuffed a pillow between her legs, and drifted off within moments. Yuki stayed awake, repeating Beki's words over and over again in her head. After an hour of bouncing from sitting in the arm chair to pacing the room, Yuki decided morning was too long to wait to find out. She had to know. She slipped out of the hotel room silently and headed off into the night. The lights for the Hokage's mansion were still on so Yuki walked there instead of to his house.

...

It was almost ten o'clock at night. Kakashi had taken a brief break from his work to go have dinner. He had considered coming back just to lock up and calling it a day but he had some high profile cases on his desk that needed attention sooner rather than later. He would lose out on valuable sleep again, but such was his life. It wasn't like he had anyone waiting for him at home, anyway. This job was his entire life. When the position of Hokage had been thrust upon him, at first Kakashi had been resentful. He didn't deserve the job and he certainly didn't want it. Being Hokage meant constantly being in the limelight and dealing with everyone's problems. All he wanted to do after the war, after losing his dearest loved ones (even though for one it was the second time) was to retire. Kakashi's only desire was to withdraw from society and spend the remainder of his days as a hermit. But duty called and reluctantly, Kakashi answered.

The bitterest part of the aftermath of the shinobi war was the cosmic sense of it all. It was as if over time boughs had started to branch off from the main tree of destiny and the Fourth Shinobi War lobbed them off in one fell swoop. There were all the more abstract aspects of it, like Kaguya's return, the Ten Tails becoming the God Tree, Naruto and Sasuke being the final successful incarnations to bring peace, and so on. For Kakashi, though, it even extended to the personal level. For instance, although he hadn't intended to, Kakashi had killed the love of Obito's life and without knowing it, during the war Obito had killed the love of Kakashi's life. Obito had been dead for decades and Yuki had been presumed dead for twelve years as well. Both of them died, returning to the state they should have been in all that time. Kakashi's mismatched eyes even were balanced out. As much as it all hurt, as alone as it left him, Kakashi couldn't be that upset. That's why even though he had worked his third fifteen hour day in a row, Kakashi was ready to do it again. And he would keep doing it until his body gave out. When they put him broken and used up into the ground, he would be back with his loved ones.

He opened the door to his office and set his hat and cloak on the stand beside the desk. Kakashi reached into his pocket and tossed a well-worn copy of Icha Icha onto his desk. Anyone who saw him with it teased Kakashi. That particular volume was considered the weakest in the franchise. Several movies and a serialized television show had been made out of Jiraiya's other works, but that particular book was so unpopular it didn't even have a graphic novel accompaniment. Kakashi knew. In fact, he completely agreed with all the critics. The plot was contrite and the dialogue was uninspired compared to the other books. That's why the book was really only worn in one place, the front cover, from being opened a million times. A message was scrawled on the inside of the front cover and he had paperclipped a picture to the title page.

With an exhausted sigh, Kakashi took ahold of the top of his desk chair. Before he pulled it out, he paused. Something was off; it was his old ANBU instincts kicking in. Hadn't the chair been an inch or so to the side? He paused and looked around his office for any other signs of tampering. His eyes locked on to the door to his office, which he had left open for circulation, as it slowly closed itself.

"Security around here sucks these days," Yuki grinned. "I literally just walked right in."

Kakashi was frozen in place. Was he hallucinating? He was incredibly sleep deprived. Maybe he had dozed off at his desk and would wake up any moment now, face deep in paperwork.

"Where is Shikamaru?"

"Oh, don't worry about him," Yuki gestured to the bathroom. "He's just tied up for the moment."

"You broke into my office in the dead of night and tied up my assistant." Kakashi was watching her carefully, betraying no emotion in his voice. "How do I have any proof you are who you appear to be."

"Okay, that's fair," Yuki rubbed her chin. "I mean, last time I was gone it was for twelve years. Is four years really that unbelievable?"

"That isn't what I asked," Kakashi was staring her down. "I want proof you're Asou Yukihana and not an imposter."

"Let's see," Yuki paced the floor, ignoring the daggers he was staring into her. "I gave you the key to my apartment?"

"Everyone knew we were dating. Exchanging keys is common with couples. Try again." There was a hint of danger in his voice and despite herself, it gave Yuki a thrill. She was tempted to keep toying with him. Then again, this wasn't just her boyfriend anymore. He was a kage.

Yuki's mind raced through their entire relationship. There had to be something no one would guess, no one would know the significance of but the two of them. Kakashi was a private person, so it was unlikely he would have shared any of their intimate stories with anyone. Out of habit, Yuki surveyed him as he stood there. He was leaning on his desk, facing towards her, ready to strike. Her eyes traveled down his body until she reached the hand on his desk. It was beside something. Yuki's eyes lit up.

"You still have that thing?!"

"The book?" Kakashi didn't look at it. He kept his eyes glued to her.

"The one I gave you." When she finished speaking, she saw the glare settle further into his eyes. He opened his mouth beneath the mask to speak and she threw up her hands. "I know I know, that would be an easy guess. I know what's in there, though. You ran into me drunk at the diner after the festival and took me home. I pickpocketed your Icha Icha book off you and promptly threw up on it. As an apology I went out and bought you a replacement. I thought you were kind of cute and knew you were a pervert so I tossed in a couple of racy pictures."

Kakashi was silent. As the moments stretched to minutes, Yuki felt the anxiety mounting in her system. Her heart pounded in her ears and she resisted the urge to fidget. Yuki had never considered the possibility Kakashi wouldn't believe her. It was a foolish mistake, a rookie's error. Exactly the sort of thing the old Yukihana would have never done. She would have never trusted him. She would have never risked it. The Hokage picked up the book on his desk and stepped around it, crossing the space between them slowly. He never took his eyes off her. It was a boring look, lasers drilling holes right through Yuki. When he stopped, standing right in front of her, for half a second Yuki thought he was going to hit her with the book. Instead, Kakashi gently held it out to her.

Yuki took it cautiously, noticing the crease in the binding on the cover as she opened it. Paperclipped to the first page, across from her lipstick print on the cover, was a picture Yuki didn't know Kakashi had taken. The angle suggested that had been the intention. Yuki was laying on the couch at Kakashi's house with her hair down, propped up on cushions, reading a book. A steaming cup of coffee was on the ground beside her. Yuki had slept over the night before and was still wearing the shirt she had borrowed as pajamas.

"I keep the racy pictures at home," Kakashi reached up and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"You scared the crap out of me, Hokashi." Yuki shoved the book at him. "I know you've run exes through with the chidori before-"

Kakashi screwed up his face. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Yuki knew he was referring to the latter comment but redirected him. "Hokashi. Hokage Kakashi." Yuki gasped. "No! I've got a better one: Hatakage."

He shook his head and let out a dry laugh. "You've been gone for four years and you come at me with kage puns?"

Yuki's eyes widened. "You mean no one else thought of those?!"

"No," Kakashi shook his head. "Only you."

There was pounding on the bathroom door. "Oh! Clever boy. He found his way out of the ropes." Yuki went to open the door but Kakashi held up a hand.

"Maybe I should do it."

"Yeah, he might be pissed," Yuki nodded. "Good point."

Kakashi opened the bathroom door and Shikamaru stumbled out, red faced and incensed. "What the hell?!"

His eyes fell on Yuki. "YOU!" He raged but then paused, slowly recognizing who was in front of him. "Beki's mom? But you're dead."

"Just dramatically paused, apparently," Kakashi drew his attention. "And up to her old tricks again."

"Sorry about that," Yuki grinned. "I didn't want the surprise spoiled."

Shikamaru looked back and forth between them and let out a frustrated sigh. "Whatever. I'll let you two catch up." As Shikamaru threw open the front door and headed off into the night, he could be heard muttering about how troublesome Getsu women were.

Kakashi reached out and cupped her face in his hands, his eyes probing her face. Yuki felt a familiar warmth coming into her cheeks at his touch and looked away. That much attention after such a long dry spell was almost too much for her. "Why don't you take a picture already?"

"I thought you were dead," Kakashi's voice cracked with emotion. "Part of me hoped, prayed that somehow that because you had cheated death once you did it again."

"Oooh you're so much older than me now!" Yuki beamed. "You were two years older than me when we met and now you're over thirty!"

"Aren't you still legally older than me, though?" Kakashi cocked his head. "You'd be in your forties."

"Shhhhh," Yuki held a finger to his lips. "I won't tell anyone you're robbing the cradle."

Kakashi moved her finger away and leaned in close. "Four hundred and eighteen."

Yuki laughed. "What?"

"I'm rounding up for leap year." Kakashi pressed his forehead against hers. "I believe we had a deal. Twice a week, for every week we were apart."

Yuki's laughter became more nervous. The color blanched from her skin. "Oh. You're talking about that."

Kakashi inched closer. Yuki could feel his breath through the mask. A shadow crossed his face as he pulled her into his arms. He buried his face into her neck and Yuki threw up her hands. "Kakashi, I don't think your desk could take it if we-"

A warm drop fell on her neck and Yuki froze. Kakashi squeezed her tight, burrying his face into the crook of her neck as if trying to burrow inside her. Yuki was stiff as he let out a single sob. "I thought you were dead."

Yuki relaxed, wrapping her arms around him comfortingly. "I'm sorry I've put you through this."

Kakashi shook his head. "It's nobody's fault. I'm just so happy to have you back. I never would have thought, never could have hoped..."

"I know this is going to sound really hollow, but I've missed you too," Yuki patted his back. "I've been up for a month waiting for Beks to recover."

"A month?" Kakashi stepped back and furrowed his brow. "So you've been awake all this time and I didn't hear from you? Where were you?"

"See that's the thing," Yuki brushed off his shoulders. "Its complicated. I sort of made a friend out of an old enemy but a lot of people still consider them an enemy...so we had to stay underground until everything was in the clear."

"Who?" Kakashi frowned.

"Orochimaru." Yuki gave him a confident smile.

"This is a joke, right? The guy who put you in ice the first time?" Kakashi screwed up his face in disbelief. At Yuki's lack of response he shook his head. "This is unbelievable."

"See, it was actually my first incident that saved our asses," Yuki explained. "He knew all about the structural integrity of my jutsu so they were able to get all the supplies together and extract us safely-"

"Orochimaru." Kakashi shook his head. "You're in cahoots with Orochimaru."

"It's not like I'm working for the guy! We're just..." A cloud crossed Yuki's face. "Oh my god we're friends."

"Like, you two get coffee and talk about the good ole days?!" Kakashi scoffed.

"While we were waiting for Beki to wake up from her anesthesia we might have had a retro movie marathon." Yuki cringed. "We sat there and made snarky comments through the whole thing. It was great."

"Okay, let's just put a pin in how unbelievably ridiculous that entire statement was," Kakashi took a step back. "So what's going on with Beki? What did he do to her?"

"She's not like, a snake-girl hybrid or anything," Yuki explained as she folded her arms, shifting her weight from one hip to the other. "His assistants did the work. I don't think Orochimaru came anywhere near her during the whole operation. They had to do kidney replacements on her. There's some permanent damage but she's a Tsukimori. Her and her father are built like tanks."

The sparkle of joy that had dancing in his eyes had all but completely dissipated. "Wait. How did you two get in the village without me hearing about it?"

Yuki reached up and pinched his cheek. "You're such a good kage! Look at you, putting all the pieces together!"

"I see why Tsunade hated you," Kakashi sighed in frustration. "You're a security nightmare." He walked over to his desk and checked something. "So where is Beki now?"

"Sleeping at the inn. Hotel. Whatever it is." Yuki shrugged. "The one her dad always used to stay in, apparently."

Kakashi turned and faced her again, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed. He watched her silently for a long time. Yuki was tempted to fill the silence with a snarky comment or two about how bachelor-y his office looked, but she kept it to herself. The first time Yuki had "died", when she came back no one remembered her. There was no acceptance process. She had the benefit of starting her life all over again with no attachments. This time around, though, there was going to be fallout. It was contrary to her nature to be patient with emotional distress. For Kakashi, though, she would be willing to make an exception. After a while, it seemed like maybe he was waiting for her to say something. Maybe he wanted her to tell the whole story.

"So I checked your desk and didn't find any pictures of tiny Kakashis," Yuki cocked her head. "And there's no ring on your finger. Not that you'd be the type to wear a ring. You'd be the type to think that would be 'protecting' someone. So tell me, is there anyone that's come into the picture that I'll need to screw out of your mind?"

Kakashi laughed. "Well if I needed proof that was it. No one else would be quite so self-centered after something like this."

Yuki blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"What if I was married, Yuki? What if I did have kids?" Kakashi rested his chin in his hand. "You are more than ready to walk right in and be my homewrecking ex."

"Is that really such a bad thing? Looking out for what's best for you?" Yuki folded her arms with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, because that's what you're doing," Kakashi shook his head as he turned and began straightening out his desk. "Looking out for me." He made a few different piles, pausing from time to time as he checked for what pile to sort it into.

Yuki watched with mild interest, her anxiety mounting as her question was ignored. "So was that a 'no'?"

Kakashi sighed. "No, Yuki. I am not married. I have no children. The only social encounters I allow myself are a weekly dinner with Gai and once a month I have a drink with the guys. Other than that I'm a hermit."

"That reads a lot of porn," Yuki chuckled.

"No, actually." Kakashi walked over to the door to his office. "Every story I read, every show I watch, no matter how dissimilar to our situation, always ends up being you and me in my head." He looked up at her, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "They're either in situations I remember us having or doing things I never got to do with you."

"So you gave it up completely?" Yuki's eyes widened in shock. "There's no way."

Kakashi put his hand on the doorknob but paused. He stood there a moment thinking, considering whether or not he should share. At last he spoke without turning to face her. "I tried to keep up with it at first. Reading the old Icha Icha books, trying out new ones. Then in one of them, the heroine took a knife for the hero. Bled out in his arms. I haven't read one since."

Yuki didn't know how to respond. She knew that Kakashi was fond of her, she knew he'd said he loved her, but those were just words. A tightness was growing in her chest. It was an unusual pain, something she didn't remember experiencing for another person. After some internal searching, she realized that she felt sorry for Kakashi. Not in that sort of patronizing, condescending way. He loved her, she died, and it hurt him. Yuki hurt because Kakashi hurt.

Kakashi opened the door. The rush of night air was refreshing, almost cleansing. Kakashi glanced up at her with a questioning look with his finger on the light switch. "Are you coming or are you hoping I'll put you on the payroll as the nightguard?"

"I mean, I would be better than whatever you already have," Yuki sighed as she walked towards him. "If not in skill, in looks."

"No argument there," Kakashi chuckled as they headed down the stairs.

"So I'll see you in the morning?" Yuki stepped down the road towards the inn.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi reached out and took ahold of her elbow.

"What do you mean 'where am I going'," Yuki laughed. "Back to the hotel and my daughter."

"Since you don't look a day older than when I lost you, I'm assuming she's still 19?" Kakashi cocked his head. "Which means she's an adult and can spend a night alone in a hotel room in Konoha."

Yuki watched him suspiciously. "Then where do you have in mind?"

"I'm taking you home with me," Kakashi guided her into a leisurely walk.

"So you think that just cuz you're my boyfriend I'm going to let you tell me what to do?" Yuki put her free hand on her hip. "You aren't the boss of me."

"You don't understand," Kakashi drew her close. "You will be lucky if I ever let you out of my sight again." His tone was lighthearted but something in his eyes told Yuki he wasn't kidding.

"What are you gonna do, arrest me?" Yuki scoffed.

"I am the Hokage and you're standing in Konoha. I could have you strung up by your underwear on Main Street if I wanted to," Kakashi put a hand around her waist. "It would be a total abuse of power but I wouldn't test your luck."

"The power's gone to your head," Yuki sighed and gave him a smouldering look. "I can't complain. I like this new bossy Hatakage."

"Just wait till you see how bossy I can be." Kakashi gave her neck a nuzzle.

...

Kakashi's house hadn't changed at all. Or at least, the glimpses of it Yuki caught as they stumbled their way upstairs, scattering discarded pieces of clothing like confetti. Four years wasn't that much of a difference on the surface but Yuki was noticing subtle changes. Kakashi grip was stronger, his bone structure was more prominent, and his smell had changed slightly. It was quieter now but had muskier notes. The job had given him more of an assertive attitude, too. As into Kakashi as she had been before the war, Yuki only found herself more attracted to him than ever. He was Kakashi still, but more refined. More manly. Or maybe it was all just four years of pent up sexual frustration.

Regardless of its source, Yuki was thrilled by the way he tossed her on the bed and pinned her at the wrists. Kakashi kissed her hard. Yuki's eyes closed on reflex, the taste of him reminding her just how much she had missed him. Her back arched, pressing her torso against him. Kakashi released her hands and Yuki wrapped one arm around his shoulder blades and laced her fingers through his hair. He sat up, pulled Yuki into his lap, and held her as they kissed. When their lips finally parted, Kakashi gave her an almost vulnerable look.

"Are you really here, Yuki?" Kakashi ran his fingers through her silky black hair. "I'm not just dreaming again, am I?"

Yuki cupped his face in her hands. "Yes, Kakashi. I'm here."

"I just..." Kakashi rested his head on her chest. "I almost can't believe it."

"Well, if you're going to be that way you might as well have your fun with me so at least you won't wake up disappointed." Yuki nuzzled him.

"Well," Kakashi smiled as he rolled her onto her back. "Try not to wake the neighbors."