I just want to take a moment to thank everyone dearly for their interaction. Whether you're a reader or you've favourited/followed or commented it means the world to me. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it for you.

You might not believe it but I appreciate every one of you. Thank you.

Akari

"To be God is the loneliest fate of all child" her mother's words echoed through her soul before she jerked awake from the memory in her dream. Her nails bit into the palm of her skin and her jaw felt loose from clenching it too hard.

She awoke in the early hours of the morning. Her groggy eyes managed to prise themselves open and she glanced around the room she was in. Memories of the events that unfolded washed over her as she looked around through sore eyes. She could feel the swollen soreness from her crying and sighed at the recollection.

At some point, she managed to pull herself from the comfort of Kakashi's bed and she tried to ignore the fact that he sleeps there. The scent of him swirled around her. She began to wonder where he slept, where is he?

She stood watching the sunlight filter onto the scene in front of her. She realised they weren't in the centre of Konoha but surrounded by rice fields and trees. She thought how much she liked the view as a chill went down her spine.

It shifted her attention and looked around again for something to wear. Her mind slipped back to the pile of letters addressed to her and she avoided the draw she knew they were in. She felt like it was an invasion of his privacy.

She opened a few draws that to her surprise were empty. Did he really not have anything? She found herself laughing at Kakashi. A warmth encompassed her chest at the thought of it and she forgot how much she truly adored him.

She padded around the corner of the room to a large wardrobe and found her white Kimono hanging up in front of the wardrobe doors with a note.

'You need to go shopping.'

She laughed but he was right. She'd scraped by with her undergarment and this robe which she arrived here in. She just couldn't find it in her to care. She pulled on the outer layer of the white silk Kimono as if it was a dressing gown. Just as she shrugged it over her shoulders she felt Kakashi's presence in the old house. The dark wooden floors creaked as he made his way to the bedroom and she couldn't help the feeling that rose through her. She felt a sly smile stretch across one side of her face

"I was worried you'd still be asleep," Kakashi's voice travelled over to her. She realised it was truly like hearing it for the first time since she was back. It felt like honey dripping over her hot skin. A wave of heat rolled through her as she looked at him over her shoulder. He looked relaxed leaning on the door frame as if he was afraid to come any further.

His eyes widened for just a second at the dark look she gave him. The slow smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. She almost felt villainous as he looked to her, his eyes filled with alarm and innocence.

"Akari," he straightened from the door frame almost defensively as he warned her. The Otsutsuki in her felt his aura shift to something deep and lustrous. Her belly seemed to flip in satisfaction.

She turned to him fully leaving glimpses of her naked form through the opening of the silken kimono. She sauntered over to him feeling lazy and feline. She watched as his eyes slowly raked up and down her body hungrily.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" she coyly let her fingertips dance down his face and neck, over his mask. The electricity seemed to ripple through her arm and she could see the need build in him. She could tell he was trying to hold back, holding his breath even.

"My desires plague me." She leant up to his ear and whispered playfully but it pushed him too far.

Her arms were above her head and he'd pushed her forcefully into the wall behind her, next to the door. He was panting looking down at her wide-eyed and out of control. She found her chest heaving. The excitement morphed into something deeper and the coil between her legs twinged almost painfully with desire. She wanted- no needed his release. She needed him. The sly smile had long since dropped from her face and she now looked up to him with lustful heavy eyes.

Akari lifted a single leg out from the kimono, revealing half of her naked body. She watched him fight the desire to look. He held her gaze with a tortured look, his eyes widening. It sent a thrill through her stoking the fire in her belly. His strong grip held her wrists together with a single hand, pushing them into the wall. His eyes reluctantly dropped to her body and she watched them darken at the sight of her. She wanted to cry out and plead for him but she just watched him fight the internal war.

His other hand shakily reach out to the revealed naked side of her. Her skin began to buzz with need, craving his touch. She whined as his fingers barely scraped her skin as he pulled the side of her kimono back over her slowly, covering her up.

"We shouldn't," he gulped and he spoke as if he didn't believe his own words. He looked into her eyes and she watched the alarm ring in his.

"Did you not miss me?" she expect it to sound playful but realised only desperation and sadness hung to her words. His face contorted with something like pain.

"More than you know," it shook something within her. He released the grip on her wrists and her arms fell to her sides. He stepped backwards and turned around as if he couldn't look at her anymore.

"What is it?" she slowly brought her hand up to him, her voice soft and filled with concern. She watched as her fingers trembled and rested on his shoulder blade. He flinched initially but his body seemed to relax under her touch. She lay her hand flat against his back and heard a sigh escape from him. She wanted to feel his breath skim past her neck as his teeth nipped the skin. She repressed an anguished moan and swallowed hard.

"I can't let emotions cloud my judgment. I'm the Hokage, I need to think of the village." His voice sounded strained, he didn't trust her, she realised.

"Kashi, it's still me." She dragged her hand from his back and walked around him to his front. She stood close to him looking up to him. His eyes were fixed on the window but he reluctantly dragged them down to her face. "I…. I feel the same. My feelings haven't changed." She shook as she opened up to him. It felt like her organs trembled inside of her at the vulnerability. It had been so long but she meant it. The silence seemed to linger between them as he stared into her. It felt like he was seeing through her body and into something deeper. "I… I said I'd love you forever Kashi." The determination in his eyes wavered and morphed.

"Kiss me." He demanded and she didn't let him rethink. She ripped down his mask as her mouth clashed against his as if she could make up for lost time. His tongue hungrily lapped at her own. The sounds he made her walls shudder and clench with need. She forgot the taste of him and she suddenly felt deep desperation. She didn't hear her own whimpers as his hands snaked down her form. They roamed over her kimono-like he was memorising the shape of her. She needed to be closer even though their bodies were crushed to one another. She faintly wondered if she would ever be satisfied or her need for him was insatiable.

Kakashi pulled back, panting through swollen lips. His eyes held hers, heavy with lust.

"Akari," He murmured against her lips and she smiled against his.

Kakashi

"Kashi," her eyes were heavy and her breath rippled over his face, intoxicating him. The sound of his honeyed name spilling from her swollen lips was enough to destroy him. "Please," her lips were already on his and he knew he couldn't stop after hearing her plead.

He backed her up slowly as his mouth dominated hers. Their tongues intertwined hungrily as if they could make up for all the lost time in that moment. His cock ached for her painfully but he wasn't about to rush this. He waited far too long for it to be over quickly.

The way her body felt on his, the way she tasted, the sounds she made, the way he felt. It all felt right. Deep down he trusted her completely. He was in too deep and he knew. He knew he was ready to die at any moment to defend Konoha, and he didn't want to think she was a threat to it.

Her back hit the wall with a thud and he almost fell overhearing her whimper against it. He trapped her between his body and the wall as his palms pushed against it, either side of her head. He pulled back just enough as he pressed his body against hers. The heat from it rippled through him as his gut cried out for her. He held his lips mere inches from hers and she looked up to him blinking slowly and heavily.

"Did you explore other men whilst you were away?" he found the words falling from his mouth as he dragged his lips across hers, not giving her what she wanted. She whimpered at the sensation. The electricity from it almost numbed his lips but he was sure he'd never felt so alive.

"I-I couldn't," he watched redness climb her throat and deepen at her cheeks. The shift from the confidently sauntering Akari to the stuttering shy Akari made him need the taste of her.

"Mmm," he hummed in satisfaction, his eyes closed at the sensation, needing to hear the words as he dragged the tip of his nose over her lips and past her cheek, "say it," his lips brushed her ear as groaned the words. She shuddered under it, fueling the fire that burned in his belly. His teeth skimmed across her ear and down her neck and her fingernails dug into either side of his ribcage. The member in his pants twitched hungrily as he hissed at the sensation.

"I didn't want anyone else." She breathed heavily as if the effort was almost too much. "Wouldn't that make you jealous?" he pulled back just enough to watch the blush of embarrassment morph into something darker. His eye roamed her face burning it into his memory. He suddenly missed his Sharingan for the first time. He leant in slowly halting only a hair width away.

"Insanely so." His mouth slammed back onto hers and he didn't contemplate how it was enough to bruise them both.

He didn't hear the noise her robes made as they dropped to the floor. He took a moment to really take the sight of her in. He glanced back and found she was doing the same to his face. He'd already renounced his God at the sight of her.

His knees kissed the floor and his lips marred the skin of her stomach. He worshipped her skin, devout to the taste of it. He was enslaved by her touch as he prayed on his knees. Her moans ripped through him and her hands burned his skin. He paused and looked up to her and she looked down at him.

"If Kami sent you to test me then I've failed," he held her gaze as his long tongue licked up her slit cleanly once.

Pleasure seemed to rip through her like thunder from the heavens as she shook violently over him. Her head rolled backwards and a groan escaped deeply from her chest. The sight of it rising chaotically above him threatened his manhood. Her weight collapsed onto the wall and he held her up from the knees. Kami he'd missed her. Missed this. The taste of her was enough to almost finish.

His mouth ran up her milky legs not allowing for an inch of her to go unmarked. He was unbound by past testaments and instead let sin devour him. He didn't know if he could take much more of this.

His clothes were gone and her legs were around his waist now as he carried her to the bed. She hit the mattress with his arms wrapped around her. He looked down at her as if he were a starving man who hadn't eaten for years.

"Baby, tell me you dreamt of me," his tongue licked cleanly up her torso halting at her nipple. She cried out as he took it gently between his teeth and began to suck. His cock neared her dripping entrance and he could almost cry from the sensation. She looked to him trying to push her hips up to meet him but he found he liked the tortured look on her face and taunted her with it more. He continued to relish her chest, lapping at her skin, tasting all of her. Her fingers pulled at his hair and her nails kissed his back delightfully.

His body almost convulsed from the pleasure that built in his gut hearing her moans, the taste of her skin, the look she gave to him.

"Always," she whimpered out as he lightly bit the other of her pink buds. "Even these dreams," she whispered breathlessly and the hold on his hair tightened. He groaned at the sensation. Her answer was music to his ears. His skin felt on fire as his torso skimmed her skin as he rose to meet her face. She heavily opened her eyes to look at him.

She opened her mouth to say something more but he'd heard all he needed to. He slid into her cleanly and hard. His arms threatened to give way at the pleasure that tore through him. Somewhere he heard a roar erupt from himself but his hearing seemed to lessen at the sensation. He watched as her face contorted, pained by her own pleasure.

He was high off her scent. The sounds she made were his ecstasy. He withdrew and filled her over and over, quickly and hard. He knew he wouldn't last long but his mind was no longer on the earthly plane. He fought to keep his eyes from closing at the bliss feeling so he could watch her.

Her walls clamped around him, slamming down all around him and her arms were around his neck with every convulsion she tightened around him. It was enough for him to find his own release and he could've sworn for a moment he lost consciousness. His member jerked within her powerfully releasing himself as his arms trembled and gave out. He collapsed onto her sweat-slicked beautiful body as they lay there panting and deep into their high.

"Kami, I missed you. All of you." He found himself breathing a laugh into the crook of her neck at her words. Her nails danced over his back and it was the last sensation before they slipped into a dream-like slumber.

Kakashi

They awoke a few hours later as the morning skies burned brightly and morphed into noon. Kakashi couldn't remember a peace that felt like this. He lay on his back and she rested on top of him. He wasn't sure where his body ended and her naked form began. He found he liked it that way. The covers hung low over her round ass and his hands rested on the small of her waist. Her cheek rested on his peck as her fingertips danced across his chest tracing his old scars. He realised they'd be new to her. He found, despite everything, his cock couldn't ignore the feeling of her heavy chest pushing into his. It pulsed harder and harder.

"The war," he brought his hand over hers covering her petite hand. He interlaced their fingers and presses them into the large 'X' shaped scar he received in the height of the fighting. The memories of it washed past him and he found himself lost in thought for a moment.

"Ya," she whispered quietly as if it would spook him if it was louder. "You ok?" she smiled at him softly but understanding and sadness hung in her eyes. He couldn't help but stare into her silvery eyes. He wondered how he ever forgot how beautiful she was. She propped her chin on his breastbone now and stared at him. He wondered how he ever found the strength to deny himself the memories of his Sharingan. He hummed in agreement before speaking.

"Yeah, I was just thinking for the first time ever, maybe I was glad you weren't there for it."

"That bad?" the soft smile faded away as her question hung in the air.

"At one point, they'd reanimated some of the fallen leaf nin. Seeing Uzuki having to fight Hayate-" he swallowed hard and Akari's free hand snaked into his hair. He found himself sighing and closing his eyes at the sensation. "I didn't want to see you there, not like that." After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes to see her dazed in thought. He realised she was reliving something that was pulling her face gaunt. "What was it like, in the other dimension?"

"The one my mother pulled me into?" he shook his head, he didn't want to probe her for information but he found himself wanting to know what she'd gone through. She pulled her mouth to one side and scrunched up her face as if she was thinking hard about something. He'd never seen the expression on her and he couldn't help the smile that played on his lips. How could she look so cute and be so sexy?

"The Otsutsuki are dramatic by nature, I've realised. A lot of it was filled with politics and standoffs. But when they clashed, it was terrifying. I'm not sure how the dimension remained intact let alone planets." He watched as she smiled at the small joke but her eyes held a haunted look. Her fingers underneath his hand trembled softly and he pulled her into his chest gently. She seemed to sigh in relief and he wrapped his arms fully around her small frame. His chin rested atop her lilac hair and he closed his eyes relishing in every second of it. He began to wonder if this was real or some sick dream.

"It was difficult," she murmured into his chest as if she were admitting something difficult. "It felt endless, even for the short time I was there. Some of them have been fighting for 100s of years. I lost some people I grew close to."

"It doesn't get easier," the words fell from his mouth softly. He knew she knew, but he found himself saying it aloud for them both.

"I'm glad I met you Kashi, even if this is all we get."

"It won't be, I'll find a way." He wanted to believe it. He would.

"What a crappy time we've had of it," she laughed singularly and bitterly against his chest. Her breath flew across his peck.

"Of what?"

"Life. I guess that's what you get for fighting fate."

"How do you know you're fighting it? What if this is just our fate."

"Who would be designated such a sad fate? Why else would it be a constant battle? It has been a battle to stay on the path I chose rather than following the one I was meant for."

"It doesn't matter. I love you, and nothing would change that, fate or no." He lifted her head to him. He didn't want to admit he was nervous at his admission but she didn't look shocked either. Instead, her chin rested on his breast bone again and her large eyes seemed to watch his features. "Besides, I know you were meant for me," he watched a sad small smile twitch at her lips.

"You deserve so much more," she spoke quietly as if she were speaking to herself. She dragged fingertips through his hair again, watching how it fell between her fingers. "I wish you found someone when I left. You could've had a family."

"Do you really wish that?" his eyebrows dipped together in contemplation. The question hung in the air and she found she couldn't look away from his face. She seemed to be memorising everything about it.

"No," she uttered. "Selfishly, I don't."

"I had you," He rolled her onto her side and they lay on his pillow face to face. He kept her lips only an inch away from his own. "You gave me enough for a lifetime. Even if it was only for a short time."

"You'll always have me. I'll always be with you Kashi. I'm yours. I always have been." She neared his mouth and her eyes fell to his lips. "I'll love you, always." She murmured against his mouth.

He made love to her then. Slowly and sensually. His soul seemed to worship each second of it. Each look, each touch, each sound. He craved it all. He gave her everything at that moment. He'd treasure the marks she made and worship her with each step they took. He gave himself over completely.

Something about him changed during, he knew there was no way back. He wouldn't let her fade away. He couldn't.

Akari

The next few days seemed to go by like a blur. Meeting after meeting. Akari was exhausted. The pain had grown significantly and even breathing seemed impossible sometimes. She began to realise time really was running out.

She'd catch Kakashi watching her with a haunted look in his eye when he caught her throwing up the food she couldn't keep down because the pain was too much. He didn't ask her about it often. He knew she didn't want him to.

She'd had her brain invaded by the Yamanaka a few times and it was only aggravating the illness and Kakashi demanded that they stopped. Much to his advisor's annoyance. She could tell the tension between Shikamaru and Kakashi was growing worse because of her. At least that would be fixed soon. Tears slipped down her cheek at the thought as she sat by the toilet as she'd just emptied her guts into it. She didn't bother wiping them away as she stared at the tiles on the bathroom wall.

Kakashi had told her he lived in his family home since he was Hokage. He grew up here and it was the Hatake house. No one had said anything about her staying here and she found herself thankful that she was about to see Kakashi in this way.

The only thing was, the happier she grew with him the worse the pit in her stomach grew. She began to think maybe it would've been better for them to never have been reunited. She already knew it was selfish of her to come back into his life but she realised she didn't have a choice. Maybe she never did.

She knew Kakashi was slipping with his responsibilities as Hokage and she hated that. She tried to shield him from her worsening condition but he saw right through her.

She heard the front door and quickly got to her feet, trying to rid herself of all the signs that would indicate she wasn't ok.

"Tadaima," he greeted her without looking up.

"Ya, okaeri." she greeted him with a playful smile as she entered the kitchen. He placed groceries on the side and turned to look at her. His eyes narrowed at her and looked her up and down. She felt herself gulp and attempt to slyly straighten her clothes.

"Have you left the house today?" he asked as he began packing the food away in the fridge.

"Not today…" she hated when he was like this. She could feel the sadness radiating from him and she wanted to take it all away from him. She hated herself for causing it. "Hey," she padded up to him and pulled twice on his black long-sleeve that was rolled up to his elbows. He stopped what he was doing and looked down at her. He looked like he had a million and one things to say but his eyes said it all.

"I missed you," he breathed and hugged her tightly. The comfort and warmth he offered made all the worry melt away for a second. He hugged her for a while and placed her back on her feet. He pulled down his mask as his eyes dropped to her lips. The sight of him still blew her away. She realised how young he had looked before. The person before her now was a man. His face was filled out and strong but he still held the delicate handsomeness he always had done. His full lips still drew her in. His hands were on either side of her face kissing her softly and she dared to lace his lips with her tongue. He groaned softly at the sensation before pulling back.

"Let's go for a walk," he suggested and she agreed.

They had found they both enjoyed the park and had ended up here after long days sitting amongst nature more often than not in the past few days.

They walked in the silence of each others company and he suddenly laced her hand with his. He was the Hokage and she didn't want to jeopardise his image for someone who wasn't staying around. She tried to pull it away as people began looking in their direction. She felt her face bloom with red and pulled harder but he ignored it only to pull their intertwined hands over his chest.

"Sometimes I feel obsolete. I feel like a war relic that only reminds people of the hardship they once went through. Something they'd rather forget. I find my skills to be unnecessary." His thoughts were enough to distract her from the hand situation and she stopped struggling against his hold.

"It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war." She recited an old proverb as she stared up to him. The strangers surrounding them didn't matter all of a sudden and she found herself on her tiptoes planting a small soft kiss against his masked lips.

She opened her eyes once she leant back as he looked down at her with flared eyes. Even under the Hokage hat, she could see the deep red staining his cheeks above the mask and even the top of his ears glowed. She found herself laughing at the sight and he coughed to clear his throat as they continued on the path.

She made an effort not to look at the faces of the onlookers.

"I wonder what people will think now," she spied him out the corner of her eyes as they walked, "the Hokage seen hand-in-hand with a foreign beauty young enough to be his daughter." She teased him and watched the realisation hit him like a train. She swore she could've seen steam come out his ears as sweat beaded on his brow.

"If I had a kid when I was 13," he flustered trying to rationalise the scenario. He pulled out an orange book with his free hand and hung onto her hand tighter.

"Hey…" the orange cover brought her feet to a halt. "Is that…?" she looked up to him and his eyes widened again as if he just realised. The fluster he was displaying only deepened and he seemed to sigh with exhaustion.

"Yes," is all he said. She tried to snatch it out his hand but he moved it out of her reach and continued to read.

"Hokage-samaaaa," she whined like a child and his attention was suddenly on her. She'd forgotten how much he liked when she moaned his titles. A small smile twitched at her lips at his expression.

"You're making me nervous," he admitted but it sounded more like annoyance and she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled through her.

"Strange, I feel infinitely calmer around you. Like everything will be ok," she smiled to him warmly and his steps faltered. They both came to a stand-still as he looked at her. Really looked at her. He slipped his book back into his robe and his hand delicately brushed her hair past her ear.

"You're so beautiful Akari,"

"I guess not ageing has its benefits, huh?" she joked but her smile fell at his seriousness.

"I didn't mean just that," it seemed he was going to say more but his next words were sudden and rendered her breathless. "I love you, Akari." It felt like he was saying it for the first time even though it wasn't. She felt something within her really shift.

She leant into the hand that remained on the side of her head and covered it with her free hand.

"I love you, Kashi." He smiled at her with his warm eye crinkle smile and began walking again.

"You're a real distraction you know," he said after some time. She didn't realise they had been walking in the silence of contemplation for a while.

"How so?" she teased.

Kakashi

"It's difficult to work knowing you're at home. Even when- when you were gone. I think you were on my mind so much that I was only able to use 30% brain capacity," he joked but found his smile dissipating at the chiming of her carefree laughter. The sound of it seemed to shake something with him. He realised he hadn't heard it for years. He decided he needed to hear it daily to survive.

"And now?" she looked at him coyly, amusement glinting within them. It was enough to render him a little breathless.

"Maybe 5, 10 tops." He couldn't fight the smile when she began laughing again. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and lifted her up spinning her around not caring who was around. She laughed harder and wriggled between his arms.

"Am I that much of a distraction to the great Hokage?" she managed to speak through waves of laughter as he slowed down and placed her back on her feet. He didn't let go of her though, he just watched the emotion in her face as she stared back up to him, smiling.

"Why do you think we failed our missions so many times?" he joked and while it may have been partly true, they couldn't have avoided some of it. She laughed softer this time as if she too was remembering all those years ago. Silence passed between them as they were lost in thought until she spoke up, breaking through it.

"Anyway, 5% of the rokudaime's brain capacity is still 400% more than the average shinobi," she leaned into him smiling in amusement up at him. He tightened his arms around her as she did to him.

"Only 400%?" he joked and she breathed a laugh. "Hold on I'm just using my superior brain to try and remember if you've ever complimented me before."

"Ya!" she pulled back and released her grasp on him, slapping him playfully on his bicep hard. He couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled through him. "I said you were an outstanding shinobi." She crossed her arms and looked up to him grumpily as if she were a kid.

"Ah, that you did. Forgive me oh feared Shinigami of the ANBU." He held his palms up in defeat and then bowed deeply in jest.

"Hey, want to train?" she suddenly asked surprising him. He stood straight and gave her a narrow-eyed look.

"Do you feel up to it?"

"Sure, I've learnt some things since then." She smirked darkly and began to wonder what he'd signed up to.

Akari

The training was fun but hard on her body. She ended up collapsing from the pain that ravaged her in the end but she didn't regret it. She hadn't trained for a while and it felt good to use her body.

She had held back on Kakashi, he probably knew it. She showed him all the new things she'd learnt as well as showing him how much she'd improved. She was surprised to see how much he'd grown. It seems all these years the Sharingan was only draining his Chakra and without it, he didn't tire so easily. She was so impressed by the sheer strength he had. She knew she fell in love with him more every time she spent time with him. She wasn't sure how much she could take.

Kakashi had been quiet since she collapsed. He'd carried her home as she fought the unconsciousness that loomed over her. She could barely speak through the pain and knew he blamed himself. His silence cut through her more painfully than the chakra destroying her body.

"Kashi," she murmured against his chest as he crossed the threshold of his house. "It's fine, I wanted to." He sighed but didn't say anything as he continued to the bedroom.

He placed her gently on the bed and took a seat on the edge of his mattress staring at nothing in the middle of the room.

"Akari," he began but he hesitated and then turned his head to her. He was crouched over slightly but a look hung in his eyes that made her think she wasn't going to like what he was going to say. "I won't be here for the next few days, something urgent has come up." His words hung in the air and she resisted the urge to ask what it was that he had to go away for. She knew his responsibilities of Hokage and wasn't going to jeopardise that for anything. She swallowed hard. "I'm going to ask Sakura to come and check on you." She opened her mouth to protest, "Please," he asked and the torment in his eyes was enough to silence her.

She looked at him then. Really. The exhaustion pulling at his face was enough to squeeze her chest. He looked tired and sad as his eyes raked over her.

"I understand," she did her best to smile at him.

"You hungry?" he asked as he got up. She was blown away at everything he made and it made her want to eat even when she felt nauseous. She ate everything he made even when she knew it wouldn't stay down long. She smiled and nodded once to him. He smiled at her and left the room to the kitchen.

She lay down for a moment as the exhaustion and pain threatened to drive her to unconsciousness. She lay as memories of Kakashi over the last few days washed past her eyes. They hadn't had much time together since she had been back but she held them, dear, to her. She found herself smiling and the warmth of it seemed to ease some of the pain she felt.

She drifted off to sleep as the smell of Kakashi's cooking filled the old house she found she began to love.

Kakashi

Kakashi had wandered back into the bedroom to find Akari purring in her sleep and couldn't bring himself to wake her. The peace in her face seemed to bring a little peace to himself. He'd eventually wrapped up her dinner for later and headed back to the Hokage's office to attempt to catch up on the huge amount of work he'd neglected.

He'd spent the last few days between meetings with Akari, researching seals, and being scorned by Shikamaru.

He felt tired in his bones. He wasn't sure he'd had enough sleep in the past few days to total a single night sleep. As soon as Akari slept he'd being working or researching again. The toll everything was taking on him was slowly killing him. Watching Akari faded from herself was the hardest part. Seeing her collapse from pain was destroying him.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his face. He tried again to read the document under the yellow light in the office. The sun had set and only darkness radiated from the large windows.

A knock at the door sounded and he already knew who it was.

"Shikamaru," he greeted as his adviser walked through the door. "You should be at home with your family," he could hear the exhaustion in his own voice and he made no attempt at covering it. He looked up to see his adviser staring at him unapprovingly.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" he asked.

"7 am at the front gates." Kakashi sighed.

"Is that 7 am usual time, or Kakashi time?" was that a joke from Shikamaru? He must really look bad.

"Usual time." He couldn't find the energy to entertain the joke.

"I want to see you happy, Hokage-sama but she can't be trusted. You saw her memories. She's Otsutsuki."

"She's also human. A human that saved me multiple times. I wouldn't be here without her." He levelled his advisor's glare and his patience was running short. "Besides, hasn't she given information that would help us?"

"You always say you shouldn't let emotions cloud your judgment. But, I think you're blinded by it right now." Shikamaru wasn't going to listen to what he had to say.

"That's enough." He spoke calmly and looked back down to the old text on seals.

"I'm here to advise. Am I not? I would advise to let her illness take its due course and let that be that. She would make too powerful of an enemy."

The rage that ravaged Kakashi caused his limbs to shake. A mist of red and black seemed to descend around his vision. The tense silence between the two men stretched out as Shikamaru levelled his glare.

"I appreciate you as an adviser Shikamaru, I really do." He sighed and leant back in the office chair. "But the way I love her is overwhelming and endless and everywhere. Sometimes it makes me feel like I might explode. I forgot how alive I felt around her. It's like I could see for the first time in years, I breathed for the first time since she left. And I know it will end, but for now. Just let me feel it. Even if it's just for a short time. Let me have this." He watched Shikamaru's mind spin at the admission of his feelings. He knew it was a gamble.

"I could tell the elders." Kakashi almost flinched at the blackmail but instead darkened his gaze. Shikamaru shook his head slightly and his whole posture seemed to slump as he exhaled. "It would be too bothersome," his palm hit his forehead and Kakashi was suddenly reminded of when Shikamaru was much younger. "What a drag."

"I won't force you to help," Kakashi offered as his adviser turned to leave the room.

"I trust you, and if you trust her, then hell. OK." He smiled back to him and Kakashi, despite himself, found a tired laugh breath escape him. "Don't forget to sleep."

Kakashi only grunted in reply.

Akari

Akari woke up as the sunlight streamed in through the windows. She groggily looked around the bed through one open eye to found it empty. She sighed after a while and hoisted her heavy body off the bed. She winced at the pain slicing through her body and inhaled shakily. It felt worse today she realised. She felt the panic rising in her but pushed it down. She didn't want to be scared of the end.

She spied a note left on the dresser next to the bed and figured it was from Kashi.

'Akari,

You were sleeping soundly when I left. I want to say you looked too peaceful to disturb but it turns out you're a very deep sleeper. I don't think an earthquake would've woken you from that slumber.

Anyway, I prepared meals. You only need to reheat them. Eat well and consistently. Rest properly too, don't overexert yourself. Look after yourself whilst I'm away.

-K'

She felt a blush creep up her face at her deep sleeping and laughed lightly at his worry. She re-read his scruffy handwriting three times over before placing it back by the bedside. Her leg bounced on the floor as her thoughts wandered to the letter of draws.

She rose to her feet and began pacing back and forth trying to resist the temptation of reading the letters he wrote to her. She almost gave in at least 5 times before eventually opening the draw.

She gulped hard as she stared at the white paper and snapped the draw shut running back to the bed. She couldn't. It's an invasion of privacy.

'It… it was written for you' his words rang in her head.

Oh hell. She limped back to the draw and yanked out one of the letters. Her eyes greedily read the words written in his scruffy writing.

'Akari.

A few years ago I wrote you a letter. It claimed to be the last. But, as I was standing in front of the people of Konoha as the title of Hokage was passed to me, I found myself scanning the crowd for you. It was an odd type of hope-'

A knock at the door caused her to jump and the paper floated to the floor. She almost ran to the door and by the time she got there she was panting heavily. She didn't know if it was the adrenaline of being guilty or the pain that surged through her with every breath. She inhaled deeply and tried to compose herself before opening the door.

Shock morphed her features as a very familiar green jumpsuit greeted her, only he was sat in a wheelchair. For a second his eyes seemed to jump out of his head and his jaw hit the floor.

"Gai? Hi." Akari managed to mentally shake herself from the shock of his visit before an ear-splitting high pitch screech erupted from the man. She covered her sensitive ears and watched as his eyes glazed over. His body fell limply into the chair and his head fell backwards as he passed out.

She knew she should be concerned but laughter erupted from her so much so that her sides starting hurting. She began craving oxygen as water blurred her vision. Just as she began calming down Gai seemed to come round.

"Gai," she laughed, "are you ok?" she watched as the dazed and confused man came back to consciousness only to pale at the sight of her.

"Aki-chan?" he murmured breathlessly as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out again. This time she really couldn't control the laughter and found the hysterics too much. She had to crouch down for a moment just to try and regain control of her body. She hadn't laughed this hard- well maybe ever she realised.

She was still shaking with laughter as she rounded his chair and wheeled him inside. For a moment she forgot the pain. Just for a moment.

She sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes until she realised he might be out cold. She took a moment to look at Gai. He looked like he'd aged a lot since she last saw him. Her heart started to hurt at the thought. Her eyes fell to his legs and her heart only squeezed harder. Of all the people to be chair bound.

She sighed and got to her feet.

"Gaaaaaaaaaai-san." She had bent over and put her hands on her hips, calling out for him. He seemed to squirm a little but his eyes didn't open.

"GAI!" she called and lightly slapped him on the cheek. He seemed to jump up in his chair at the noise or sensation.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" he called and attempted to jump up but only fell from his wheelchair. Akari's eyes went wide and jumped to his form on the floor. Oh Kami Gai, what happened? Why you?

"Gai!" she called and he seemed to come round then.

"Gah! Akari, are you a ghost?!" He looked up to her from the floor and she tried to lift him back to his chair. He was too distracted to give a damn. She realised he had no idea she was back. "I'm not too good with ghosts." His teeth began to chatter together in fear.

"What? Is the Mighty Gai, the Green Beast of Konoha, actually afraid of something?" she joked and finally placed him in the chair with great effort. It kept almost rolling away from them. Gai gripped onto the armrests as he stared at her wide-eyed. "No, Gai, I'm not a ghost." She confirmed and sat back in the kitchen chair with a huff. His whole form seemed to sag with relief for a moment and he exhaled loudly.

"Wait does that mean I'm dead?!" he jerked forward his eyes wide again and she found herself laughing.

"Would that make you a ghost?"

"I'm a ghost?!" he paled again and the laughter slipped from her at the possibility of him fainting again.

"No no!" she called out waving her hand. "You're not dead, neither of us are ghosts. I'm very much real and alive." She confirmed all his fears were not real and he slumped back in the chair again relaxed.

"Wait, why are you here? When did you get here? Does Kakashi know? Why do you look the same? You don't look like you've aged a day!" he bombarded her with questions in quick succession and wheeled so close to her and leant so close to her she wasn't sure he even realised.

"Gai slow down everything is ok. Yes, Kakashi knows. I've been here for almost a week. It's all a long story." She smiled at him warmly and the surprise and excitement in his face seemed to morph into something warm and genuine.

"It's so good to see you Aki-chan," he patted her on her shoulder twice and moved his chair away from her slightly. "I bet Kakashi was so glad to see you, shocked, but glad. We thought you were dead."

"Ah, actually he threatened to kill me." She laughed at the recent memory.

"Sounds about right, I bet you frightened him. But with Kakashi, what does he always say? A ninja must look underneath the underneath. He doesn't always say what he means. Don't mind that." He looked like he tried his darn hardest to give her good advice.

"It's good to see you Gai, truly. I didn't think I'd get to see you again." He looked at her quizzically as she spoke, "anyway, what brings you here?"

"I haven't had a challenge with Kakashi in over a week! I know the Hokage can be busy but our youthfulness doesn't wait around! We must utilise the power of youth and engage in challenges. He is my eternal rival after all!" he punched the air in determination. "But I understand now why I haven't seen him around at all." He smiled again at her and she wondered what life might've been like if she stayed.

"Sorry for stealing your man," she joked and watched his cheeks erupt in a deep red.

"Well, no no no. You're mistaken he's all yours." He waved frantically at Akari. "Anyway, it is good that you're alive and well Aki-chan! When is the wedding?!" his sudden outburst made Akari flinch backwards.

"Gai…" she didn't know how to tell him. "I'm not going to be around for long. I'm not well."

"Not well?! I'll call Sakura-chan she's the best medic in the world you know?!" he began wheeling away towards the doorway.

"Gai," Akari couldn't bear his determination.

"She'll fix you up in no time. Don't you worry Aki-chan,"

"Gai, please." The softness of her voice was enough to stop the green cladded nin in his tracks.

"There's nothing that can be done." She said the gravity of the situation seemed to set into Gai at that moment. She watched the same haunted look she saw in Kakashi descend into Gai's face.

"Aki-chan…" a moment of silence passed between them then. Gai looked deep in thought. "Kakashi will find a way. He won't lose you again. I don't know how he survived it the first time…" he looked back up to her then. "You don't know what it was like. I've never seen anyone so broken. He didn't eat for weeks, couldn't really talk even. I had to break his door just to get him out of bed. A part of him died when you did."

She swallowed hard as her brain conjured thoughts of it. She couldn't help the quivering of her jaw and the tears spilt over her cheeks.

"He wouldn't survive a second time… He won't let it happen. Trust me Akari. He couldn't." Gai shook his head and smiled at her but it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"We must go see Taiyo-san! He must see you!" he wheeled towards her and began to drag her back to the door.

"Gai, I don't know,"

"Of course, you must! He will be so delighted to see you. He has missed you very much. He speaks of you often."

"You see Taiyo?"

"All the time, best curry in all of Konoha. Maybe the world!" he exclaimed opening the front door. She realised she didn't know how to lock it but figured it's the Hokages house and it was pretty far from the bustling centre.

"Ok," she said but her limbs began to shake.

"It'll be OK Aki-chan," Gai's voice turned softer than she'd ever heard it. It was as if he knew how scared she felt. She knew it was irrational. But, she couldn't help it.

The walk was a long way into Konoha and she found it easy to talk to Gai.

"So when did he move into that old house?"

"The old Hatake house? Maybe when he became Hokage. After Pein, almost everything in Konoha was destroyed. It was lucky the Hatake village still stood, although it is on the outskirts. Of course, there aren't anymore Hatake's to fill the houses. It's mostly civilians now who farm the rice fields."

"There aren't any more Hatake's?" she found she'd never really thought of it. They turned a corner and the dirt road took them through the main park where she and Kakashi often frequented.

"No, Kakashi is the last of the Hatake line. It will be a shame that it isn't continued. You know Sakumo, his father? They say he could've fought the three sanins and won! Can you believe that?" He shook his head at the sheer power Hatake Sakumo had. A strange feeling settled in her stomach.

"It's not too late, he can still marry, settle down, have children. He's only 34." She found her gaze staring into the dirt of the road more intensely than before.

"Ah, Aki-chan, do you not know our Kakashi at all?" he laughed softly but it was filled with sadness. "There isn't anyone else for Kakashi. He's made that quite clear over the years." She felt her heart spasm in her chest and she knew it was hurting for him.

"There's still time…" she argued weakly hoping Gai was wrong.

The rest of their walk was filled with updates about what has changed in Konoha since she'd left. She realised she hadn't been around much of it since she was back. Nothing was recognisable but it still felt like Konoha. It was as if she'd just never explored this part of it. She began wondering if the teashop they'd gone to on a date was open, whether the bar filled with memories reopened.

She was so lost in thought and conversation that when Gai halted suddenly in the street she realised where she stood. She looked at the huge shop front and Taiyo's curry sign atop of it and he whole chest seemed to swell with pride and joy.

"Here we are, I'll go and bring him." Gai nodded and she returned it, suddenly her body was overrun with nerves.

Painful moments seemed to tick by as she watched the curtains of the shop door, waiting for any movement. She suddenly heard a loud crash of braking porcelain and loud voices followed. She flinched at all the noise until Taiyo erupted from the shop front. They both seemed to freeze at the sight of each other and Akari's quickly beating heart seemed to jump at lightspeed at the sight of him. She didn't realise she was holding her breath until Taiyo's arms suddenly flew around her.

She didn't know when she started crying but she was. Her arms were squeezing the old man tightly and she realised he was crying too.

"Taiyo-san," she sniveled.

"Ame, I've been looking everywhere for you." He pulled back from her and held her at arm's length. He shook her at her shoulders with wide eyes full of tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." Her eyes found the floor but he crushed her back into a hug.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is you're here now." All the nerves and fear that she felt melted away at those words.

"I'm sorry Taiyo-san."

They stood in the new-to-Akari streets of Konoha in each others embraced for a while before they started strolling casually around together in each others company. They chatted about many things especially Taiyo's new-to-Akari store. He claimed he got a resurgence of love for Curry with his new store and even named his most famous dish after Ame. She laughed at that and strangely felt proud.

"I still have your things," he suddenly shifted from upbeat and excited to a softer more grave tone. "The Hokage, well… he was in a bad shape for a while. So they asked me what to do with your belongings. You didn't have much in that old apartment but… I saved some of your things. I couldn't bring myself to throw it all out." His words were filled with sadness and embarrassment.

"I appreciate you thinking of me Taiyo-san, really. I appreciate everything you ever did for me. You were the closest thing to family I really experienced here." He smiled warmly at her omission.

"I didn't have any family. I was an orphan and after my wife died-" he began to speak deeply about his feelings but Akari was too surprised and she cut him off.

"You were married?!" Akari asked in surprise and a warm smile graced Taiyo's face as if he was recalling memories of his beloved.

"Yes, once. A long time ago now." He nodded but all Akari felt was melancholy. "Well, you were the only family I'd known in a long time. Losing you was like losing a daughter."

"You and Kakashi were my family too, Taiyo. Are my family." She hugged him then. For the first time but it didn't feel like that. It felt like coming home. He smiled at her genuinely at that. It reached all the way to his eyes.

Pain sliced through Akari not a second after. She keeled over and fell to her knees. She didn't know what was happening but her vision failed and she couldn't hear. She could feel Taiyo's hands on her trying to help but she couldn't stop coughing. Warm iron liquid coated the inside of her mouth and she was choking on it. The pain sliced through her abdomen and her lungs and she panicked. She began to wonder if this was it. Was this the end? All strength left her body as she collapsed entirely. She didn't even have the strength in her to prevent the blood from filling her throat. I'm sorry Kakashi.