Hello everyone, thanks for reading my story. I hope you all enjoy it. I love to see read your comments and know what you think, so please remember to R&R.

Kakashi woke up the next morning with Sakura tucked up against him, her face buried in his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her. He breathed in the smell of her and could still smell the remains of their night before lingering in the air.

He sighed, hating that he had to get up and leave such a perfect scene. But he had to go give his mission report to Tsunade. He was supposed to be there two hours ago but couldn't break himself away from Sakura just yet.

He slowly untangled himself from the woman he adored and gently got off the bed, doing his best not to wake her. He felt terrible about not being there when she woke up, but maybe he could make his report quick and come back with some breakfast before she woke up.

He smiled at the thought. He knew they had some things to talk about, but last night had given him hope that Sakura had feelings for him as well. They just needed to work out a few details, and then maybe he could finally have the woman he had wanted for so long.

If he was going to make it back before she woke up, then he would need to get going. He finished dressing himself and silently slipped out the front door, taking on a quick pace to the Hokage Tower.

When he arrived, he was relieved to see that Lady Tsunade wasn't in too bad of a mood. "Well, let's have it Kakashi," she told him.

"There were actually six men guarding the target and not three as we originally thought. I still managed to complete the mission without any unnecessary damage," he reported.

She nodded. "So despite those unforeseen issues, you were still able to complete the mission and leave no trace of the Leaf behind?"

"That's correct," he answered.

"Good."

She would usually dismiss him at that point, carrying on about how much work she had to do. Kakashi was staring at the clock, still thinking about Sakura. "Eh, if there is nothing else that you need from me, is it alright if I go now?"

"Actually, I do need something from you," she said, standing up from her desk. "I need you to discuss something with you, Kakashi."

That wasn't normal protocol. "Uh, Hokage-sama, am I in some kind of trouble?" he asked.

"No, nothing like that," she told him. She hated what she was about to do to him, but she didn't have any grounds to argue. "It's about your mission last month."

"The escort mission with Yamato?" he asked.

"Exactly. The woman you escorted, Tomi. Her father is Sota Fujio, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire," she told him.

"I was already aware of that. Does the Daimyo have a complaint about his daughter's escort?"

Kakashi could only imagine the ridiculous complaints that Princess Tomi would have had about his mission ethics. She had complained almost constantly during the mission and was incredibly needy. To say the least, the mission was mentally filed in Kakashi's mind as nothing short of miserable.

"No, quite the opposite actually. The Daimyo and his daughter were both very impressed by you," she explained.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. If they were happy with the mission, then why am I here?"

"It seems that Tomi was so impressed with you that she couldn't stop talking about you to her father. She has become rather infatuated with you and has made a rather large request to her father."

Kakashi didn't like the way that that sounded. Was he going to be put on some long-term guard assignment for this woman? He certainly hoped not!

"Kakashi, the fact of the matter is that Daimyo Sota Fujio has inquired about your heritage marital status. Upon our confirmation that you come from a well-respected clan and are in fact still unmarried, he has sent in a proposal for you to marry his daughter, Tomi."

Kakashi's heart dropped. Surely he heard her wrong?

Right? "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. Could you repeat that?"

Tsunade sighed. "Fujio has requested that you marry his daughter and the elders have accepted! It is out of my hands and yours now."

Kakashi thought that his heart was going to burst. He had finally taken a step towards being with Sakura and then this! Surely, there was some way out of this? "They can't actually do that can they?" he asked her.

"Actually, they can. They told you over two years ago after the war that you would need to find a wife, and you ignored them. They can't afford for the Hatake clan to die out with you. You need to marry and have children, Kakashi. I have kept them off your back for two years now, but they can't pass up this opportunity to marry you with a woman of status."

"What if I refuse? Don't I have the option to deny the proposal?" he asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"No, you don't. Not anymore, Kakashi. You had two years to find a wife and since you didn't in that time, the law says that the village elders have the right to assign you one. I'm sorry, Kakashi, but you no longer have a say in this matter!"

"That's bullshit! It's my life. I should be allowed to live it however I want." He was fuming at this point. He was upset with Daimyo Sota Fujio, upset with his daughter Tomi, upset with Tsunade, and mostly upset with himself.

If he had just acted on his feelings for Sakura sooner, then he probably wouldn't be in this situation. He may very well have been setting his arrangement with Sakura instead. But now, though, he was stuck with a woman that he hardly even knew.

"Don't take that tone with me Hatake! I know that this is hard for you, I know it's not what you wanted, but it could be worse," she snapped. "You will have a one-year-long engagement with Tomi. During that time, she will be living here in the village, and you can spend some time with her and get to know each other. At least you get that.

"Her living arrangements have already been set up. She is on her way here as we speak and should arrive later tonight. You are to meet here first thing in the morning to spend the day with her tomorrow."

"And if I don't show up?" he asked, challenging her one last time.

"Then I will send ANBU for you and you will be charged with misconduct and failing to follow orders. Tomi will be here in the next few hours, and you will be marrying her!" She pulled out a pen and signed a document she had on her desk. "Kakashi Hatake, you are hereby engaged to Tomi Fujio, the daughter of Daimyo Sota Fujio!"

She handed him the paper, a betrothal agreement. "Now head straight home. I have someone there waiting for you to make sure that you have things in order for Tomi's arrival."

Kakashi stormed out of the office without another word.

Sakura stirred in her sleep, waking up slowly. The morning light was pouring in through her bedroom window, memories of the night before flooding her mind as she stared out the window at the rising sun. She couldn't help the deep blush that stained her cheeks. With a smile, she rolled over and reached an arm out for Kakashi, wanting to snuggle into him.

Her smile disappeared when her hand touched only cold sheets.

He wasn't there. Thinking back to the night before, had she dreamed the whole thing up? She sat up and looked at the floor below the window. Some of her medical equipment was still there on the floor along with some dark stains—Kakashi's blood.

Sakura frowned. Where was he? He had definitely been there the previous night, so maybe it was just the other part that she had dreamed. She sat there for a moment on her bed, wondering if suppressing her feelings for Kakashi had finally gotten the best of her and thrown her into a hot fantasy after an intense healing session.

She quickly jumped up off of her bed and ripped the sheets back to see the small blood stain that was absolute proof of her and Kakashi's night together. Her heart clenched painfully.

Sakura tried to keep out the negative thoughts as she looked around for some kind of note or sign from him. Kakashi must have had a good reason for leaving. They had been so close for so long, he wouldn't just walk out on her after what had happened the night before. Right?! It hadn't been some drunken mistake.

At least, it hadn't been for her. She was struck with a thought that made knots in her stomach. What if it had been for Kakashi? He couldn't have been drunk, but what if it was something else? Sleep deprivation, adrenaline, blood loss…

What if he'd woken up and regretted what they'd done?

Sakura fought back tears at the realization that Kakashi may have left her in bed this morning because he thought he'd made a mistake.

She was trying not to work herself into a panic, but it wasn't working. She ripped the sheets from the bed and threw them way before getting in the shower and scrubbing herself in frustration. She just knew that Kakashi had to have a good reason why he wasn't there this morning, but she couldn't think of one.

She did her best to talk down her nerves as she got ready for work. She and Kakashi saw each other practically every day, so she was sure that he would pop up at the hospital with lunch for her or be waiting here at her house when she got home. That was their routine, she told herself over and over as she headed out the door to the hospital for her shift.

Sakura's shift at the hospital came and went with no word from Kakashi. She went home to find her house as empty as it was when she had left that morning. She skipped dinner, not in the mood to eat anything, and went straight to bed.

She didn't have to work the next day, so she decided to sleep in. She hadn't intended on leaving her house that day until her empty stomach caught up to her. Around 11 am she dragged herself out of bed, grabbed a bag, and headed into town to get something to eat.

She was walking through the streets looking through different food carts, stands, and restaurants her village had to offer, waiting for something to catch her eyes. However, what ended up catching her eye wasn't exactly food, but was instead a head of white hair moving through the streets a few feet away.

Sakura wanted to talk to Kakashi about what had happened between them. She didn't want to hear him say that it was a mistake, but she would rather him be honest and then try to get back to some sort of normalcy than for him to completely shut her out. She took a deep breath, reminding herself not to panic as she walked in his direction.

Kakashi woke up with an aggravated groan to the sound of his alarm. He laid in bed for a while, thinking about his situation. He had meant to go see Sakura the day before to talk to her about what had happened between them and to explain his situation with Tomi.

But after being informed of his new engagement, he had been sent home to spend the entire day with one of Tsunade's assistants going over all of the do's and don'ts regarding his new relationship.

If he could even call it that.

He had to learn how to address her and her father and how to properly court her. He was expected to spend a certain amount of time with her each week. He was also informed that they would be planning their wedding together as well. There were apparently already quite a few appointments made for wedding planning which Kakashi was expected to attend.

The assistant was an older man, strictly political and specialized in formal etiquette training. Usually he trained new Hokages and council members on how to be proper for international affairs. He dragged Kakashi around his apartment and lectured him about his books, which apparently would not be appropriate to read in front of her.

Kakashi couldn't help but think that was strange, because what would happen once she moved in after the wedding? Wouldn't she see him reading them then? The assistant also explained that he would have to stop hiding from people and showing up late.

The assistant went on to ask about the Hatake Clan home, whether it was livable or if it would need work done in order to move in. Apparently once Tomi was Lady Hatake, she intended to redecorate the home.

Kakashi simply responded by explaining the estate was not salvageable and that he and Tomi would not be living there. It wasn't a complete lie; Kakashi had actually kept up with it over the years to an extent.

The house was unlivable in its current condition. But, with a couple of months of hard work, it could be restored to its former glory. He had no intentions of doing so for Tomi, though it had nothing to do with the amount of work it'd take. Something about her being in that house just felt wrong to Kakashi.

So the assistant added house hunting to Kakashi's list of things to do before the wedding because apparently his two bedroom apartment wasn't a sufficient living place. By the time the older man had finally left, Sakura's shift had long been over and he was sure that she would be home sleeping.

Running a hand over his face, he made himself a cup of tea and sat on his sofa. He never even took a sip of it; he only sat staring into the cup until the tea turned cold and he dumped it out and went to bed. Now he was awake and late for his meeting with Tsunade, the Daimyo, and his new fiancee.

He got out of bed and headed for the shower; it was going to be a long day.

He arrived at Tsunade's office an hour late. Tsunade wasn't pleased nor was Daimyo Fujio. "I see that you finally decided to show up," Sota growled at Kakashi as he entered the office.

"Kakashi apologizes for his tardiness," Tsunade reassured the Daimyo. "I'm sure he has a very good reason for being over an hour late," she glared at him.

"Ah, yes! You see, I was on my way here at 8:00 am when a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around to get here," Kakashi explained in a cheerful tone.

Tsunade silently swore that she would wring his neck for that horrible excuse.

"You don't actually expect us to believe that do you?" asked Sota, crossing his arms. Tomi said nothing but raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well of course, didn't you know that it's bad luck to cross paths with a black cat?" Kakashi's tone was so serious that Sota and Tomi had to wonder if he was indeed serious.

Tomi cleared her throat, bringing the attention in the room to her. "Well, I certainly hope that you being late isn't a habit of yours," she said, clearly not pleased with being kept waiting.

Tsunade took the opportunity to quickly change the subject to what they were all really there for. "Well, now that you are here, Kakashi. Let's get down to business."

They all took their seats, and for the next hour Kakashi sat and listened to other people map out the details of the rest of his life. When they were finished, Tsunade wanted him to show Tomi around the village since it would become her home as well.

Tomi and her father made their way to the door when Tomi looked back at Kakashi expectantly. "He'll be right out," Tsunade reassured her, and Sota closed the door behind them.

"Don't look at me like that, Hatake. I explained this to you already, it's out of our hands," Tsunade chided.

"Just because it's out of my hands doesn't mean that I have to like it," he shot back.

Tsunade sighed, "Kakashi I know that this isn't what you wanted. But you next in line to be the Hokage and also the last living member of a clan this village holds in high regard. You are a shinobi, your life belongs to this village. You made that choice when you took the oath.

"A few days ago you were on a mission that nearly killed you. You have no problem giving your life for this village if it means dying, but you do if you give your life by living? That hardly makes any sense.

You have always been willing to die and kill on the village's orders. Now we are asking you to live a fulfilling life. Marry Tomi and have children. Endear yourself to the Daimyo. Think of it as a final mission before your inauguration, one where if you let yourself, you may even find yourself happy."

Kakashi hated that he couldn't really argue her point. He had put his life on the line more times than he could count. Now all they asked was for him to settle down and be happy.

Tsunade nodded. "Unfortunately, you are stuck in this arrangement either way. You might as well try to make the best of it, instead of showing up an hour late and making everyone else sit around to wait for you. You're only making it harder on yourself and everyone else."

Kakashi left the office with another word. A few minutes later, he and Tomi were walking the streets of Konoha, with both of her arms wrapped around one of his as they walked. He showed her the academy, the training grounds, the entertainment district, and now they were walking through the shopping district.

Tomi was complaining about being hungry, so Kakashi directed them towards an area with all the shops and restaurants. As he was looking around for a place to eat, a head of pink hair caught his eye. Sakura? This wasn't how he wanted her to find out about Tomi. He quickly made an excuse about checking the wait time for a restaurant before making his way towards Sakura's direction.

Sakura and Kakashi made their way through the crowd, both trying to track the other through the mass of people. Before they knew it, they were suddenly standing face to face. Sakura's face grew red, and Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey," he finally said.

"Hey, I missed you yesterday," she responded, hoping that she didn't sound clingy.

"Sorry about that, I had some things come up." he started, unsure how to approach this subject.

"Right, of course. I understand," she said, looking off in the distance. "So, umm. I didn't finish that project that you promised to help me with." She smiled. "I was just going to grab some food and head back home to do it. Do you want to come?" she asked.

Kakashi realized in that moment that he couldn't spend the day with her and would probably never be able to again. It would be seen as inappropriate and, if he were being honest, he wasn't sure that he would be able to keep his hands off of Sakura if they were alone.

The temptation to reach out and touch her even now was difficult to rein in. He wanted nothing more than to go back home with her and spend their day as usual. He wanted so badly to kiss and hold her like he had just a couple of nights ago. But he couldn't, because he was now a man promised to another woman.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I can't… and we should talk about something."

Oh, no! Here it comes—the rejection, the admittance of regret. Sakura was afraid that this would happen. "About the other night, it was stupid," she blurted out before she could stop herself." We're friends, we never should have crossed that line. So let's just forget it and go back to the way things were."

She had said it all in a panic, trying to say it before he did. As if saying it first would make it easier on her.

Sakura's words felt like one of her chakra punches to his chest. She regretted it. She didn't want him after all. Well, at least that made it easier to distance himself from her. If she had told him that she wanted more from him, physically or emotionally, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back.

"Kakashi dear, there you are," a woman said as she approached the two of them, "How long was the wait at the restaurant?" she asked as she wrapped both arms around him.