Author's Note: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! They were a huge factor in me updating so quick! It's got to be a record.

I realize that some of you may not know who the hell Kinoe is. In the anime (I'm not sure about the manga), before joining ANBU, Tenzou was in ROOT. He was referred to back then as Kinoe. So yes, Kinoe=Tenzou/Yamato, not an OC I replaced our beloved Mokuton user with. I would never do that. I'll update Chapter 3 so this tidbit would be included in the author's note for future readers.

Warning: Brush your teeth after reading this installment. It gets a little sugary.

I realize that at the moment this is a Kakashi-centric story. The other characters won't really have their time to shine until much later, until their much older, hahaha.

As usual, there was no beta and standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy!

-o-

Chapter 4: Sea Surf Aquamarine

Hatake Kakashi needed a new babysitter. Not to slight on Gai, but since Kakashi was reinstated into ANBU fulltime he couldn't possibly ask Gai to watch over Sakura when he goes on long-term missions. Despite Gai's eccentrics, he was an excellent babysitter (Sakura being blind probably helped), Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to discover, but Gai was also a valuable asset to Konoha. The village needed Gai, and Kakashi couldn't take more of his time then he was already asking. But he seriously didn't know who else he could ask.

Asking a civilian was out of the question. Civilians hired shinobi for missions, the other way around was simply unheard of. Besides, even if he used henge to disguise himself, he just couldn't trust civilians. They were always just so weak and he couldn't depend on them to protect Sakura. And knowing ANBU, Kakashi would be out on missions a lot. The civilians would get suspicious of him frequently dumping his ward on them. In addition, since Kakashi was a shinobi, and he intended for Sakura to know that, when she grows older she might let slip who he truly is and the henge would work no longer. Civilians would simply not do.

But among the shinobi, he knew no one who he could trust, certainly one who was also permanently taken off active duty. The only people he knew for sure who was no longer active was Kushina… and Uchiha Mikoto.

Kakashi stilled at the thought and stared down at the baby he was currently rocking in his arms in contemplation.

After conceiving her first son, the Uchiha matriarch retired from active duty. Instead she focused all of her energy on being a devoted mother, and since she gave birth to another child, Kakashi knew that she wouldn't be active for a long time. She already has two sons so she would be a good candidate for her knowledge and experience. But…

Kakashi was hesitant to ask favors from any Uchiha.

He already had a bad reputation among them due to his father's fall from grace, but receiving Obito's Sharingan made it worse. The clan was livid when they found out that an outsider was in possession of their kekkei genkai, and it was largely due to Minato-sensei that his gift of friendship wasn't gouged out his eye socket. The Uchiha would no doubt refuse his request.

Mikoto also most likely had her hands full with her two sons. Kakashi really didn't want to burden her with one more child.

But he had no one else to ask.

And… if his memory served him right, and it usually did, Mikoto was best friends with Kushina. Before Kushina's death, he remembered that she declared that the two of them made a promise that their sons would become best friends too. He didn't know if Minato-sensei told his wife about Sakura, but he wondered if she was still alive, if she would have extended the promise of friendship to his little ward as well. They were about the same age after all.

A pat to Kakashi's cheek brought him out of his nostalgia, and he smiled softly as Sakura proceeded to giggle. She had grown so much bigger when he had first seen her. He was amazed by how fast babies grew. Kakashi grasped the hand that kept patting his face, and steeled his resolve.

Kakashi may not succeed, but he had to try.

-o-

Even though she was no longer in the active force, Uchiha Mikoto will always consider herself as a shinobi. And as a ninja, she should always expect the unexpected. But she never expected Hatake Kakashi at her doorstep, asking her to take care of his ward while he went on ANBU missions. She didn't even know that Kakashi had a ward.

Mikoto didn't know the boy well, due to the Uchiha's overall disdain for him, but she could see his discomfort in making this request and the desperation in his eye. She didn't really understand his request and why he was asking her of all people, but she took pity on the boy and decided to hear him out.

"Would you like to come in, Hatake-san?"

The boy was surprised by the offer, if the slight widening of his eyes were any indication. But he nodded and she allowed him in and guided him to the main room.

"Would you like some tea?" Mikoto offered. After all, as the matriarch, she knew how to be an excellent hostess.

The teen shook his head. At his decline Mikoto sat down on own of the cushions on floor. Kakashi followed suit.

"Now, Hatake-san, I don't comprehend your request. Could you please clarify it to me?" Mikoto inquired.

Kakashi gave a quick nod and proceeded to explain to her Haruno Sakura, his decision to adopt her, the need for a caretaker and the reason why he was asking her. When he was done Mikoto was impressed by how well-thought out everything was and the devotion he had to the little girl. It completely defied what the rumors had described Hatake Kakashi to be. But Mikoto hesitated to answer.

She had her hands full with Sasuke-kun already since he was so young, even if she did have Itachi-kun helping her out in between his studies. And Sakura was the ward of Kakashi, of all people; she knew that her husband would not approve.

However Mikoto's heart went out to Kakashi. She knew that Kakashi had no family, and this Haruno Sakura was probably all that he had. And… Kushina-chan adored this boy. She would hear about him from her best friend all the time. Thus even though Mikoto had never really engaged with the teen, she started to develop a little soft spot for him due to Kushina-chan's ramblings. And it still hurt to think about her, but she remembered the promise they had made, and a remark that Kushina had made afterwards.

"Hey, Mikoto-chan. Sasuke-kun is lucky to have Itachi-kun as an older brother. Itachi-kun really takes good care of him. And to be honest, I'm a little jealous for my Naruto-kun." There was a wistful pause then, but after a few seconds a smile grew on Kushina's face. "But Sasuke-kun won't be the only one with an older brother. Naruto-kun will have Kakashi-kun, dattebane!"

But Kakashi will never have Naruto because Naruto wasn't alive. But he did have Sakura, and Sakura was someone important to him. And Kakashi was someone important to Kushina-chan.

Mikoto decided, as Kushina's best friend, she would do it. Kushina wasn't around anymore for Kakashi, but she would be. Mikoto would be around for Kakashi.

Resolved, Mikoto smiled gently and gave her answer. "I accept. I would be honored to watch over Haruno Sakura."

The boy before her gaped in shock. Clearly he hadn't been expecting this outcome. He quickly recovered and bowed low. "Thank you so much, Uchiha-san!"

"Please, Kakashi, call me Mikoto."

-o-

Uzumaki Naruto was the spitting image of Namikaze Minato.

Inu had his first shift of Jinchuruuki watch last night, and Kakashi reminisced his first encounter with his former sensei's son. Naruto had the same exact coloring as Minato-sensei, and if it weren't for those whisker marks, it would be easy to mistake him as the Yondaime when he grows older. Kakashi could just tell.

And it hurt, to know that Naruto was in an orphanage because both of his parents were dead, and to know that Naruto won't be able to know about his heritage for a long time due to his safety. That Kakashi wasn't strong enough to be in his life other than an ANBU guard, that he wouldn't be able to openly interact with him because he was too weak, that all Inu could do was watch over Naruto with distant eyes, more alert towards their surroundings than the infant himself. He couldn't be Kakashi, the older brother, to Naruto. Not for a very long time, and it hurt.

What Kakashi was grateful for though, was that Naruto's status as a Jinchuruuki was kept as an S-class secret. The ANBU guards were for precautionary measures, since Shinobi were paranoid as principle, but no one else knew, and no one else would know. And he was thankful, because it would at least spare Naruto the discrimination that Kushina-san had to bear with. For now, Naruto was safe, in all sense of the word.

And Kakashi made sure that he would stay that way.

"I promise to protect him, Minato-sensei."

No matter what.

-o-

"Hatake Kakashi, while you are infiltrating ROOT you have an additional assignment. You are to keep an eye on, and befriend Kinoe. Konohagakure will definitely be needing his abilities, but it would be harmful if he adopted Danzo's views. Befriend him, Kakashi, and teach him the values of our village's shinobi."

"Yes sir."

In between his shifts of Naruto watch and taking care of Sakura, Kakashi had gone to ROOT with a goal in mind. He needed to befriend Kinoe in order to make sure that he wouldn't be brainwashed by Danzo, but loyal to the Hokage. The friendship would be intentional, deceitful, and Kakashi had no qualms with that. It was just another mission after all.

But Kakashi had a difficult time carrying out the mission, since every time Kakashi visited ROOT, Danzo had assigned him to sparring practice. It seemed that was all he did. But he knew that in ROOT, he was an anomaly because the only member he saw outside of Danzo was Kinoe. He seldom met anyone else, and if he did, it was all for the sake to spar with someone with a different fighting style. Yet most of his days were spent sparring Kinoe. If it wasn't sparring with Kinoe then it was watching a spar between Kinoe and Danzo, with Danzo giving pointers and lectures about just about anything, including but not limited to: jutsu, politics, espionage, and the Shinobi Code. During those training sessions, Kakashi knew that he was getting stronger and smarter in more ways than one. The Hokage was right that Danzo's lessons were beneficial.

Yet it was clear that Danzo had a darker way of thinking than what Konoha was accustomed to, and Kakashi knew that he had to be wary of that. It was also his job to protect Kinoe from that as well. However Kakashi never found the time to be alone with Kinoe. Danzo clearly favored the Mokuton boy, and he never left his side. Until now.

A ROOT agent had urgent news to report to Danzo during one of Kakashi's and Kinoe's sparring session. Danzo had left quickly, ordering a break until he returned for he didn't want them to spar without his supervision. Kakashi knew that Danzo was watching them, particularly him, to memorize his fighting style, analyzing it, just in case the day came where Danzo had to fight Kakashi. Kakashi had to be careful, for if that day ever did come, then he couldn't be predictable to Danzo. Kakashi would show him enough, enough to satisfy the criteria for genius, but not everything.

Finally.

Kakashi was alone with Kinoe and he could finally start on his mission.

But Kakashi was stumped. He didn't know the first thing of initiating friendship. He never did; he never needed to. All of his friends came to him. Minato-sensei, Obito, Rin, Gai, they all came to him with their offers of friendship that he eventually accepted. But Kakashi never instigated, and he didn't know what to do.

However Kakashi was assigned a mission. And just like every assignment, he would complete it to the best of his ability.

Kakashi got up from his leaning against the wall and walked, hands in his pockets, towards where Kinoe was meditating. When he was standing before the Mokuton boy, he called out his greeting. "Yo."

The brunette looked up, owlish eyes boring into his. The boy said nothing, merely staring, waiting for Kakashi to speak. It was a bit unsettling. He let out a small sigh, strengthening his resolve with the outtake of breath. He was a genius, making friends shouldn't be too hard.

"When shinobi spar with each other, it is said that camaraderie develops between them. Since you and I have been sparring for so long, want to be friends?"

On second thought, geniuses usually don't have that many friends.

-o-

Kinoe stared at the outstretched hand before him. He didn't take it, but instead directed his gaze back to the ROOT anomaly. He knew that Hatake Kakashi was special in Danzo's eyes, just like he was special. Kinoe wasn't treated like the rest of the ROOT members; he didn't have a brother. Danzo said that he hadn't needed one. Kakashi was different too, just like he was different. But Kinoe knew enough about the Hatake genius to be wary of his offer of friendship.

"If I become your friend, will you kill me too?"

Instantly the genially closed eye snapped open to an enraged glare. The outstretched hand retracted to the side of its owner, and it and its counterpart curled into fists.

"What did you say?" The tone of Kakashi's voice took a dangerous descent. There was a threat behind the question but Kinoe wasn't afraid. During the spars he found that he and Kakashi were evenly matched. Kakashi wouldn't be able to kill him, not before Danzo arrived.

"Nohara Rin was claimed to be your friend and she died by your hand. If I were to be your friend, would you kill me too?"

When he blinked his back was to the ground with Kakashi's weight immobilizing him, and a tanto was pushed dangerously up his throat. Kinoe didn't even see him move.

Kakashi moved his mouth towards Kinoe's ear, whispering in his still dangerously low tone of his. "I could kill you easily right now."

Damn it, the Hatake was holding back during those spars; he shouldn't have underestimated him.

Both of them didn't move. Kinoe closed his eyes and clenched his fists, waiting. He was going to die.

Then Kakashi rose up, removing himself from Kinoe's person. He sheathed his tanto, and Kinoe sat up, blinking.

"But I won't, because I consider you my friend. And friends don't kill each other." The chill-inducing tone was gone, replaced by Kakashi's usual monotone. Staring Kinoe in the eyes, he continued, "I didn't kill Rin on purpose. She died because I was too weak to protect her."

The word weak triggered open a box in his mind, and soon Kinoe was bombarded with memories he tried so hard to lock away. Images of a laboratory, tubes, experiments and screaming children flashed in his mind eye. And he remembered. He remembered the other children, the other children that were with him in that accursed place. The children that he didn't know the names of or never even interacted with, and only saw either in their own tubes or on the experiment table. The children that he didn't know, who day by day, one after another died before his eyes. The children who he didn't know, but desperately wanted to save but didn't because he was too weak, and couldn't save anyone else but himself.

As the memories faded Kinoe looked at Kakashi and realized that he was the same. That realization was accompanied by a desperate desire for Kakashi to be his friend.

-o-

"Don't cry, Sakura." Kakashi soothed, trying to comfort his wailing ward with little success.

They were in front of the Uchiha main house, and Kakashi had just transferred Sakura into Mikoto's arms. He had to go on a long term mission today.

Transporting Sakura from his apartment to the Uchiha compounds took a lot of thought. He couldn't just waltz across the village with a baby in tow, and disguising himself would cause suspicions for those who could sense genjutsu (and Konoha had plenty). So he had to make due with disguises. He chose to disguise himself as an elderly woman. It was a bit humiliating, but he had disguised himself as worse. He donned on a long figureless smock not unlike what the citizens of Sunagakure wore over his ANBU uniform, wrapped a shawl around his head to hide his hair and mask, and made a sling out a blanket to carry Sakura behind his back. He was appreciative that Sakura was blind, because his change in appearance didn't startle her and he was able to make his way to the Uchiha compound in peace. Peace that was instantly shattered by wails when Mikoto had cradled Sakura in her arms.

"I'm not leaving for good, I promise to come back. Be a good girl for Mikoto-san, just like you are for Gai."

But Sakura wasn't listening and continued to cry. He chanced a glance at Mikoto, who was rocking the crying girl and staring at him in amusement. He was thankful for his mask for he felt burning in his cheeks. He had warned her that he would probably come in disguise, but the warning did nothing to reign in her light giggles.

"Does she cry often?" the Uchiha matriarch asked after she recomposed herself.

"Only when she's separated from me." An answer that still baffled him. He wasn't sure if this intense of an attachment to someone was normal.

He returned his attentions to his crying ward. "I'll be back, Sakura. It's only for a couple of days, weeks at most. I'm sorry that I have to go, but there's something Hokage-sama needs me to do. And I'm a shinobi, I can't be with you all the time. There will be times when I need to be away for long periods of time. On those days, you will be here. This is Uchiha Mikoto, and she'll watch over you until I come back. Be good to her and her family, alright?"

His explanation was in vain, if Sakura's continued screeches were any indication. She didn't understand any of it.

He sighed and reached inside of his smock and pulled out an accessory that he always wore during ANBU missions.

A red scarf.

It was originally his father's. Hatake Sakumo had the habit of donning it when he went out on ANBU missions. After his suicide, Kakashi threw it into the back of his closet. He didn't want to look at it; he didn't want to see any reminder of his disgraceful father. But he didn't have the heart to throw it away. After Obito changed Kakashi's view of his father, Kakashi dug Sakumo's scarf back out. It wasn't until his first ANBU assignment that he had donned it on, and just like his father, the scarf became a part of his uniform. It would no longer be starting today. During those rough nights when he would be all alone, hiding from enemy eyes, the scarf had brought a source of comfort. It was time to use it to comfort someone else.

He wrapped the scarf loosely around Sakura. The touch of fabric shushed her whines.

"This is my scarf, Sakura, and I want you to borrow it while I'm away, okay? I promise to come back to retrieve it. I promise to come back to you."

Tears were still streaming, but at least Sakura was no longer screeching. Kakashi exhaled a sigh of relief and gave Mikoto a grateful nod, before turning to leave.

"Wait, Kakashi-kun."

The teen paused and looked over his shoulder, to see that Mikoto was waving him over with an amused expression. "That's not how you say goodbye to your family."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about?

"You're supposed to give them a goodbye kiss!"

…What.

Mikoto lifted her arms, raising Sakura towards his direction. She urged, "Go on."

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows and took a hesitant step forward. He'd never received a goodbye kiss before. The closest thing he got was a ruffle of his hair. But Mikoto kept looking at him with expectant eyes, and the milky, albeit teary, green of Sakura's was too. He didn't understand how she always knew where he was.

Kakashi sighed, leaned forward, and after a moment's hesitation, lightly brushed his masked lips on Sakura's forehead.

"Wait for me, Sakura. I'll come back, I promise."

-o-

It had almost been a year since that fateful day in Kirigakure. Kakashi had no idea when Sakura's birthday was, but her living through another year, possibly her first, made him determined to celebrate it. Kakashi decided that the date of when they first met would be considered Haruno Sakura's birthday. So here he was, in the middle of Kaze no Kuni's many open air markets, searching for an appropriate gift.

His mission assignment was a simple espionage. There were rumors that someone was attempting an assassination on the Wind's daimyo, and the target wasted no time in requesting shinobi help. Kakashi was ordered to gather intellect on who was after the daimyo's head. He wasn't assigned to assassinate. That made the mission a lot easier since it gave him a lot more breathing time. Although Kakashi had no idea why the mission request went to Konoha instead of Suna, he didn't complain. More missions meant more revenue and that meant prosperous Konoha. He wasn't really interested in politics anyway.

Kakashi decided that this was a very good chance to practice his ever growing multitasking skills. By strolling down the bazaar looking for a gift for Sakura, Kakashi would snatch snippets of gossip from the citizens. He was hearing useful information already. Problem was, he had no idea what to get for his ward.

Sakura was an infant, so the range of gifts appropriate for her was limited. What limited it even more was that Sakura was blind, so it couldn't be something one needed sight to appreciate.

The wind blew, and Kakashi shuffled his smock to keep the sand out of his eyes when he heard it. The gust carried the melody of wind chimes and suddenly, Kakashi had an inkling of an idea of what he could possibly get Sakura.

He breezed by the stores, careful to keep an ear out for plausible information, until he reached a shop that sold instruments.

"Hello!" the shop keeper greeted, a wide smile adorning his tanned face at the prospect of a customer.

Kakashi tipped his head, returning the greeting. "Hello."

"Is there anything in particular that you are looking for, valued customer? I have a wide selection!"

And indeed he did: string, percussion, woodwind instruments – he had them all. Kakashi was very impressed.

Music was something one didn't need sight to appreciate. But looking at the displays, Kakashi was at a loss on what to buy. It also had to be something small that he could hide either on his person or in his pack. Kakashi gave the shop keeper a slight shrug.

"Possibly. There's a child that I know, an infant really, whose blind. It's her birthday soon and I want to get her a gift, but I have no idea what to get."

The jolly man looked thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes lit up. "Wait one moment, valued customer! I have just the thing!"

Kakashi dutifully waited until the large man reappeared through the flap at the back of his tent. The shop keeper proudly presented the item he had retrieved before him.

It was a doll, a doll of a female belly dancer that was popular in Kaze no Kuni. Kakashi was about to write the enthusiastic man off as an idiot until he saw the tiny bells adorned on the doll's wrists and ankles.

"It is perfect, no? Children love dolls because holding something brings them comfort. And also," the shop keeper paused in his explanation to shake the doll. The bells shook and rang jingles that were surprisingly loud for its size. "Eeeeh, valued customer? Is it not perfect? Not only does this doll bring comfort, it brings music too. So what do you say, valued customer. Is it not perfect?"

Kakashi took the doll in his hands and gave it an experimental shake. He could careless on what the doll was, since he knew that Sakura wouldn't be able to appreciate its aesthetics, but the bells were indeed a nice addition. Kakashi had a particular fondness for bells, and he didn't mind sharing that with Sakura. He shook the doll again, listening to its ring.

"Ah, it's perfect."

-o-

There was a new addition to his favorite cousin's household today. Uchiha Shisui was accostumed to seeing Itachi out on the veranda with baby Sasuke in his arms, and Mikoto watching over them fondly. Mikoto sitting beside Itachi with another infant in her arms was new.

"Yo, Itachi! What's up little Sasuke-chan," Shisui bent down and ruffled his favorite cousin's hair and tickled his other favorite. His actions earned him giggles and an irritated stare. He promptly ignored the stink eye with a small and plopped himself on the other side of his aunt.

"Hey Oba-san, who's that?" Shisui asked, pointing to the baby bundle. It couldn't possibly be another baby sibling for Itachi. It had pink hair. Pink.

"Good afternoon to you too, Shisui-kun," his aunt huffed in amusement. She shifted so that he could get a better view on the baby. "This is Haruno Sakura-chan. You'll be seeing her for a while. She's been here for a few days now, and she'll be around quite often."

"Why's that?"

Mikoto didn't answer right away, but instead shared a glance with Itachi. Her eldest son gave her a nod.

How curious.

"I trust that you could keep a secret, Shisui-kun. I was given permission to share this information to my discretion. Fugaku-san and Itachi-kun knows, but now I will tell you. But you three will be the only ones to know. Sakura-chan is Hatake Kakashi's daughter."

Shisui's eyes widened and gaped at his aunt in disbelief. "What?! Hatake-san has a daughter?!"

He knew that Kakashi wasn't that much older than him. What the heck had that guy been doing?

Mikoto giggled, and it seemed even Itachi shared in her amusement. "No, no, not like that. Hatake adopted Sakura as his ward. It's a very long story, but for the sake of Sakura's safety, that is kept a secret only known to few. Hence, her being a Haruno and not a Hatake."

Well, that made sense. But why the hell did Kakashi adopt her? He didn't really seem like the type to adopt children.

"Okay, but why is she here?"

"I agreed to watch over her whenever Kakashi-kun is out on long term assignments, which would most likely be frequent. Now," Mikoto paused to shift Sakura again so that this time, the baby girl was facing him. She gently wrapped her fingers on one of Sakura's arms and wiggled it. "Say hi to Shisui nii-chan, Sakura-chan."

Shisui smiled. That was pretty cute.

"Here," Mikoto extended Sakura out to him, "why don't you hold her while I relieve Itachi-kun of Sasuke-chan? It's almost time for me to feed him."

Shisui obliged and cradled the small infant in his arms. Upon closer inspection he noticed that there was a milky film covering her green (she had such a peculiar coloring) eyes. He frowned when he realized what that meant and couldn't help but pity her.

"Hey little feller, I'm Uchiha Shisui. It's nice to meet you," he whispered.

In the background he could hear his aunt cooing at his cousins, but as soon the baby in his arms giggled and patted his face with those little hands, Shisui stopped paying attention.

He might've found a third favorite cousin.

-o-

Kakashi was never late, and today wasn't an exception. Kakashi had arrived back from Kaze no Kuni last night, and as soon as he finished giving his mission report, he made a bee line towards the Uchiha compound He was surprised to see Uchiha Shisui there, and didn't appreciate the kid laughing at his disguise. He felt a little uncomfortable having Shisui know his secret (that there was one more person than he had expected to know), but Mikoto was quick to assure him that her nephew was trustworthy. Shisui had promised his secrecy as well, and instantly Kakashi could see the fondness the younger teen had for his ward. Kakashi definitely hadn't expected that.

Sakura was asleep when he arrived, which was fine with him, since he was able to quietly make his way back to his apartment. When they got home he had laid Sakura down on her futon and he laid down in his, exhausted. But he was relieved to know that he wasn't late.

The sun was already up and he couldn't wait any longer. Kakashi was back, and Sakura hadn't greeted him yet. She He went over to where he dumped his pack last night and rummaged through. When he retrieved the item he was looking for, he walked over to Sakura and gently shook her awake.

"Sakura?"

At the sound of his voice, his ward seemed to have awoken. She squealed excitedly when she realized who he was, patting his face with her pudgy hands, something she always did whenever he would return from somewhere. The familiar action made him smile.

"I'm home, just like I promised. And Sakura?" Kakashi shook the item that he had retrieved earlier.

At the sound of bells Sakura perked up, her expression curious. Kakashi shook the doll again and Sakura giggled. Kakashi sighed in relief, she liked it. He took her hands and wrapped it around the doll. Sakura's expression was awe as she felt the texture of the doll on her fingers. As soon as her arms wiggled, the bells jingled and Sakura perked up once more. She shook the doll again, repeatedly, and her laughter accompanied the bell's tune. Kakashi scooped up his ward, still laughing and still playing, to brush his uncovered lips light to her forehead.

"Happy birthday."

-o-

Author's Note: That was so much fluff, I hope your teeth didn't rot. Or, I hope I succeeded in writing fluff. These past few chapters had been kind of angsty and emotional that I'm not accustomed to writing fluffy moments. It's a welcome change though, in my opinion.

Thank you for reading, and please review! They really help in motivating me to update this story. And it would be nice if in your review, you could say what tidbits you like in the story, opinions, critiques, predictions, etc. Really, I'm just interested in your guy's thoughts! Until next time!