Disclaimer: Do not own :(

Author's note: This is post Manga #700. My take on what goes down. Sarada is 8 years old here. Sakura is 26. Kakashi is 39.

Devotion

Sakura leaned with her hip against the door frame watching her daughter's sleeping form, before shutting the door. She reentered her living room where the two occupants were in conversation.

Ino perked up and smiled as she saw Sakura, her smile quickly turned soft when she saw her friend's torn face, "she will be fine with me and Sai." The blonde moved to fuss over Sakura's hair and outfit before she stepped back with a look of satisfaction, "you look beautiful Sakura."

"I feel ridiculous," she tugged at the hem of her dress and silently wished she could be in her typical Medic gear. Slowly, she lifted her eyes in an out-of-character show of timidness, "Am I… am I doing the right thing?" her question meek.

A hand on her shoulder gave her a gentle squeeze, "you deserve to be happy too, Sakura."

She blinked at Sai's use of her actual name and his genuine smile. He was getting better and better at expressing his emotions since he and Ino had gotten married. She looked to her feet incased in civilian dressy flats, "I just don't want Sarada to feel like she will lose me too."

"Oh Sakura," Ino pulled her in for a tight hug, "she is old enough now. She understands why you and her father didn't work out. Besides, it is not like no one saw this coming." Ino smirked and waggled her eyebrows causing a smile to twitch at the corner of Sakura's mouth.

"You can't just not live your life. You stuck around too long with Teme as it was. It's been two years since then and even longer coming, if you ask me," Sai squeezed her shoulder again.

Sakura sighed and nodded, "I know. I know. It's just harder now, with Sarada. I tried to stick it out with Sasuke – I did. But, what we had was so dysfunctional. It couldn't last. I loved him so, but I had to let him go 'cause I know he'd never love me back. Such pain as this shouldn't have to be experienced. Even though I knew it was coming, I hoped that things would change when I became pregnant, but he still stayed gone. He missed her birth – her first time crawling and walking – her first time to throw a shuriken – her first day at the Academy. When I saw how hurt she was when all she'd get for her birthday was a card and some cash, I knew. But I'm still reeling from the loss, still a little bit delirious."

"Sasuke might have been gone, but there is one man who was there beside you every step of the way," Ino brushed a tear from Sakura's cheek and tutted about smearing her make-up.

"Really, Ugly, I'm supposed to be the one who is bad at understanding emotions," Sai teased and bumped her shoulder with his, "he has been in love with you for a long, long time."

Sakura's eyes snapped up to her teammates, "wh-?"

Ino scoffed, "really, forehead, why else would he have practically filled the role of Sarada's father? He even attended the Father-Daughter dance and wore a tux when she asked him to."

"Bu-" Sakura was cut off by Sai.

"No, she is right. If nothing else, the way his eyes always follow you should have given it away," he shrugged as if this was all nothing.

But to Sakura… she clutched her hand to her chest, her heart racing as she finally saw the whole picture. Every morning Kakashi had showed up and cooked them dinner. Every time he had rocked Sarada to sleep as she cried for her Dad at night. Every time he had rocked Sakura in his arms while she cried for her always missing husband and told her that it was not her fault. Every time he dropped Sarada off at the Academy or picked her up. Every time since she got a divorce that he brought her lunch or her favorite chai tea. The nervous way he fumblingly asked her if she'd like to go see a movie in the Civilian part of town.

She brought a hand over her mouth as she gasped, "he- he-"

Ding Dong

The doorbell chime made all three jump a bit. Ino tidied up Sakura's makeup and Sai chuckled as he watched the girl fuss before he leaned to kiss the top of her head, "don't you think you've kept him waiting long enough?"

Sakura darted to the door, stumbling slightly on the way, before yanking the door open to face a rather startled Copy Nin.

He rubbed the back of his head with his eye-crinkled smile, "Yo." Upon opening his eyes and taking Sakura, his arm dropped and his breath left him in a whoosh, "Sakura, you look…" His voice trailed off as he took her in.

Blushing, Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "thank you, Kashi."

They stood there Kakashi staring slack jawed and Sakura blushing until Sai cleared his throat causing the Copy Nin to start. "Here, um, I grabbed these for you," he handed her a bouquet of white Edelweiss and red Tulips.

"Kashi, they're beautiful. Thank you."

After having put them in a vase and saying goodbye, Sakura and Kakashi headed out. Ino smiled and shook her head as she eyed the vase. "These aren't from a shop."

"Edelweiss is a rare flower from Lightening Country is it not," Sai asked his wife as he hugged her from behind.

The blonde nodded, "he's got it worse than we thought, I think."

"Red tulips for declaration of love and Edelweiss for…" he struggled to remember the rare flowers meaning.

"Devotion," she sighed with a smile.

Sad, but cute. Kakashi is by her side through it all. Comforts her during her pregnancy and falls in love with her then. Sasuke stays gone roaming and doing whatever. Sakura desperately hopes that he will be there for their new baby, but he never is. Kakashi falls in love with little Sarada once she is born and even picks out her name (ever wonder why her name is related to produce like all of the Hatake's?).

Sakura finally divorces him when Sarada is 6 after Sasuke had missed her Academy entry ceromony and Sarada had cried herself to sleep in Kakashi and Sakura's arms.

So this fic takes place two years after their divorce. Kakashi had been there at her side the whole time. :3

I love this headcannon. I may just make this a story... hmmmm...