-SPOV-
I sighed and breathed in his sent. He was here. he was alive. And he was-
I pulled away from him enough to look at the child in my arms. He looked at the child too and softly touched the white hair.
"Is it..."
"A girl."
He gulped and carefully touched her little hand.
"Sakura, you should have let someone else do that."
I smiled at him and shook my head.
"I was too selfish to let some other woman have your child. it was wrong, but now I'm glad I did it. She's such a joy, Kakashi. She's perfect. She's even started to try to crawl a little and she's been holding herself up for a while now. She was so small when she was born Tsunadae doesn't know how she lived."
"I was small too," he said, playing with her hair," and my other was terrified I'd die from SIDS. She didn't want me to go to the academy when I was five because I was so much smaller then the others and she thought I'd get picked on. But my father taught me to be strong so that I could fight back. No one picked on me after the first time someone tried to trip me at lunch."
I smiled.
"I got picked on because of my forehead. I'm glad she has yours."
"Hm."
He stood there for so long just looking at her that I had to smile.
"Do you want to hold her?"
"No, I... I think I'd drop her."
I laughed and made him sit down on the window seat.
"Here. Hold her just like that."
When he got situated, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He gazed at the mismatched eyes and looked up at me.
"How did that happen?"
"Tsunadae thinks that because your eyes were different for so long that it had some effect on your genetics. She thinks that the one that is green will develop the sharingan."
He nodded and looked down at the child again.
"She's going to be a heart breaker," I told him.
"And I'm going to be an arm breaker," he groaned.
I couldn't help but laugh. He looked at me with a strange expression.
"You're a natural."
He looked slightly confused.
"A natural what?"
"Father."
He looked at the child and sighed. He suddenly looked so much older.
"Kakashi?"
"What... what if one of my enemies find out about her? I have as many enemies as the village."
"We'll protect her, Kakashi. I retired three months before she was born."
His head shot up.
"What? Why?"
"Because I wanted to me a mother. I didn't want someone else raising my child. I have plenty of money put back. Medic solo missions pay better then ANBU solo missions."
Kakashi nodded," but you're such a treasure to the village."
"I told Tsunadae that if I was needed and no one else could do it I would, but unless it's an emergency I'm officially retired. And jonin retirement has good benefits too. I even got dental for Mishi, but I think that was Tsunadae pulling strings."
Kakashi looked at his daughter.
"Mishi..."
"Her full name is Mishikaru Haruno."
He smiled.
"That's a good name. My grandmother was named Mishikaru."
"I know. That's why I named her that."
He looked at me and stood up slowly.
"Sakura, I..."
He didn't seem to know what the words he was looking for were. He sighed.
"I need a place to stay."
I smiled.
"You know where your room is. I hope you don't mind that I moved in. I had to move out of Ino's appartment anyway-"
"No, no, that's fine. It, um, it's fine. It would have been rented out anyway," he said with a smile," and this way I didn't have to hunt down all my stuff."
"If... if you want... you could... would you... I mean..."
Why was it so hard to tell him? Why couldn't I ask him to stay?
"I was already cooking and stuff for you before, and you can see the baby every day, and it'll be easier and, well, if you want, would you... stay? Here? Where I can make sure you don't try to run away again?"
He chuckled and smiled.
"You sound like a kid asking out a guy to the Sadie Hawkins. And yeah, I'll stay. It'll save me the trouble of finding a new place."
I snorted," lazy as ever, I see."
He shrugged," hey, I think after a year I can be lazy for a while if I want to. Old men like me need it now and then."
I smiled.
"Kakashi, you're 30. That's not old."
He sighed," it feels like it."
Mishi finally went to sleep and he gently lowered her into the crib.
"You look tired. Let's get some sleep: she'll be awake again in a few hours."
Kakashi nodded.
"I'll sleep on the couch-"
"No," I protested," we've slept together before."
I blushed and he chuckled.
"I... I mean... you know... we... I ... SENSEI!"
He curled over and laughed out loud. I was beat red and he had tears soaking his dark blue mask.
"S-Sakura... I... you are... It's good to be home."
I smiled and hugged him.
"I missed you, Sensei."
He hugged me back and sighed.
"I missed you too, Sakura-chan. I'm glad you're here."
We went to the bedroom and lay down together. Tomorrow would be a LONG day, but I was SO looking forward to it.