Author's Note: Wait a second... Am I really updating? Is this some kind of miracle? I think the world might be ending :o XD

Seriously though, I know there's no excuse for how long I let this sit, and I'm very sorry for that... I've been dealing with a lot mentally and emotionally since my last update, so Fanfiction was the last thing on my mind, and I'm very sorry for that. I probably should've just let this sit, since I highly doubt most of you will even remember this, but I really want to continue this despite my absence. Normally I would do a thank you to all of the reviewers for the last chapter, but seeing as there were so many, I don't want to bog down the author's note too much X3 Just know that I appreciate every single one of you, and that without you guys I probably wouldn't have returned to this story. So thank you :)

Now that I've got my apology out of the way, I promise I won't disappear like that again, and I hope you can forgive me for this kinda boring chapter that I needed in order to set up the next 'arc' of my story X3 Hopefully there will still be a few people around who want to continue reading this X3

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The guild hall was a flurry of activity when the small group returned, people congratulating them on the success of their mission left and right. Considering most people had been preparing for war, the news of their success was welcome. The whole celebration was new to Kakashi, it was something he'd never really been a part of. In the ninja world, not many people seemed to notice when you partook in a dangerous mission, especially if you were ANBU. You simply did the mission and attempted to return in one piece, there were no congratulations waiting for you when you returned, unless you had a family of some type waiting for you to return.

Erza ended up placing the book in whatever dimension she tended to store her weapons, wanting to keep it as safe as possible should anyone else decide they wished to steal it. In his opinion, that would be one of the safest places for it. Before she sent it off, she asked him whether he wanted to return just then, to which he obviously replied that he wished to wait. Now that he knew he could return, his panic had died down enough that it was once again feeling like a vacation of some kind. He would return soon enough, but he wanted to spend a little more time with Erza before he did so. They had to set up some kind of schedule, considering he still wanted her to visit once he went back, and it wasn't like he knew how to use it just yet. He didn't even know if chakra had to the ability to affect it. Would it change to fit the user? Would the book stay only in this world? If not, why didn't it accompany her in the first place?

So many questions were still left unanswered, but it seemed as though the old man wasn't going to give them any more information. It was up to them to figure out the answers from this point forward.

Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted as Erza joined him on the balcony that overlooked the outdoor lake, leaning against the railing he was seated on. The sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow over the two of them as they sat in companionable silence for a few moments.

"Kakashi…" The wizard began, not meeting his gaze as she looked down in her nervousness, "About what Salgado said… What does this mean for us, exactly? I know we can see each other now, so that is no longer a problem, but we still have to think about leaving our worlds without us, for any period of time. I'm sure they would be fine bu-"

Her words were cut off as the ninja grabbed her chin with gentle ferocity, pulling his mask away in the same movement as he pressed a kiss to her lips. This time was different then the first. There was hope that a relationship between them could work out, hope that made them desperate to have it work out.

It was almost like the ending to a cheesy movie, where the love interests kissed and everyone went home happy. Actually, it was just like the ending to a cheesy movie.

Giggles and whispers were heard from the doors to the balcony, and as the two broke apart to see what the commotion was, they were greeted with the smug looks of the wizards who had been anticipating this. Well, except for a Lucy and a few of the other girls within the guild, they are seemed to be quietly shrieking in excitement.

Erza wished she hadn't been blushing so intensely, but as a congratulatory cheer rang out from the others she couldn't stop herself from laughing. Kakashi's arm remained around her waist, and as she looked up to him, she could tell he himself found this whole situation to be amusing, even through the mask that had miraculously been replaced when the kiss had been broken.

~ 6 Months Later ~

Things had been going relatively smoothly with their relationship, and in reality it seemed to be the only thing that was going smoothly. They had decided to take turns visiting each other's worlds every other week, so they'd spent a week in their own world and the next week they'd spend together. It was a good system, and it was almost like clockwork to them now. Well, for the most part.

Within that time, Kakashi had been forced to miss one of his weeks due to the fact that one of his students had ended up running away to the life of a rogue ninja. It had obviously upset him, but no matter what they did back in the leaf village, it seemed that they weren't able to bring him back.

Then, a little while later, Erza ended up in the twisted world of Edolas where she was forced to miss one of her own weeks. Thankfully it ended without too much complication, but it was still an experience she would rather forget. Meeting your alternate self wasn't exactly a fun thing, especially when that alternative self ended up being everything you never wanted to become.

So, other than a few bumps in the road, things were going great between them. In fact, as soon as Erza returned from a quick solo mission she had taken on, she was going to be heading to Konoha once again to help out around the village as much as she could.

It had surprised nearly everyone around them when Erza had declared that she would like to take on missions, as they had all assumed she would treat her time in their world as a short vacation. Obviously they didn't know her all that well. She knew her friends were also working hard, so it's not like she wanted to be the only one sitting around. Not to mention the fact that she knew full well that Kakashi was a very important person in his village. It surprised her that he hadn't been made Hokage as of yet, for in her opinion he was just as strong, if not stronger, than the woman who was currently in charge.

Not literally of course. Erza had seen Tsunade angry on more than one occasion, and if the desks and walls were any indication, she wanted no part in the Hokage's wrath.

Speaking with the Master briefly upon her return to report back on how her job had gone, it took Erza very little time to prepare for her trip before she had grabbed the book that had started this whole mess, opening to a random page before being whisked away to the world of her 'fate', or so Salgado had said.

Which was another thing that had been eating away at the red-headed mage. What did he mean by 'fate'? Could that really be true? And what was her fate exactly? To meet Kakashi? It seemed much too simple for that to be all that laid in store for her. There had to be more. Yes, she had helped defeat a powerful villain, but that couldn't be all she was meant to do here. It was all very confusing, and she had spent many nights awake considering the implications of this whole ordeal, both with and without Kakashi helping her in an attempt to unravel some of the mystery, to no avail.

It seemed that if they wanted answers, they would just have to wait and see it for themselves.