I miss my traffic alerts. : ( I meant to ask you guys earlir, what do you think about the length of the chapters? They feel really long when I'm writing them but then they don't look very long when I post them. Let me know what you think please!

I wake up slowly the next morning, enjoying the feel of Kakashi's strong arms around my stomach. He's not only keeping me warm, but I also feel incredibly safe. If the sun exploded this very moment, we would be the only two to survive. And I certainly would not mind repopulating the planet with this man. With that thought in mind I snuggle further into his arms, loving how they tighten around me at my movement. Kami, if I could wake up every morning, just like this…

My pleasant thought process is interrupted when the door to our room opens, followed by a noisy, "Saku- oh." I look up and over Kakashi's shoulder to see Shinji blushing in the door way. "Sorry, I had not realized Hatake-sama had returned." He whispers, backing out of the room. "I wanted to ask you something, could you-"

"Sakura, tell me this be a bad dream," Kakashi groans, pulling me back down so I can't see Shinji anymore.

"I'm afraid not," I say, struggling to look back up to see Shinji. "I don't think I can leave at the moment…" I say to him through Kakashi.

"I understand," he laughs nervously, "I'll just catch up with you later?" He ducks out of the room before I can answer, closing the door quickly and scampering down the hall.

Kakashi sighs contently behind me. "Much better," he mutters in my ear.

"That wasn't very nice," I scold playfully.

"Wasn't very nice to barge into an engaged couple's room," he sighs, half asleep, in my ear. "We could've been naked."

"We should have been naked," I say under my breath, but from how he sighs quietly and tightens his arms around me he heard exactly what I said. "I don't think anyone has ever had to try this hard to get a man out of his pants," I mumble, just as an afterthought before I try to drift back to sleep.

Kakashi, of course, keeps me awake. "Sakura," he sighs in my ear. "You know it would be a bad idea, you're logical enough to understand that."

"Of course I know that," my voice is too tired to show the annoyance I'm feeling. "But that doesn't mean I still don't want to; I figured it was the better of two options."

"And what would those two options be?" He asks through a yawn.

"Have sex with you, a man I know and trust and care for," I say softly, wanting to add in love but not really feeling it fit. "Or have sex with someone like Shinji who is cute and ready to jump into bed with me,"

Kakashi tenses behind me. You know you would completely ruin the mission, he signs on my belly.

Which is why I decided the first option was the way to go, I sign back on his forearm. Which would only make the mission easier. Really it's in the mission's best interests for us to have sex.

"Sakura…" he sighs, shaking his head.

"And I'll be able to think clearly," I say without thinking.

"And why can't you think clearly now?" He asks, suspicious.

I falter for a second, having no real lie to cover my slip with. "No one since Genma," I admit quickly, trying not to think about it too much.

He takes a moment to figure out what I'm talking about but when he does… "Oh," he gasps. "Oh, well that's like…"

"Almost two years," I fill in for him.

"Shit…" he mutters; I can practically hear the gears in his head turning. "Neji…"

"Nope, almost, but no," I say easily, still trying my best not to actually think about what I'm talking about.

"Why not?" He asks, growing increasingly uncomfortable. "I mean, anyone, not just Neji?"

I sigh, not liking the real answer. "No one was really interested; I wasn't really interested in anyone." That last bit was a lie, there were plenty of people I was interested in; they just didn't have the time of day for me. Neji and I hadn't actually gotten to a point where we could've had sex, with us it had been all for show.

"I guarantee you people were interested," he says softly.

"Yeah?" I ask with a laugh, challenging him. "Name one?"

"Genma," he says clearly.

"He's not very good," I say with a shrug, "and if you're going to put up with a man who isn't very good in bed then he should at least be fun to be around out of bed, and he kind of just annoyed me."

Kakashi nods in understanding. "Yeah, I get that. What about Lee?"

"Lost interest a few years back," I say with a shrug.

"Naruto?"

"Hinata," I say simply. The girl was a bombshell, and had kind of always been. Once Ino and I had gotten her into some sexier clothes she had immediately caught Naruto's eye, and the eyes of several others as well.

"Oh, good for him," Kakashi says quietly. "No one at the hospital?"

"It's only hot when women are into blood and guts, Kakashi. For men it's just childish. And they're all too narcissistic to see me past their own reflections anyways," this is getting annoying. The more names he shoots out the worse I feel.

"Well, Sakura, I find it incredibly had to believe no one was looking, you're way too attractive for that." Kakashi says quietly, as if not wanting to admit it. I scoff quietly. "Oh shut up," he sighs. "Stop being so damn annoying. You're hot, ok? Shinji's got a crush on you, for one, and I also happen to find you very… attractive."

"Sure," I mutter, glaring at my pillow.

"Sakura, you've plenty of lovely features," he admits. "Your eyes, your hair, your body. I even find your quick temper attractive."

It's more likely to put a man in the hospital than anything else, but I'm sure Kakashi has sick fantasies about things like that. Nurses uniforms and everything. "My body?" I ask. "My boobs are too small, my hips are too big, and I'm covered in scars. Very attractive."

Kakashi sighs, moving one hand up to my chest and the other down to my hips. "Nope, perfect," he whispers in my ears. "Your hips make it so you can bear children Sakura, embrace that. It's one thing you can do that makes you better than half of the human race by default. And bigger breasts are overrated. You're a ninja, your absence of body fat means with your… average sized breasts you have fantastic legs and a great butt." To expand on his point his hand grabs my hip, and grinds the evidence of his body agreeing with his statements against me, making me bite back a moan. "And your scars… they just add character, and more things to kiss on my way down." His masked lips touch a small scar on the back of my shoulder, from my early days of learning to heal my own wounds.

I groan. "Two years, Kakashi," I remind him. "If you're not going to finish this, don't start."

"I might," he mutters, pulling down his mask to kiss and bite my shoulder tenderly. "I was always an easy target in the morning…"

A bolt of desire shoots through me at his words, making me groan loudly. His hand that is under me trails across my breast bone and under the fabric of my tank top, proving his point that my breasts were a decent size as he entices another moan out of me with a simple touch. I push myself back against him, curling my toes in anticipation. "Kakashi…" I groan as he sucks at my neck playfully. He'll probably leave a hickey, not that I care.

I turn towards Kakashi, pulling him away from my neck and bringing his lips to meet mine. I waste no time in chaste kisses, but bite at his bottom lip, enticing another groan from him. His hand on my hip trembles slightly before he slides it onto my stomach, dipping his fingers under the waistband of my pajama shorts. I gasp in shock, tightening my grip on Kakashi's hair and keeping my eyes locked with his as he hesitates.

I nearly scream in annoyance. How dare he hesitate?

He smiles softly, I can see it in his lust-filled eyes, and then presses his lips against mine, snaking his hand further down. I shudder as his fingers touch the curls I've never felt the need to shave and brush past them quickly. I open my mouth in a silent scream as his fingers just barely graze me, making me tremble. I move my legs to make room for his hand and he moves to take advantage of it.

There's a knock on the door.

I moan into Kakashi's lips as his fingers move against me in ways I can't even imagine. Already he's twenty times better than Genma.

The knock echoes again and Kakashi tears his lips away from mine. "Come back later," he demands, diving into the kiss again.

The door slides open.

Thankfully Kakashi ignores it, his hand still at work between my legs. "I said come back later," Kakashi growls, anger rippling through him. His body blocks the intruder from seeing anything important, like me, or Kakashi's face.

"Lord Toriyama requests your presence, Hatake-sama," the man at the door states clearly.

"Lord Toriyama can go fuck himself," Kakashi growls, sliding one finger into me, making me grasp the sheets with one hand and his hair with the other, crying out in a half-strangled groan.

"He says I'm not to take 'no' for an answer," the man insists.

"How about 'get out or I'll kill you'? Can you take that for an answer?" Kakashi growls, pinching my nipple with one hand as he adds a finger with the other.

"It's about your last mission," the man says, a little more on edge.

Kakashi presses himself against me, making my hips buck against his hand. I nearly scream.

"…and your argument last night," the man at the door seems to be becoming more and more distracted.

Kakashi lowers his head to my chest, pushing aside my shirt and flicking out his tongue against my nipple. I push back against him, wishing I could spit out all the profanity I know to the man at the door, but words don't seem to form properly on my tongue.

"… and the nature of your engagement."'

Kakashi freezes, as do I. You think he knows? I sign on the back of Kakashi's head. Kakashi slowly withdraws his hand from me, pulling away from my chest even slower. "No," I whisper, my voice hoarse. "No way."

"I'll be back," he whispers placing a quick kiss against my lips and pulling up his mask. "Don't go anywhere."

"Fuck you," I growl in annoyance as Kakashi gets up, heading to the bathroom.

"Later, I promise," Kakashi says with an eye crinkle smile.

I glare at the man at the door enough for him to back out slowly, deciding to wait in the hall way for Kakashi. I rearrange my pajamas, burning for Kakashi to be back where he belongs. When he leaves the bathroom he's dressed and the calm-collected ninja I know. But before he leaves he hurries over to the bedside, kissing me deeply, yet so quickly I don't even see him move his mask.

I scream a few moments after the door has closed behind them, throwing a pillow at the door.

I know he probably won't be back for some time, and so I crawl to the side of the bed, stepping cautiously to the floor. I momentarily entertain the thought of taking care of the heat between my legs myself, but I couldn't possibly make myself feel as good as Kakashi had. After a few deep breaths I wobble to the bathroom, stepping into the shower before the water even has time to warm up. Good. Perhaps now I can lose this feeling.

I close my eyes, leaning against the wall as water pours down over me. How pathetic.

I was right, of course. Kakashi doesn't return quickly, or even in a few hours. I wander down to the kitchens and get some food, asking the staff if they've seen Shinji. No one had. I'm heading out to the streets to check, paying little attention to my surroundings, when I run into someone. Strong arms catch me and I look up in surprise at the face of Saito Hitoshi.

"Oh," I gasp, reaching for a kunai.

"Haruno Sakura?" the man asks.

I nod stupidly.

"Saito Hitoshi," he says kindly. "I never introduced myself. Sorry for the inconvenience earlier. You understand though, enemy ninja and all."

I nod again.

"So you're married to Hatake Kakashi?" He asks after an awkward moment.

"Engaged," I correct sharply.

"Well…" he sighs, uncomfortable. "Congratulations. He's a good ninja, and a decent man."

I scowl in confusion, but thank him anyways, watching him walk away. "Weird," I say out loud.

"What is?"

"Shinji!" I gasp, turning to hug the boy.

"Saito?" He asks, hugging me back with one arm. "Yeah, he's a weird one alright. My brother wanted to send him out with Hatake-sama, but given their history I don't think that would be a good idea."

"History?" I ask, knowing full well what it is.

Shinji shuffles his feet. "Never mind, can you talk now?" I nod, earning a smile from him. "Let's go," he chirps, grabbing my hand. Shinji takes me back out to the edges of the village where he childishly plops down in the grass, pulling me down after him.

"What's up?" I ask, lying back in the grass.

"There's a pool up in the mountains, my brother used to take me there before father died," he picks a piece of grass, twirling it between his fingers. "At this time of the year it's absolutely beautiful, I thought you might want to go see it?"

"Oh," I sigh. "You barged into my room early in the morning to ask me to go to a lake?"

"I assumed you were alone," Shinji says with a shrug. "I would've knocked if I knew Hatake-sama was there."

I shake my head at the minor stupidity of the boy, smiling softly. "I need to talk to your brother," I mutter. "Alone, if I could. Can you arrange that?"

"Sure," Shinji says after a moment, "I'll let him know you want to see him. Alone."

"Thank you," I mutter, staring up at the sky.

"Can I ask why?" Shinji asks cautiously.

"Kakashi and I are finding life in the castle to be inconvenient," I half-lie delicately. "I would like to look for a home for us to stay in after we're married."

Shinji smiles, lying back next to me. "I have a home outside the 'palace' too you know?" He says with a grin. "Hironori sends me there when attacks might happen on my life. To keep me safe he says."

"Why would your brother be so intent on keeping you safe?" I ask slowly. "Not to be rude, but you two don't seem very close."

Shinji blushes and looks away. "Hironori can't have children."

"Oh," I say, carefully hiding my laughter.

"I'm supposed to marry and have kids before I'm twenty, so Hironori can raise them as his own," he says softly, sadness in his voice.

"You're getting close," I say with a low whistle.

"Two more years of freedom," he says with a grin, "and then I have to have sex with some woman of Hironori's choosing," he laughs at that. "Life surely will suck then, won't it?"

I laugh too. "Oh no, Kami forbid you have sex…"

Shinji laughs quietly. "I'm not looking forward to it," he says quiet honestly. "To me sex means having children, and having children means the death of women. Don't have children with Hatake, please Sakura, at least don't try for them?"

"Your mother died in childbirth?" I ask softly, evading the plea. Of course we weren't going to try for children, but I couldn't come out and say that without sounding a little odd. Shinji nods. "I'm sorry," I mutter.

"Like my father," Shinji sighs. "I didn't know her, I had no personal connection."

I lean over, wrapping my arm around his neck. "That's why I'm sorry," I say, kissing him on the top of the head.

"Thank you," he says softly, hugging me tightly around the waist.

"Engaged, Shinji," I remind him as he used my chest as a pillow, sighing happily about it.

"Sorry," he mutters, not moving. I scoff playfully and push him away. He laughs sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "So that pool in the mountains?"

"We can go, but not until I talk to your brother."

Shinji smiles, a grin that shows all his teeth. "How are you liking things here, Sakura-chan?"

"Very pleasant, most of the time. The walls seem to have ears though, don't they?" Shinji blushes, nodding.

"People are always watching me, at least; I'm a huge target whenever anyone is pissed at my brother." I feel a pang of sympathy for the boy. He'd be used his entire life, and though things were getting better, he still wasn't his own person; he was his brother's toy. Which meant I still had to watch out of him. I reach over and touch Shinji's hand, smiling sweetly at him.

Poof

Shinji jumps in shock, and I look up, only slightly surprised to see Kakashi there, glaring at our hands. "Kakashi," I say softly, removing my hand from Shinji's after one more pat. Too fast and it would look suspicious. "Let me guess," I begin, sitting up. "You need to leave on a mission?"

A pang of guilt washes through his one eye as he takes in my words, nodding. "Shinji," he says, looking at me. Shinji gets up and walks away, waving to me sadly. "Sakura, the moment I get back, I promise," he whispers.

"You've said that before," I sigh, crossing my arms as I get to my feet.

"I said 'later'," he argues, stepping closer. "It's still later. But I promise you, the moment I am done with the mission I will come straight to you, and I will finish what I started." This isn't a good bye for the sake of the mission, I realize. Kakashi has come to see me as a lover leaving, asking me to wait for his return.

I smile softly, holding out my arms to him. He comes forward and with a breath of relief circles me in his arms, his masked lips touching my shoulder. "Hurry back," I whisper, holding his as close to me as I can. Are we ok? He doesn't know, right? I sign into his shoulder.

"You won't even notice I'm gone," he says with a smile, pulling back to kiss my forehead. He's suspicious, nothing too unexpected. He signs back on my hip.

I reach up and grab the edge of his mask, closing my eyes dutifully before pulling it down to kiss him sweetly. I feel him smile against my lips, bringing one hand up to touch my cheek gently. When I pull away I move his mask back into place, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding him close for another moment. "Ok," I whisper, pulling away.

"Ok," he agrees, smiling with such tenderness my heart melts.

I don't try to look comfortable on the pillows he keeps sprawled around the room. I try to look powerful. I like to think I've succeeded, but I won't know until he opens his mouth. For now he just watches me, a weary look in his eye and a fairly new scar on his cheek, just under the cheek bone.

"So, Sakura," how he says my name makes me want to puke. "My brother said you wanted to talk to me, and here we are, alone. What do you want?" I don't respond immediately, so he continues. "Perhaps you've changed your mind? You've come to apologize for tattling and want me to show you all the things your fiancé won't?"

"You're face used to be so pretty," I say sweetly. "Too bad about your nasty habits getting you into trouble." His jaw sets in annoyance, but he remains silent, waiting for me. Good. "I've come for a few reasons. One is the issue of my marriage." Hironori raises an eyebrow. "I've had about as much feedback about marriage here as I did in Suna and Konoha. I want to know, is it worth my time to stick around here?"

Hironori is silent for a moment, watching me carefully, and then he smiles. "So you are the one pining for marriage, not Hatake?"

"We are both anxious to be married," I state coldly.

"Understandable, considering the circumstances of your engagement," He's toying with me, and I don't completely mind. It makes it so much easier to hate him. "It's a wonder he's held off as long as you have... I find it very unlikely." So do it, but I say nothing. "Do you think perhaps… he's found another lover?" He shakes his head, as if changing his mind. "Nah, not him, that's crazy."

I smirk softly at him, biting the inside of my lip. "The soil in which you're trying to plant your seed of doubt is toxic, Hiro," I tease. I can see his anger flare up in his eyes, but externally he shows no response.

"I'm seeing that," he muses. "Why is that? All women get jealous, all have doubts, because all men are fickle and most are cheats."

"Is that admittance I hear?" I ask coyly. Kakashi can't cheat, it's a mission, and he doesn't fail missions.

Hironori stares back at me, a slight smile on his lips. "Forgive me if I want to test that theory before waging war with the hidden leaf."

"You've set out bait for him?" Hironori just smiles. "Good," I mutter, smile on my own lips. "He'll pass."

"We'll see." Hironori teases. "You said there were other reasons?"

"I'm sick of your boys watching Kakashi and I," I say clearly, picking under my nails.

"You didn't mind this morning," He says with a sloppy grin, leaving no doubt he's been watching us carefully.

"Call them off," I order, "Or I'll do it myself." The deathly glare in my eyes leaves on confusion about the method in which I will be getting rid of the pesky spies.

He sighs heavily. "But you should try not to be so vain, most of the men are there to watch over Shinji, he's quite important to me, as you know, I would appreciate it if you could keep what my brother told you to yourself, by the way," he mutters, seemingly annoyed.

"Of course," I say with a smile. "One more thing."

"Yes?" He asks with an exasperated sigh.

"As I told your brother, once Kakashi and I are married, I expect your permission to leave this castle and find our own housing," I state it as a fact, not an option. "You will stop watching over us, you will only call on Kakashi during decent hours of the day, you will give him twenty four hours warning before sending him on a mission, and you will give him a pay increase on his next few missions as a wedding present and a house warming gift." I pause, smiling. "Right?"

Hironori looks like he want to argue, but instead he chokes out on word. "Right."

Just after he utters the word there is a crash from beyond the doors, followed by a certain shout I would recognize anywhere, followed by a much more, still familiar, timid voice.

"Where the hell is he? Where's Kakashi-sensei? I'm gonna show that pervert the meaning of pain! Where is that son-of-a-"

"Um… Naruto? The door slides open…"

He he, Naruto broke down a door… Sorry guys, I knew from the beginning they weren't going to have sex yet, I have a cool conversation I want them to have before they do... so not yet. That was really difficult to write by the way, mainly because my parents know my sign in name and might decide to read it, and that would be weird…

Also, everyone should know I spelled "exasperated" right on my first try! (I suck as spelling)