Hello dearies, sorry for the week between updates. I had meant to get this up sooner but there were technical difficulties. Namely I ran into the situation of what to do about (in the words of Kagomaru in their review for chapter 13, "Still, I'm the most excited about KakaSaku babies!") ...well...KakaSaku babies. I've long been of the opinion, since I nixed a scene in the very beginning of the story, that I likely wouldn't be writing in anything of the lemony M-rated variety. In my mind, since I broke down and wrote the plot out in chapter by chapter scenes, this is when such a lemony M-rated piece of candy would be put in the story.

I did end up writing that scene but I don't feel it fits in with Samurai very well. It's about 1,800 words long at last count I think and I am going to post it on the OniOnna blog for those of you who would like to read it. The decision to cut it put me in the position of filling the rest of the chapter with something meaningful, but trust me this is what's best for the story. At least write now, I can spoil you all with the knowledge that there is another place in the story later on where a lemon could fit in nicely.

Funfact: I honestly can't think of anything funfacty that I'd need to include here other than I'm perfectly willing to answer any culture-related questions you guys might have. There will likely be funfacty stuff in chapter 18 and in others (a LOT in a few coming up soon!)

Funotherstuff: TL;DR version of the AN: There would've been a lemon in this chapter, but there isn't. But you can find it on the blog if you want.

Kakashi got home as night was falling, guided home by sheer willpower somehow. There was a lamp hung at the gate, a hopeful light in the gathering dark. When he finally made it there he just leaned against one of the posts, his body boneless after what he'd had to endure. The emotional torture he'd been through had caught up to him as he'd walked, numbly tracing his way to the northwest road into Fujimi and then out the southeast road towards his own home. As his fear and terror faded, as the fighting, protective spirit left his veins, he'd thrown up somewhere on the road.

He felt he still might, barely restraining the urge to vomit again—but only a tortured retching sound emerged from him, nothing more.

The Uchiwa, his surrogate family for so much of his life, had been arrested en masse. His close ties with them would have surely implicated him as well, for being part of their deviance—but his only truly damning "tie" to the family had been the one to save him—but he had lied to a government official. Part of Kakashi was tempted to ask what kind of honor a man such as that could have, one who betrayed family and government alike for the sake of selfishness. But the greater part of him, the part that had decided to put Sakura's wellbeing above all else, felt that whatever his actions had been, they had been necessary.

"Kakashi?" Tenzou was cautiously peering from the doorway, the darkness easily concealing his tense body—he was probably armed, ready to fend off strangers, but using the gloom to disguise it. Months and months ago, during the winter, they had agreed that if Kakashi were ever called away to something dangerous, Tenzou would guard the house and Sakura using Sakumo's katana. Heaving a weary sigh, Kakashi picked the lantern off its hook and slowly made his way across the small front yard towards the house while Tenzou slumped in relief as he quickly stepped to meet Kakashi, grasping one of his shoulders and staring at his face, questions written all over his own, while also taking the lantern from him.

"We are safe, for now. You are safe, Sakura is safe, I am safe, even Pakkun is—"

"Kakashi?" Sakura's shriek was just almost music to his ears, despite the pitch of it, as she followed Tenzou's voice outside and laid eyes on Kakashi. Tenzou had to dodge out of her way as she ran towards them, while Kakashi only barely had time to properly open his arms to embrace her while staying steady on his feet. Pakkun had followed her out of the house and danced a pleased circle around the two of them, his yips and barks almost drowning out Sakura's fiercely hidden sobbing, her face smashed as close to him as possible short of removing clothing. Kakashi idly lamented that his luck lately had been good enough to beat the impossible odds of the last few months, yet seemingly required so many more tears than his streak of bad luck had.

But then slowly Sakura's warmth seeped into his chest, reminding him of the chill of the autumn evening.

"Let's get inside—have you eaten?" They normally were nearly done with their supper at this time of night. He didn't try to disentangle himself from Sakura who was still tightly clutched against him, Kakashi was fairly certain such an expedition would end in failure.

"She's been fussing too badly, and I've been too keyed up to feel hungry—so no," Tenzou piped up. Kakashi snorted but quickly sobered as he lay his cheek against Sakura's head, facing his servant-near-brother.

"Well we should have a meal of some sort. I have to wash, however, so the two of you can work that out."

Sakura decided to make rice and soup, there would be no meat because she didn't have any—Tenzou had been tasked with ensuring her safety and so he hadn't gone fishing, he hadn't even left the house. They had sat for most of the afternoon in her room, the one Kakashi had built for her, and each tried not to worry. Sakura fidgeted, picking up her embroidery project before setting it down again and again, and Tenzou had sat near the doorway with a katana at his side, his head bowed in meditation of some sort. She wanted to ask but didn't—Tenzou probably knew how to use the sword, and he wasn't using Kakashi's so there was really no reason to question him. He put it away once Kakashi had disappeared out to the bath house.

Their dinner was quiet, each of them consuming the food because it was good for them rather than any real enjoyment—Sakura herself was hungry, she realized, but her two companions were probably forcing themselves to eat. When Kakashi finished he waited patiently for her to put aside her bowl before standing and helping her to stand as well, leaving Tenzou to clean up after their meal.

Kakashi led the way back to their room, and Sakura saw how shaken he was by his ordeal from how gingerly he walked—as though he might lose his balance if he weren't careful. As he unrolled their futon and changed into the yukata he normally slept in, Sakura knelt and looked for her combs—there was a plain wooden one which he preferred most of the time. Kakashi came up behind her and sat down, stretching his legs out on either side of her rather than sitting properly—sometimes her husband blithely didn't do things, despite his iron opinion and actions with other traditions and habits.

His hands were steady for the most part as she handed her combs over to him, but she didn't dwell on the slight twitches as she quickly turned around to face away from him. Her own hands reached for her hair pins, removing them with practiced ease. Sakura closed her eyes with a kind of relieved pleasure when she heard Kakashi's appreciative sigh. He adored the color of her hair, the feel of it, and the gentle waves it was in by the end of the day from the bun she'd put it in.

Neither she nor Tenzou were stupid, they'd each known something was terribly wrong when Kakashi had been basically abducted from the house—and it was a relief to go back to their routine. She wouldn't ask him what had happened this afternoon, he'd clearly been through hell. That he was there was enough.

It was calming to have him gently handle her hair, smoothly pulling the comb from the crown of her head to the very end of each strand. She tilted her head back, enjoying how the teeth of the comb occasionally scraped against her scalp, the stretch of the skin on her throat, and Kakashi's relative warmth at her back. She loved it when he did this, getting out the tangles of the day from her hair. She loved him. She had been embarrassed to admit it, self-conscious at the thought—only a week ago, even—that he might not love her. The anxiety of earlier in the day had forced the words out of her at the thought that their family might get in trouble, and that if they were in trouble he should know that she loved him.

Once he finished combing her hair he swept it all over one of her shoulders before leaning forward to rest his head on the exposed one. A faint clatter followed shortly after as he set the comb aside, putting both of his arms around her waist as he let himself rest against her back. Sakura could feel his breath on her shoulder blade through her yukata.

"Sakura, I lied to them about you, I did it tokeep you safe. Please forgive me," his words were low, spoken into her shoulder softly.

"What would they have done to us if you'd told the truth?" she turned her eyes down, following her hands as they covered his forearms wrapped around her middle. It was nice being held like this.

"I don't know, arrested us, killed us—nothing good."

"Then I forgive you for whatever you said." She sought out one of his hands, bringing it up to lay against her heart leaving it sandwiched between her yukata and her own hand. It felt strange laying there so near to her chest but Sakura ignored her nervousness. She wanted him to hold her close and for him to kiss her as though nothing bad would happen to them—tell her through touch that nothing was wrong. So when he shifted around and shifted her with him so that she was cradled in his arms, curled against him, Sakura easily moved with him. A tic of his smile showed at the corner of his mouth despite his generally somber mood, and a shy grin of her own answered him.

"I don't deserve it, you know I don't."

"Well I'm not forgiving everything you did today, Kakashi. You ran away from me after I told you…" her steam ran out and a blush heated her cheeks. It was difficult to articulate what she felt for him with a simple phrase, to be so blatant about it.

"That you loved me," his shy, boyish smile made itself known as he clearly savored what she had admitted to him, "and you don't know how much that strengthened me today Sakura," he said as he closed the distance between them with a kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed it, she didn't need to overthink things. His fingers threaded into her hair, gently tilting her head so he could kiss her lips. Sakura reached up, pulling him closer with a hand at the back of his neck. It used to be intimidating when he pulled her so tightly close to him, but she was getting used to it.

It was also frustrating. Kakashi obviously wanted her, but he limited himself severely—moments like these seemed to be the extent of what he allowed himself to have. But after today Sakura decided they would have no more walls between them, that his cautiousness had to end. She wanted him to make love to her, take her to bed as his wife—this afternoon brought into stark clarity that no one had as much time as they'd like with the ones they loved and that Sakura wanted much more from Kakashi than he had so far given her.

So she trailed her fingers down his neck and hooked her fingertips under the collar of his yukata, pulling slightly. Sakura had no idea what she should do to seduce him into sleeping with her, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying—hopefully Kakashi would get the hint before she embarrassed either of them. So until he did get that hint she decided to just do little things to get his attention—stroking the skin her hand had encountered, leaning back in his arms so he had to follow after her to continue kissing her, or pressing close to him on an aggressive whim. She took the time to notice the things she normally overlooked. His lips were soft, while his cheeks had a tracing of day-end stubble which made her stomach clench whenever his cheek brushed her own. It was a good feeling.

It was an even better one when Kakashi sighed happily into one of their kisses before turning her head slightly up and away so that he could kiss her neck. The ticklish scratch of his stubble was an odd contrast to the tight, warm feeling that was building in her middle—and then there were the sliding, open mouthed kisses he was raining down on her throat, occasionally nipping at the skin. Sakura moaned just a little which had him inhaling sharply and returning to her lips. This kiss was softer, gradually lessening the intensity between them and eventually leaving their lips merely touching, their foreheads leaning together.

"Sakura, I know that after the day we've both had that this is probably the last thing that should be on my mind, but," his hand at the back of her neck urged her closer for a proper kiss, "I would like very much to have you as my wife tonight." That tight, warm feeling coiled tighter with a jolt at his words.

"I…I would like that as well, Kakashi." Her heart was racing, it was terrifying to talk about this yet so very necessary for both of them. She was aware of every place they touched, from his hands—one at the back of her neck, the fingers curled in her hair, and the other resting warmly on her hip—as well as his legs underneath her, where her own hands landed in his hair and on his chest, and then their faces just inches apart before he kissed her again.

When Tenzou came into the cooking area he found it was cold and dark, the banked fire glowing ominously in the gloom, and Sakura was nowhere to be seen. She and Kakashi must have been sleeping late and Tenzou couldn't say he blamed them. Sakura had worried herself near to the point of tears for most of the day yesterday, and Kakashi hadn't been so rattled in years. He set about making breakfast, not really out of obligation but because he was hungry. Pakkun, who had doddered in behind him sleepily, whined at Sakura's absence before settling down next to where she normally sat.

Tenzou smirked at the dog—he wondered sometimes which doted on Sakura more, her husband or her dog because it seemed to be a close race most days. The sliding hush of the shoji drew his attention and faded his smile—apparently Kakashi was up and was letting Sakura sleep. Sakura almost always woke up and set to making breakfast, whereas Kakashi would go to the bath house and shave after he woke up. It was right then, from the hallway, that Tenzou overheard a conversation he knew he would never un-hear.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tenzou froze at Kakashi's earnest tone, kept soft but not soft enough.

"Yes, I'm fine, Kakashi—I agreed last night didn't I? I knew it would ache today, it just aches quite a bit more than I thought it would. I'll be okay, I promise." Sakura's voice was a little louder, confident and almost slightly annoyed.

"But I—"

"I need to get dressed properly and start breakfast, Tenzou will be awake soon and I don't like making him take on my chores. You can unbank the fire for me if you have it in your head you need to do penance."

Tenzou sat stock still in the several moments between Sakura's words and when Kakashi walked into the room as though nothing was wrong. Kakashi was nearly settled across the fire from him when Tenzou's tongue got the better of him. He couldn't help himself, he had to know.

"But you what, Kakashi?" his piercing black eye flicked up to stare Tenzou down. Tenzou knew Kakashi was asking for an elaboration but there was no way this side of paradise or hell that he would do so. He didn't have to return that stare for much longer before his companion sighed in defeat.

"I got caught up in Sakura's charms last night, and I worry that I was rough with her. She insists otherwise." Tenzou stayed silent, continuing to stare his master down. Sakura was sweet and innocent, and had become like an annoying little half-sister to him as much as he hated to admit it. He'd never gotten to play the older brother with his real half-sister, he hadn't even gotten to look at let alone glare at the man she'd married. Kakashi seemed to catch the drift of his thoughts, however.

"Tenzou, I didn't force her. I would never do that to her, or hurt her on purpose and without caring—but the first...," he looked away, having the decency to let a rare blush color his cheeks, "will always be painful, and I don't know if I did enough to lessen that pain. That's the long and short of it, believe of me what you will." Tenzou reigned back the urge to continue on into an argument about something which was truly none of his own business. He cleared his throat and pointedly returned to cooking.

When Sakura later joined them her smiles were bright—Tenzou watched her like a hawk—although she blushed slightly when she would glance at Kakashi. He decided to relax, settling on the notion that Pakkun would've bitten Kakashi by now if he'd done something to Sakura. It comforted him greatly because Kakashi was a good man, but that didn't mean he had no breaking point. Tenzou had been worried that Kakashi had reached his breaking point yesterday, only to hear that…he put the thoughts out of his mind.

There were chores to do this morning, and the next. In a several weeks Kakashi and Sakura would likely travel into the mountains farther north, going to Iimori to visit Sakura's parents, but before that the last of the winter vegetables would be harvested. There just wasn't time to worry deeply about a marriage that was thankfully not his own.

But that didn't mean he failed to notice the next few nights when Sakura let Kakashi whisk her away rather than staying to clean up after their supper. Or the mornings they would occasionally sleep a little bit later. Tenzou started to pray less that the gods protect Sakura and more that they would do two things for him; the first being that he never overhear anything that he would spend the rest of his life purging from memory, and the second being that Kakashi never decided to share any details—because while Kakashi was normally quite quiet, when he had something on his mind that he thought he needed to share…he shared it.

And, on the occasion where they were a little too obvious about their after-dinner plans, Tenzou would pray that Pakkun chose that night to come crashing through the shoji in either curiosity or vengeance against his rival for Sakura's affections.

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