A/N This is a shorter chapter again, sorry. I hope the last one made up for it. We are almost at the end of part one! woo!

Chapter 17

Sakura

Two-hundred and forty-seven days into the past

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. Around her, Aiko and two other women that worked at the shrine flitted around her, putting all the final touches on her Shiromuku. The heavy silk brocade looked even more beautiful in person than the pictures of her parents' wedding she'd seen growing up. Wearing it, even though she was lost in time and her parents didn't know who she was, made her feel connected to her family and her past in a surprisingly comforting way.

Aiko finally stood, looking her over with a wide, happy smile. "You look so beautiful, Hana!" Her hands clasped under her chin. "I'm so excited for you!"

Sakura answered her smile with one of her own. "Me too. Thank you for being here for me, Aiko."

Her friend hugged her gingerly, careful of the folded silk. "I'm honored. You two are going to be so happy, and someday probably have lots of beautiful pink and silver haired babies and I can't wait."

Bittersweet sentiment lodged in her throat as she smiled up at Aiko in the mirror. "I'm sure you're right."

"Alright, let's go find your husband."

KSK

Taking small steps, Sakura followed the shrine maidens and priest towards the main temple. Harsh flutes played behind her, urging them on, followed by more friends than Kakashi had realized they had. The Hokage was even there.

Sakura peeked up at him from beneath her hood. He was so handsome in his montsuki haori. The Hatake crest picked out in white made her smile. He had told her that this was the first time he'd worn it since his father's death. He hoped that together, they would make it something he was proud of again.

She knew that they would. In all of her memories of Kakashi from the future, he had always worn it. Kazuki had as well. It gave her a certain little joy to know that now she could, too.

Noticing her watching him, he caught her eye, his own crinkling with a smile. Sakura wanted to reach up and kiss him again, but the music urged her on. There would be plenty of time for that later. Turning away to focus on her steps, Sakura kept the small smile on her face.

In the temple, as Kakashi read their vows before the Kami, Sakura made a prayer of her own. She prayed that the time they had together would bring her husband happiness. She prayed that the son they would create together would bring him happiness and sustain him while they were apart. Most fervently, Sakura prayed that she would return to him one day, and that his heart would still belong to her.

KSK

Two-hundred and sixty days into the past

He belongs to you.

That was what she thought when she first saw him, standing in a small closed off courtyard at the shrine, dressed in his black montsuki haori. He was so handsome. The thought played on repeat in her mind as the day progressed. Their ceremony felt like a treasured blur of white silks and ritual.

He belongs to you.

It was the only coherent thought in her head during their wedding night. Those memories were clear as crystal and would be as treasured as their ceremony itself.

He belongs to you.

It was her first thought as she woke that morning, blinking in the morning light. He was curled around her, her back pressed against his bare chest where they lay on their shared futon. Not ready to start her day, even though the warm private springs called to her through the morning chill, she rolled in his arms and pressed herself closer to her husband.

Her husband.

It still felt a little surreal. Smiling against his warm skin, Sakura squeezed him tighter. A giddy, girlish part of herself bubbled with butterflies and felt like giggling. Hatake Kakashi, probably the sexiest man she'd ever seen—in and out of his clothes—was her husband.

Part of her wished she could tell the sad, lonely girl with a damned crush back in her past that yes, it was as good as she'd imagined.

"Morning…" A slow laugh rumbled in his chest, his hand running through her hair and cupping the back of her head. "What's so funny, wife?"

She giggled again. "Nothing." She shook her head and pursed her lips for the kiss he was leaning in for. "I'm just feeling happy this morning, husband."

His smile was sleepy… adorable. "Good." He kissed her again. "What are we doing today?"

"Hmm." She tapped a finger against her chin. "I'm enjoying our morning dips in our hot spring, it's such a nice way to start the day." A blush spread up her face at his grin. "Especially with how it always seems to end."

His next kiss was deeper, suggesting he very much agreed. The growing hardness against her stomach suggested he might not want to wait for the springs. "Hm." He covered her body with his, rolling her onto her back and sliding between her thighs. "And after?"

"Um…" His wandering lips and the teasing roll of his hips were making it hard to focus. "There's a f..fes..festival oh! Festival down in th… the village today." He smirked against the side of her breast. "I thought we could…" She swallowed thickly, trying very hard to ignore what his hands were doing, and form words. "It might be fun. There will be fireworks…" The last word came out more moan than intelligible language.

"I think you might find plenty of fireworks right here, Sakura…" The bastard knew exactly what he was doing to her, her name coming out a deep rumble against her inner thigh. "But if you insist, you're right. It does sound fun."

Cold air rushed over her naked body as he stood, snatching his robe from the floor and heading for the private spring outside their suite. Bastard!

"Come on, Sakura. You're right. This really is such a nice way to start the day." His grin was positively wicked as he slid open the paper door, disappearing from view.

"For fuck's…" Blushing, desperately needy, and not half so amused as Kakashi was, she wrapped her shivering frame in her own robe and followed him out. Well. Two could play at this game. Sakura could be just as big a tease.

KSK

If her hips swayed a little more than they normally did as she walked ahead of her husband, Sakura did not notice. She could feel his eyes on her, burning through her wool kimono. A smirk played about her painted lips as she stopped at a stall selling dango.

Their morning dip in the hot spring had been extremely steamy. Kakashi might have left her hot and bothered in the middle of their futon that morning, but she got her revenge. Once he had satisfied her, she'd brought him right to the edge and left him groaning and whimpering and calling after her as she sashayed back to their room.

His stony silence and heated gaze as he dressed and followed her through the village was almost as tantalizing as his touch. Her skin burned, knowing exactly what she was doing to him, imagining what he would do to her the second he had her alone again.

Inspecting the Oden selection, Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi. "Do you want some?" One slender silver brown arched dangerously, sending a shiver down her spine. Not what he's hungry for. Shrugging, she turned back to the vendor. "Two squid balls, please."

Savory treat in hand, she walked back to her husband, slowly nibbling at her snack. His dark eye watched her closely, tracking every movement of her tongue and lips. She was pushing it and she knew it. If she wasn't careful, he was liable to drag her into the nearest abandoned alley or building and ravish her within an inch of her life, right there for anyone to stumble upon.

"Sakura…" His voice was a deep rumble that rooted her feet to the ground, anticipation almost painful. "I think it's time we headed back." With his hands buried in the sleeves of his blue and white striped kimono, Sakura dared take a step closer.

"But we haven't had lunch, and there's still so much more to see. And the fireworks later—"

His hand moved so fast she didn't realize until it was already gripping her wrist, stopping the second squid ball on its way to her mouth. "You'll have your lunch, wife… and your fireworks."

If she had wanted, Sakura could have overpowered him. But she did not want, not even a little bit.

He gave her fireworks… and then some.

And later in the evening, they found they could see the village's fireworks from their balcony just fine. They sat at the chabudai, Sakura between his legs leaning back against his chest, and sipped Hatsue's sake while they enjoyed the display.

A/N I really struggled with how much of the wedding to show. It was hard to write for me. Don't worry. We might see more in part two.