A/N So, I think I finished part one? I was up until almost one working on it. It still needs a little polishing and I need to add a little to the penultimate chapter, it ended up being 23 chapters instead of 22. oops. I can't wait for you all to read it! I hope you all enjoy this fun little chapter! Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought! Love you!

Chapter 13

Sakura

Seventy-six days into the past

"Hana-san!" Naruto's smile was wide and infectious.

Sakura smiled back as he raced down the steps outside his apartment building. "Hey, Naruto. How has your week been?"

His smile fell slightly but he quickly shook whatever it was off. "Great! Are we gonna cook again? I really liked your curry. Can we make that again? And the fish?"

Laughing, she took his hand and directed his attention to the tree above them. "Sure we can, but I didn't come by myself today. Do you mind if he joins us?"

He peered up into the branches, his smile returning when he spotted Kakashi. "Hey!"

Kakashi, crouching in the tree above, waved once down at him. "Yo."

"He's feeling better and wanted to check on you himself before he goes on his next mission in the morning."

Naruto crossed his arms and stood a little straighter. "You don't have to worry about me. Someday I'm going to be an awesome shinobi like you. I can take care of myself!"

Kakashi's head tipped to the side slightly, his arms crossing too. "Oh yeah?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But… Hana-san is better at cooking than me." Laughing, he looked back up at Sakura, eager. "Let's go, Hana-san!"

Laughing at his excitement, she waved up at Kakashi and let Naruto lead her to the market. Kakashi would be waiting for them there at Naruto's apartment when they got back from their shopping. He was leaving the next morning before dawn with his team for his first mission back, and they had decided to spend their last day off with Naruto.

Well, the day anyways. She had vague ideas about their evening. There wasn't much bruising on his side thanks to all of her healing and so far he was moving fine. Part of her worried about risking further strain right before a mission. Would it be worth risking him not being at his best if there were real fights just because she wanted to have sex?

Sighing, she shoved the thoughts from her mind to focus on what Naruto was telling her.

"And then I told Sasuke-kun that his bento wasn't anything special. Who cares if his mom made it? But then Ino-chan and Sakura-chan yelled at me and said I was stupid and just jealous." He frowned, glaring at the ground.

Guilt ate at her. She hated the way she had treated him when they were kids. More than anything, she wished things could be different. All she could do for him was try to be a bright memory while she was here. "Do you have a bento, Naruto? We can make extra so you have enough to take to lunch too if you want."

He frowned up at her. "No, I don't. I usually just take cup ramen."

"Well. I'll buy you one. My treat."

Grinning, he pulled her along faster. "Thanks, Hana-san! Let's hurry, I'm starving!"

KSK

She could feel Kakashi's eyes on her from behind his ANBU mask. He was sitting at Naruto's small table, watching them cook. There really wasn't room for three in the tiny kitchenette and Naruto wanted to help. She wondered what he was thinking.

"Did I do it right, Hana-san?"

Looking over at the carrots he'd been chopping, Sakura chuckled at the odd, uneven slices. "They're a little uneven, but that's ok. They'll cook just fine. Now, here… do the same to these potatoes."

"Okay!"

Still smiling to herself, she went back to checking the sauce she was heating. Suddenly, Kakashi was there, right hand on the small of her back as he leaned down between them to inspect Naruto's knife work. "Hmm. Looks about like what I would manage." He reached for a hunk of carrot, slipping it up under his mask. Naruto made a face when he noticed the crunching but giggled when Kakashi stuck the next bite in his mouth instead.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you have me to cook for you, too. Neither of you would eat anything but cup ramen."

He breathed a soft laugh behind his mask as he stood, leaning in slightly and tugging at a loose lock of her hair. "Lucky me."

She wished he wasn't wearing his mask. She wished Naruto could know who he was. She wished a lot of things.

Climbing down from his stool, the potato abandoned but cut, Naruto leaned against the table, admiring his new bento. Taking advantage of his distraction, Kakashi pushed his mask to the side and pressed his face against hers, kissing her cheek quickly before joining the blonde at the table.

"Frogs, huh?"

Naruto beamed up at him. "Yeah! It's so cool! Hana-san saw it before I did and picked it out. How did she know I'd like it?"

She could hear Kakashi snort from where she stood, and grinned sheepishly when he glanced back at her. "She's just smart, I guess."

Hiding her blush over her steaming pot, Sakura laughed awkwardly. "I can finish up here, why don't you two go get started with his laundry?"

"Ok!" Naruto ran from the table to their shopping, pulling out the laundry soap they'd bought. "We got a new scent…Floral Green! It smells nice." He hefted the package to Kakashi before dashing to grab his soiled clothes and head for the bathroom.

Following behind at a more sedate pace, Kakashi cocked his masked face in her direction. "Really?"

Smirking over her shoulder at him, Sakura held in another laugh. "What? It was on sale."

He scoffed and disappeared into the small bathroom with Naruto. For two people supposed to be washing clothes, they made quite the racket. Sakura smiled to herself as she finished the meal prep, listening to Naruto's laughing. From the sound of it, they may have used just a little too much soap.

Thirty minutes later, as she was just packing up the last of the food, a very wet Kakashi came out of the bathroom carrying a bucket of damp clothes heading for the balcony. Naruto, even more wet and with suds in his hair, trailed behind.

"All my clothes are clean, Hana-san!"

Bending over slightly to inspect him closer, Sakura chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "I'd say you cleaned more than just your clothes. You need a shower to get all that soap out of your hair, Naruto."

Naruto puffed a breath at a soap bubble she knocked loose and grinned. "Will you help me, Hana-san?"

Only thinking about it for a second—the idea of a naked-but-for-his-mask Kakashi almost making her laugh—Sakura nodded. "Sure. Come on, let's go."

As she sat wrapped in a towel on the stool behind him, washing his hair, Sakura hoped he would not remember this too clearly. Especially if she did get to go back to the future.

"Hana-san?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

He leaned back slightly as she continued scrubbing his hair. "Are you and ANBU-san married?"

Fingers stilling in his hair, Sakura gasped at the question. "What?"

"Are you married?"

Resuming her task, she shook her head. "No. Not yet. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I was just wondering."

Nodding, Sakura picked up the shower head to rinse his hair. As he giggled, squirming to keep the suds from his eyes, she wondered if they were hurting him more than helping. What would he think when she disappeared? Spending the day with him every other week or so hadn't seemed like too much. But would it just hurt more when they were no longer there for him?

KSK

Kakashi seemed to pick up on her somber mood as they let themselves back into his apartment. Tossing his ANBU mask on the couch and pulling down the other, he pulled her against himself. "What's wrong?"

Glad he hadn't worn his heavy vest, Sakura pressed the side of her face against his chest. "I wish the future didn't matter. I wish I could just live here in the past and do whatever I wanted."

"Hmm. Naruto?" One hand played with her hair as she relaxed into his arms.

"Yeah. When I was washing his hair, he asked me if we were married. When I asked him why he wanted to know, he said he was just curious but… I don't know, it made me think too much and wish for things we can't have."

He kissed the top of her head. "Like what?"

"Like…" She sighed, letting him guide her further into the apartment towards their bed. "I wish we could adopt him. I wish he could live with us and have something closer to the life his parents wanted for him… that he deserves. But we can't because—"

"Because his experiences—even the bad ones—will shape him in important ways. Like mine did. Like they always do."

Blinking back tears, Sakura nodded. "Yes. And honestly, I don't know if we could change things even if we tried. I don't understand how this works. So far everything I've touched seems like it was meant to happen that way. And the risk if something was different could be catastrophic. It kills me to think of him alone and hurting, but the man, the shinobi he becomes is so important. Having a loving family could totally change the person he grows up to be."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kakashi pulled her to stand between his knees. "Hmm. And what we're doing now?"

"I think it's OK. I just worry if it will hurt more in the long run…" Glancing up into his one open eye, Sakura hoped that hadn't been too revealing. But he didn't ask. His hands gripped the back of her knees, gently smoothing up the back of her thighs, tugging her closer, onto his lap. "Kakashi…"

"Hmm?"

Leaning in to kiss him once… twice… she smiled. "How does your side feel?" Testing it, she pressed her hand where she knew it hurt.

"Never better—" He cut himself off with a pained wince.

"Oh, I can see." Pulling chakra to her hand, she soothed it, looking furtively into his eye. "Kakashi… I want this." She dropped a kiss to the side of his jaw near his neck, breathing heavily. "I want to finish what we started last night. But… I don't want to send you off tomorrow, not as close to your best as possible. I don't want to risk straining something."

He huffed a laugh, stirring her hair. "I'll be fine, it's just a sore rib. Besides, you know I'll be fine. You saw me the night before you came back in time, remember?"

Freezing, Sakura felt like someone had dumped cold water over her head. Sitting back, she stared seriously into his face. "Kakashi… stop that. I need you to promise me right now that you're not going to be reckless just because you know you live the next fourteen years."

"Sakura I—"

"I mean it. You already would have died once since I've been here. I don't want a repeat. I told you, I don't know how this works. Your life isn't guaranteed just because I knew you and there is a big difference between living and being seriously hurt. Please, Kakashi. I need you to promise. You won't be reckless, not ever." She thought of their son. How many times had his father come home in pieces? She remembered the time he'd been missing for almost a month shortly before she had become a Genin and it made her anxious. Her mother had never told her what happened or how badly he had been hurt. "Promise me, Kakashi."

He looked slightly alarmed to hear the desperation in her voice but after a moment's hesitation, he blinked it away, nodding. "Ok… I'm sorry, Sakura." Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close, tucking her under his chin. "I can't necessarily promise I won't ever be in danger, but I promise I won't be reckless, Sakura. I have too much to live for now. I'll be careful. I promise."

Letting out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Sakura relaxed against him. "Thank you, Kakashi." She leaned back to kiss him. "When you come home?"

He nodded once and kissed her back, his touch on her cheek, tender. "When I come home."