Chapter 32: The Return Home
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Sakura
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The relief Sakura felt the moment she was in Kakashi's arms was above compare. She was safe. She was loved. She was home. This Kakashi was the man she'd fallen in love with — he had so much pain and anguish and needed her. She also loved this man in the future, but older Kakashi had found ways to mask his pain and hid behind a wall of aloofness.
This Kakashi was raw emotion. He was prone to violence — which she rarely saw outside of battle. He was fiercely protective and it seemed prior to her arrival, his only source of comfort for the last six years had been his pack of ninja hounds. Thank goodness for those summons. If it hadn't been for them, Obito in his madness would surely have accidentally or intentionally killed her. Those ninja hounds saved her life and she knew it!
Without Obito on the field of play in setting up Madara's plan of collecting the Tailed Beasts and creating the godtree, the zetsu creature wouldn't be able to unseal Kaguya. She came back in time to stop the Uchiha massacre and now it seemed that the entire Fourth War would be thwarted. Did this mean that the Allied Shinobi forces would never come to fruition without a common enemy? Did it matter? Would new players step into the power vacuum? Who would they be?
She didn't say much once she and Kakashi arrived at his ancestral home. He didn't say much either, both overwhelmed with emotions. His memories would be locked away and she'd be reunited with his future self by the morning. She could only hope the changes in the timeline would leave the world a better place than the one she left behind. In the very least, she knew that both Sasuke and Naruto would have a better upbringing and the chance of a truly happy childhood. Kakashi would now not only have Tenzo and Gai, but he'd also have Shisui and Itachi — and maybe one day Obito back in his life.
She couldn't do anything about the loss of Rin, but it was comforting to learn that his past relationship hadn't been a romantic one — at least not from his point of view. She wasn't going to have to compete with a ghost — except maybe the vague recollections of her own self In his mind after Shisui locked away his memories.
"Stop thinking so much," Kakashi whispered, running his thumb along the crease between her brows.
"I was just wondering how it was going with Shisui and Sarada locking away the other's memories," Sakura admitted.
"That doesn't matter to either of us at this moment," Kakashi pointed out. "Can you put on those bangles? I'd like for you to wear them while I make sweet love to you. I want to make sure you go back home so thoroughly ravaged that my future self remembers just how much you mean to me."
She knew what he really wanted to say was that since his mind wasn't going to be able to remember her, he wanted his body to remember her.
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OoO
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Kakashi
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The crow cawing outside the house was the signal. Kakashi tightened his arms around Sakura, holding her flush against his chest, their legs entangled. Her head was tucked under his chin and her fingers splayed over his heart. They'd made love almost immediately after being reunited as soon as they were in the privacy of the Hatake Estate.
Kakashi had kissed every inch of his lover's body, running his hands over the barely noticeable baby bump that made his heart swell. But now as their time ran out, his memories were still his, and Sakura was soon to return to his future self, and his mind was jumbled with thoughts.
His best friend was alive. Obito Uchiha was alive and psychotic. Obito was responsible for the Nine-tails attack that killed Master Minato and Kushina. Obito had endangered Kakashi's future wife and the future mother-of-his-children. Kakashi had just met his future child — a confident, happy, handsome teen with silver and pink hair.
Obito was also the reason Kakashi was alive and had gifted him with the Sharingan that had led to his moniker as the Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan. Kakashi had regained his respect for his father based on Obito's declaration of Sakumo being a true hero for putting his teammates above the mission.
His thoughts were interrupted when Sakura settled her hand on the side of his face and hovered over him, staring down into his eyes. "I hate that I'm leaving you here alone to deal with all this." She brushed her lips against his and Kakashi sighed into her mouth. His hands ran up and down her bare back, enjoying her smooth skin.
Sakura leaned down further to press her soft, warm lips to his chest, directly over his heart. "In my time, you have a vicious scar crossed over your pectoral where the Akatsuki Kakuzu tried to rip out your heart."
"That sounds unpleasant," Kakashi murmured.
Her small, dexterous fingers traced over the scar bisecting his left eye. "And this is less prominent already than when I saw you the last time I was in the village. Do you remember a bell test where Obito had a family friend partake?"
"I—do. It's a very vague memory," Kakashi answered, the thought was like grasping at straw. He couldn't quite bring it up to recall clearly.
"So then it really did happen," Sakura murmured. "Obito had discovered a way to travel back to one day in the past — the day of your bell test. It makes sense since Sarada is able to use her Sharingan to time travel too. Obito traveled to that day over and over, thinking it made no difference because he wanted to spend time with Rin."
"He loved her." Kakashi swooped his fingers through Sakura's hair, dragging his nails gently along her scalp. "He made me promise to take care of her, but she died a year later — my hand straight through her heart."
"That's not the whole story, now is it," Sakura said quietly.
"She had a tailed beast sealed inside her. She would have died anyway, but didn't want to hurt anyone else. She wanted to die with me as the last person she saw," Kakashi admitted.
Jade eyes searched his face, her expression soft, and her thumb traced along his jaw. "If I knew I was going to die, I'd want your face to be the last one I saw too," Sakura admitted.
Kakashi squeezed her tight against him. "Don't say things like that." He didn't want to think about Sakura dying. The crow outside the window cawed again. "I guess it's time."
"I'm sorry, I have to leave," Sakura whispered, her fingers curling over his chest. "I wish I could have protected you from so much pain that you've gone through."
"You can't fix everything." Kakashi rolled Sakura off of him and then rose from the bed. He started to pick up his clothes and dress, feeling Sakura's eyes on him the whole time. He plucked up his discarded mask on his dresser and secured it over the lower half of his face. He might as well get used to wearing it all the time again. He picked up Sakura's clothes and handed them to her.
She took them, her fingers brushing against his in the exchange. "You need to lean into your friends here, Kakashi. You have Tenzo, Shisui, Itachi, and Gai. And Obito is here too."
Kakashi stared down at their hands. "I think Shisui should lock away my memory of Obito too. I think I'd do better to think of him as a martyr than a deranged villain."
"He'll come back to you," Sakura promised, stepping back towards the nightstand where fresh bandages were waiting. She wound the bindings over her breasts, tied off the wrappings. Then she stood in her panties and bindings and hugged Kakashi again, tucking her head under his jaw. "I'll come back to you too. Try to be patient with my younger self. I was just a naive little girl."
"If I'm a jerk, Shisui will knock some sense into me." Kakashi closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feel of Sakura against him. "You were my favorite student though, right?"
Sakura chuckled. "I guess. Naruto and Sasuke were always fighting. Naruto had the tailed-beast inside of him and was always running off half-cocked. Sasuke had so much anger and sadness. It should be different now. I think growing up with a loving, supportive family is going to make all the difference." She shivered against him. "I hope I didn't screw everything up by coming back here, but I —I just felt it was the right thing to do."
"It doesn't matter. What's done is done." Kakashi pushed her away from his gently so that he could look down into her eyes, try to memorize the exact shade of green so deep in his mind that he'd never forget. "I'm know I'm waiting for you with open arms back in your time. I'll be fine." He leaned his forehead against hers. "We have a family, Sakura. You saw our son. He's beautiful, smart, and happy."
"I saw my daughter too," Sakura pointed out.
"I'm not going to fault you for falling in love with Sasuke first, especially if he's a happy, well-adjusted kid in this reality. As last as you're mine in the end." Kakashi released her from the hug and gestured towards the rest of her clothes on the bed. "Finish getting dressed. We'll go together."
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Shisui
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Sarada was a pretty cool girl. She was only about a year older than him chronologically, but her mastery over the Sharingan and Rinnegan was impressive. It would figure that Sasuke would end up with the most powerful offspring the clan had seen since Madara. Shisui wasn't upset that the girl outshone him. He even took pride in the fact since apparently, he'd been one of her mentors.
He was feeling a bit curious about his own future, but frankly, he was just happy to not be buried in an unmarked grave in the forest. He was prepared to lock away Kakashi's memories. They decided to do the procedure while Sarada was still present. Sakura, Naruto, and Takashi were currently having tea with Mikoto and Fugaku.
"I had looked into securing an arranged marriage with Sakura," Kakashi admitted when it was just the two of them. They were waiting for Sarada to finish her discussion with Itachi about something.
"I'll make sure the two of you find your way back to each other," Shisui vowed. He took Kakashi's hands and squeezed them tight. "Trust me. I am only alive because of you two." He felt Sarada walk into the room and stand behind him to observe. "I'm going to fade your memories of the last few weeks. Major things you'll remember. You'll think our friends from the future were foreign allied shinobi that you can't quite recall their faces. But you'll still keep the warm feelings associated with them. You'll know they aren't dead, but just far away with the optimistic hope of one day being reunited," Shisui explained.
Kakashi nodded, closed his eyes as if saving the memories for a few more precious moments. "Do it."
A few minutes later, Kakashi was unconscious as his mind struggled to accept the jutsu. Shisui left him resting on the pallet while he and Itachi joined their allies from the future.
Sakura hugged Shisui fiercely. "You made everything possible," she whispered. "Thank you for finding me that day."
"Fate had us find each other," Shisui answered. "I'll take care of you in this time, little sister."
He and Itachi observed in awe as Sarada opened a portal in both time and space. Sakura and Naruto held hands, both looked nervous, at least until Sarada used her golden Susanoo— familiar enough to Sasuke's purple one that they stepped within without hesitation. Sakura wrapped the magical armor around herself, Takashi, Sakura, and Naruto and vanished into the future.
"Are you sure you want to keep your memories too, Itachi?" Shisui asked, looking down towards his younger cousin.
Itachi nodded. "You, me, Father, Mother, The Third. We will all keep our memories. It will be our burden to know the truth. Let's get to work on finishing up the sealing of the others' memories. We are more than half-way there."
Shisui stared at the space where their family from the future vanished. Sarada had told him the exact date, time, and location where she would meet him. He just needed to make sure he was there.
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Fourteen years into the future…
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Shisui let out a huge sigh of relief when a grown version of Sarada brought back the Rokudaime's wife and the Hokage in training. They'd been transported directed into the backyard of the Uchiha Head Family — Itachi's backyard. Sarada and her brother didn't linger and quickly left to return to their future.
Sakura and Naruto were holding hands when they both fell unconscious into the arms of Shisui and Obito. It would have been nice if Kakashi and Sasuke had been able to meet with them upon their return, but they were both still recovering from the onslaught of new memories overwriting their original reality. And Itachi was busy serving as Interim Hokage. Ino and Sai had already returned to their regular duties. And almost everyone else had their memories of that time quietly locked away.
"Wow," Obito whispered. "It's really her this time," he said quietly. His eyes welled with tears as he stared at the pink-haired woman in Shisui's arms. "I almost did to Kakashi what happened to me."
"You were under the influence of another grief-stricken Uchiha," Shisui reminded him. "We broke that cycle of hatred and despair. Lady Tsunade is going to want to examine these two personally, then we'll take them back to their home. Izumi already has everything set up for them."
"What have you told your wife about all this?" Obito asked, shifting Naruto's weight in his arms until he was positioned over his shoulder.
"I just told her it was a secret assignment for the Hokage. As long as I'm home for supper and bedtime, she really doesn't care too much," Shisui answered thinking about his red-haired spit-fire of a partner. He glanced down at the slumbering pinkette in his arms and hugged her against him. "Welcome back, little sister."
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Sakura
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She woke up with a raging headache and a cool sensation over her forehead. She opened her eyes to see familiar golden-honey irises observing her. "Master Tsunade," Sakura whispered.
"Hey brat," Tsunade answered. "Got my memories back from our time together in the forest. Time traveling, eh? You always were way too interested in history."
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked. She braced her arms behind her and sat up. She recognized the room somewhat, but it was definitely different than the last time she saw it. It was the Hatake Estate in the Master bedroom. The decor had been upgraded with a decidedly feminine touch—her own she supposed..
Tsunade scoffed. "I'm supposed to be asking you that. I'm afraid I can only dull the headache. It's the normal response for all those memories merging together if Kakashi, Sasuke, Ino, and Sai are any indication. You and Naruto can both expect to be weak as kittens for a few more days."
"Is Kakashi okay?" Sakura asked, biting her lower lip worriedly.
Tsunade smiled. "Eager to see your husband?" She laughed, slapping her knee in amusement. "I can't blame you. He's very handsome and I'm sure you'd love cuddling with that muscle-bound man. It's like the two of you can't breathe if you're not touching each other." She sighed, her eyes scanning towards Sakura's mid-section. "Your baby appears healthy. I know you'll want to see your daughter, but I think I'm going to recommend at least another day before I allow that. Your husband is waiting outside that door though and I'm afraid he's going to burst it open if I don't let him in. I"ll be back to check on you in the morning."
Sakura's mind swirled with Tsunade's explanation. Sarada was obviously the daughter, she remembered the older version that brought her back to this time. How old would she be? When did Sakura have her first child? It was obviously with Sasuke. How did that happen? Her hand cradled against her womb, feeling the life-force of her son. Her son that was created in the past and would be born in the present a decade and a half later.
Then all thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she sensed Kakashi's familiar presence outside the door. Sakura felt her heart squeeze in anticipation when Kakashi strolled inside, his dark gray eyes stormy with emotion, his mask stuffed into the front pocket of his vest. He wore the dark gray and black uniform he favored as Hokage, the red sash on his arm marking his station. He nodded curtly at Tsunade, whom excused herself from the room and then sat on the edge of the bed. Kakashi pulled Sakura into his arms wordlessly.
Sakura clung to him, overcome with emotions. "Welcome home, Sakura," Kakashi murmured into her hair, his hands traced over her arms, her shoulders, as if he didn't believe she were real.
Sakura reached for Kakashi's shirt and he let her pull it off over his head. She scanned the planes of his bare chest — different than she remembered. Instead of the jagged scar from Kakuzu over his left pectoral was a tattoo — a branch from the cherry blossom tree in vivid shades of pink. "What?"
Kakashi snorted. "A gift from Sai a few years ago. When Shisui gave me back my memories after Obito kidnapped you — again."
"Is he here? I think —-I saw him," Sakura said groaning with renewed pain in her temples.
"He's fine. He's all good now. I got him back. We got him back," Kakashi said with a laugh. "No scar over my heart now, just a tattoo symbolizing the woman I love."
"It's pink," Sakura pointed out.
Kakashi twirled his finger around a loose tendril of her hair. "It's become my favorite color." He took her elbows and led her back to the bed and they snuggled under the covers facing each other. Sakura splayed her hands over Kakashi's chest, fascinated by the tattoo. Kakashi's arms banded around her, holding her close.
"I'm so glad," Sakura cried, burying her face against his neck and cuddling as close to him as physically possible. "I didn't know what to expect."
"It's definitely different," Kakashi murmured, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "For now, sleep. I'll hold you. And when you wake up, I'll be here. I'll answer any questions you may have."
"Can you summon your pack?" Sakura asked, kissing his neck sleepily.
"Of course," Kakashi agreed.
She closed her eyes and smiled against him when she felt the warm, furry companions crowd onto the bed with them.
"Welcome back," Pakkun greeted, settling his small body on the pillow right above her and Kakashi's heads.
"It's good to be home," Sakura agreed.
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