Chapter Seven: Fireworks and Cherry Blossoms

.

.
The temperature was significantly cooler than the night before, but the sky was clear and the fireworks had just started to fill the horizon. Hughes of pink, yellow, green and violet lit up both the sky and the lake's placid surface. Kakashi landed softly on the shoreline of the lake. He set Sakura on her feet and she slowly unwound her arms from his neck. Her eyes locked on his with a heavy weight in her gaze. When she finally stepped away, he felt bereft of her body heat.

"If you had this place, why did you live in that tiny apartment for all those years?" Sakura asked, looking between him and the fireworks filling the sky.

"The apartment wasn't tiny," Kakashi argued, more defensive than he intended. It had a nice kitchen, den, bedroom and bath. "It was easier to maintain than my clan's ancestral home. And it was closer for Anbu to reach me if I was needed in an emergency."

"Ah," Sakura sighed. "That makes sense." She turned her gaze away from the lights and looked up at him, angling her head to the side. "So, did you want to watch the fireworks, or did you want to talk? You look upset." She folded her arms over her chest, still a bit sullen herself.

Kakashi wasn't upset, he was flustered and frustrated. Okay, maybe he was upset. How does one bring up the fact that they don't live in their ancestral home because they found their father's body bleeding out on the floor in the family house? Or that he'd finally been okay living there with his teammates Obito and Rin coming to visit often, he'd bury himself in reading books, fishing on his off days, and summoning his ninken to make the place seem less deserted and desolate? Then when he'd lost them, he couldn't stand the solitude. And now, he wanted to do something about that solitude. That with Sakura at his side, he no longer felt that oppressive weight of crushing loneliness than even his precious ninken couldn't abate.

"Genma doesn't have a cousin." Kakashi reached for his mask and tugged it below his neck, revealing his face to the pale light of the moon and bright flashes of the fireworks. "Sukea is the name my father called me when I was a young boy," he started.

Sakura's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide as she took a step towards him. "Why did you pretend to be Sukea? Why not come to me as yourself?"

Kakashi took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He'd been less anxious when he faced off against the members of the Akatsuki. "I've had feelings for you for a while and I wanted to see how we interacted without our history between us confusing things." He chuckled darkly. "Little did I know, I'd feel even more confused at the end. I didn't want to continue deceiving you."

"You sent the flowers? The treats? Took me to see the butterflies? Held my hand at the carnival? Taught Naruto how to dance?" Sakura said, listing off their activities of the last two weeks, until she drew close enough to grab the front of his shirt and stare up at him, anger dancing in her pale eyes. "Kissed me? Why even don this persona? You should have come to me as yourself."

Kakashi reached up to hold his hands over hers, not bothering to free his shirt from her grasp. "You stopped talking to me."

"You stopped coming to Team dinners," Sakura whispered.

"I didn't want to see you for Team dinners. I wanted to see you — not the others. My time is limited, as you know. I love Naruto, but a man can only take so much Ramen. I'm the Hokage. I began to live for the lunches you would make me," Kakashi explained, his hands tightening slightly over hers. "And you know how I'm watched over. The council is always on me about my marital status — or lack thereof. I didn't want to subject you to any extra stress. I just wanted to make you feel special — take you dancing, send you flowers."

"Well do you like the plushie I won for you?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side, confusing Kakashi for a moment with the change of topic.

"I'm more a fan of real dogs than stuffed ones." Kakashi grimaced. "Are you keeping the cat?"

"Are you allergic?" Sakura countered. "Did you like kissing me? I liked kissing you," she added shyly, her eyes bright with emotion.

Kakashi's cheeks tinted and he pursed his lips into a thin, straight line, before he nodded. "I have feelings for you, Sakura. I think I've been in love with you since the end of the War. Very strong feelings that I don't quite know what to do with. But, I've always been in a position of power over you. I just wanted to see if we could work — as regular people. And I didn't want to hurt you, any more than this little experiment would have hurt."

"Sukea is handsome and sweet, but I definitely prefer Kakashi." She smiled at him sadly. "Why Sukea? I understand the name from your childhood. However, the interest in photography? The hair, contacts, face paint — was he an alter ego from your time in Anbu?"

"It was nice to hear that name used again. Sukea." He began to rub his thumbs in gentle circles over her hands. "So, I created this character when you and the boys were my cute little genin." The hair, contacts, and face paint reminded him of Rin's coloring. He could have been her older brother with those characteristics. "You and the boys had started to grow on me and I no longer hated the three of you." Kakashi smiled faintly as he thought back to those first few months with Team Seven.

"It was that mission to Wave that changed my opinion." Kakashi stepped back and Sakura released his shirt. He stared down at her and rubbed his bare chin, something he did often when he was thinking, startled at first at the feel of his skin and not the usual soft material of his mask. "And when I overheard Naruto wanting to unmask me and the excitement in your voices, I wanted to just have a fun day. You were kids. I never got to have a childhood myself, but I thought maybe I could give you what I never had — even if it was just for one day."

"So you created Sukea," Sakura said, moving towards him again, until she stood toe-to-toe with him, peering at his face with a soft expression.

"I graduated the Academy when I was six. Minato-sensei took me under his wing. My father died the year before. My mother died when I was even younger. Minato bought me my first camera. It was something we did together— photography." Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair and scratched his nails against his scalp. Part of him wanted to run off and bury his nose in a book, but the bigger part of him wanted to let someone in. Wanted to let Sakura in. "Minato and Kushina are whom I was referring to as my uncle and aunt that day at the bakery."

"The world was certainly darker after their loss," Sakura said quietly. Her voice barely audible over the sounds of the distant fireworks. She reached for Kakashi's hand and drew it away from his chin. She laced their fingers together. "It was a great day, the day Sukea tried to help little Team Seven discover your face. I had thought there were similarities, but I discounted it. I failed to look underneath the underneath."

"I didn't want you to at the time," Kakashi pointed out, staring down into her eyes. "I'm so very tired, Sakura. I've been depressed since I was five years old and found my father's body. Then one-by-one, I lost my teammates. After Minato and Kushina's deaths I lost myself in Anbu. But, instead of me falling at the hands of an enemy, I just kept perpetuating the cycle of death — accomplishing all my assassinations, my hands more and more bloody."

"You were a soldier doing his job. And you helped save the world, Kashi. You were the Commander of the Allied Forces when we fought against a goddess!" Sakura pointed out. She took his hand and drew it up against her chest, stepping back into his space.

"And if I hadn't failed Obito, she never would have been unleashed to begin with," Kakashi reasoned.

"You were twelve. And he already forgave you. And he was manipulated and you are not responsible for what he did, Kashi." Sakura used her free hand to gently caress the exposed flesh of Kakashi's cheek. "And you were named the Hokage because you inspire us. Look at all the progress that has happened not only in the Leaf, but also in the other Hidden Villages because of the bonds you forged."

"Naruto forged those bonds," Kakashi argued.

"Did he? I feel he was part of the equation, but not the sum total." She pinched his cheek in a light tease and Kakashi scowled at her for the slight discomfort, but he also felt a thrill at the simple touch. "Who do you think inspired his ninja way? You and your respecting the lives of those around you — people are more important than a mission. He was an annoying brat at the Academy. So was I."

"To be fair, most kids are," Kakashi reasoned, laying his hand over the top of Sakura's much smaller one on his face as he leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

"What do you want to do now, Rokudaime?" Sakura asked, her lips so close to his, he could taste her breath. They'd eaten the same dinner, it was the same as his own breath.

Kakashi spun Sakura around and then scooped her up. She laughed breathlessly at the maneuver. He settled on the ground all in a rapid succession of movements that left her head spinning. He cuddled her in his lap and tucked her head under his chin while his arms held her tight. "I want to watch fireworks with you. Then I want to take you back to my place and play with puppies. And then I want to spend my days with you, going for walks, taking photos, making memories. I want to hold your hand while strolling down the streets of the village. I want you to keep making me lunch every day, but I want to make you breakfast every morning."

"I see." Sakura turned into him, and traced her thumb down the scar under his left eye. Her heart pounded at the familiar warmth in those charcoal gray, stormy eyes. "I am going to tell you a secret, Kashi. I'm not that disappointed that Sukea is gone."

"Oh?" Kakashi's silvery brows furrowed. "I thought you liked him."

"I did. I do. So many times, his mannerisms, his build, even his age — he had too many similarities to you. And if I'm being honest, I was disappointed that he wasn't you." Her gaze flickered between his eyes and his lips. "It's why I cried when we kissed. Or when I thought I was kissing him, because I wanted to be kissing you."

Kakashi smiled slowly. "Okay."

"Let me finish, or I never will," Sakura scolded, bringing her thumb from under his eye to his full, bottom lip. "When I looked into Sukea's pale gray eyes — they were wrong — I wanted your thundercloud gray. When I touched his brown hair, I wanted your crazy silver. And when he kissed me, if I closed my eyes, I could pretend it was you, but I don't want to pretend." She could feel the familiar warmth of tears streaming down her face. One of Kakashi's hands cradled her cheek, his thumb brushed away the tears tenderly. "I know you probably don't believe me. You heard me confess to others. But I'm telling you — it's different. I'm not a hormonal teenager. I'm a grown woman and I know what I want. And what I want is you, Kakashi Sukea Hatake."

"Mah, this was supposed to be my confession, Sakura," Kakashi said, his face exposed and pouting, his bottom lip plump and adorable. "I want you too. I want to start the day with you, share the mid-day meal with you, and end the day with you. I want to travel the world with you, when there aren't missions and also when there are."

"It would only be logical for the top medic to travel with the Hokage," Sakura murmured.

"It would be even more logical for the Hokage to bring along his wife," Kakashi pointed out. He pressed a kiss to the base of her throat. "What do you think? Your parents seem to like me. Lady Tsunade likes me enough to give me her old job."

"Do you want kids?" Sakura asked.

"I wouldn't be opposed," Kakashi answered. With the threat of constant war looming in the past, he hadn't wanted children. He hadn't wanted to subject them to the terrible experienced he'd gone through. But now, in an era of peace, he very much would like to have the chance.

.
.

OoO

.

.
Hand in hand, Sakura followed as Kakashi led the two of them through the high grass of the clearing. Two of Kakashi's ninja hounds tagged along. Pakkun rode comfortably on Kakashi's broad shoulder while Uhei took point. Sakura's black cat marched along at her ankles, looking vaguely annoyed at Kakashi, but staying at Sakura's side stubbornly.

"We're here," Kakashi announced. He leaned over to set Pakkun on the ground gently and then sat abruptly, tugging Sakura alongside him until she fell on top of him. He let out an 'oomp' of air at the impact and Sakura laughed.

"Was this necessary?" Sakura asked, pushing against his shoulders to sit up. Kakashi merely smiled up at her, his eyes creasing at the corners in happiness. She laughed again. "You're just happy to be out of the office." When he'd knocked on her apartment door that morning, dressed in civilian clothes - green knit sweater and dark cargo pants, she'd done a double take. He asked her to dress in something that would keep her warm in windy weather and she'd dressed in a comfortable red sweater and leggings. She'd thought it was a date, but then had been confused by the presence of the dogs. Her possessive cat had demanded to be included on their little adventure. And now the black feline nudged her with his cold, wet nose on the back of her hand.

"Necessary? No. Fun? Definitely," Kakashi said, his hands resting comfortably on her hips and sitting up. He raised one of his hands and then moved his fingers impossibly fast and a Sukea clone materialized. The clone opened Kakashi's pouch and pulled out a familiar camera. "I thought maybe we could enjoy the weather and maybe let Sukea snap a few casual photos?"

Sakura nodded and she shifted to sit beside Kakashi. She met Sukea's light eyes and he raised a hand to wiggle his fingers at her playfully. "Oh!" She exclaimed when she noticed a pair of black and blue swallowtail butterflies. "Great idea." She watched as one of the butterflies landed on Kakashi's knee.

.

.

OoO

.

.
Five Months Later…

.

The office of the Hokage had been busy all week with the arrival of so many foreign shinobi. Kakashi had fretted about finding coverage to watch over the village when everyone wanted to attend the wedding of Naruto and Hinata. Luckily, Naruto had friends throughout the shinobi villages and teams from each of the other Kage had volunteered to guard the perimeter.

The Raikage, Darui and the Kazekage, Gaara sat across from Kakashi in his office. The former gestured towards the framed photo on Kakashi's desk. It was a photo of him and Sakura, surrounded by a couple of ninja hounds and Sakura's surly cat — he'd had one of his shadow clones take the picture.

"So you and Sakura, huh?" Darui asked, a soft smile on his face.

"Yes," Kakashi said. "She mentioned that the two of you dated, briefly."

"Did she? I don't suppose she told you why she broke up with me after only a couple of dates," Darui said, leaning back and looking between Gaara and Kakashi, whom were both watching him with interested expressions.

"Why?" Gaara asked, when it became clear that Kakashi wasn't going to say nothing.

"She told me she was in love with someone else," Darui explained. He gestured towards the framed photo. "Kakashi Hatake, the newly appointed Rokudaime."

"Ah, she left that part of the story out," Kakashi murmured.

Dariu smiled back. "I'm sure she did."

"Your village will be in good hands," Gaara assured him. "Enjoy yourself tomorrow."

"Oh, I plan to." Kakashi escorted the two other Kage out. He'd be meeting with the leaders of Earth and Mist in a couple of hours. However, he had some time before then. He left Shikamaru to wrap up some final details and made his way to the hospital. Sakura would be in her office at this time, wrapping up her documentation before heading home— to their penthouse.

Kakashi invited himself inside the hospital director's office and made himself comfortable on the futon she had reserved for naps, impromptu healing sessions for friends, and for making out with her fiancé. He scanned the office, noting the fresh vase of flowers he'd sent and the framed photos on her desk. She still had the one of the butterflies, but she also had one with the two of them, her cat, and Pakkun. The cat and the pug were giving each other sullen looks, but had accepted the presence of the other.

Sakura breezed inside a moment later, and caught Kakashi stretched out on her futon. He looked over at her and grinned when she took off her white coat, the sight of the slight swell in her belly warming his heart. She was worried her dress for the wedding might be a bit snug. Kakashi was ridiculously proud that evidence of their relationship would be on full display. He hoped it would be a very snug fit.

"Kashi! Hi! I wasn't expecting you," Sakura said, moving to stand in front of him on the futon.

"I arranged for lunch to be delivered," Kakashi explained. He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the futon and pulled Sakura into his lap. He nuzzled the juncture between her throat and her collarbone. "I thought I'd keep you company until my next meeting."

"Did you hear?" Sakura asked. "Naruto hired Konohamaru to be the photographer for his wedding."

Kakashi drew back, his eyes narrowed. "You're kidding. I thought I asked him to hire a professional."

Sakura nodded. "He's going to do a video recording of the whole thing."

Kakashi hugged Sakura close, his hand splaying across the slight swell of her baby bump. "Should I bring my camera?"

"It would be a nice wedding present," Sakura agreed. She pulled down his mask and smiled at his familiar face before pressing her lips against his in a chaste kiss.

"You sure you don't want to do a big international wedding?" Kakashi asked, for probably the seventh time. He didn't want to be the center of attention for such an event, but if Sakura wanted — he'd suck it up.

"No. I told you, I'd rather elope. I don't even want to try and compete with Naruto," Sakura mused, reaching into Kakashi's hair and disheveling his silver mass further.

"Hm." Kakashi braced his hands on her hips and kissed her. This time it wasn't chaste. He slipped his tongue past her lips, explored the caverns of her mouth, enjoyed the way her body seemed to melt against his. He pulled back, pleased with the content smile on his lover's lips. "Can we do a small wedding then? On my family estate? We can have those little twinkling fairy lights and let your friend do the flower arrangements. And fireworks. We should have some fireworks over the lake."

"That's not necessary," Sakura protested softly. She cradled his face in her hands, the faint silvery beard he hadn't shaved yet rough against her palms.

"You would look so beautiful in a wedding kimono, Sakura," Kakashi murmured. "I'd love to capture that moment on film. I want generations from now to look back and see how beautiful my wife looked on our wedding day."

"Would you wear the traditional groom's robes?" Sakura asked, tracing her fingers along his jawline.

"I'll even forgo the mask for the occasion," Kakashi promised. "And we'll have more time with the kimono for you. You can be nine-months pregnant and still look amazing." He kissed her forehead. "I don't want to rush you, but need I remind you of my advancing age?"

"Alright, we'll work out the details after Naruto and Hinata's wedding," Sakura agreed.

"We could take advantage of all these guests already here. We could probably get a bunch of genin to transport the flowers from there to the estate," Kakashi suggested.

Sakura slapped his chest gently. "Don't you dare! I know you're frugal, but that would be too much."

Kakashi laughed, he'd only been teasing, but now he was tempted. Maybe he'd chat with Ino and Sai after the wedding. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and he'd hate to lose the scenic background.

.

.
FIN